To my colleagues and friends,
They say the days are long but the years are short. This statement could not be truer as I reflect back on my time as VHMA President and service on the Board. It was 11 years ago, that I was asked to support our Association and serve as a Director. I can still remember my first Board meeting and feeling nervous and uncertain. Of course, like every VHMA event, I was met with a warm welcome and open arms.
The past two years in particular have gone by much more quickly than expected. It seems like yesterday that I took responsibility for leading the VHMA at the Annual Conference in New Orleans. I am now contemplating all we have accomplished and asking if I have done all I can to make our Association better.
When I took on this role, I really wanted to have a focus and a vision for my time as President. I thought about all the things that make VHMA a great organization. In this process I realized that it wasn’t the conferences or the CVPM credential or the numerous tools and resources that made the Association so amazing. It is our members that are amazing. When you bring a group of amazing people together there is no limit to what is possible.
The greatness of VHMA is not Member Connect, rather it is members connecting. So I have attempted to focus on our members and the value of connecting these past two years. I believe that our Association exists for the purpose of serving each of you as members. Every benefit, every program, every tool considers: “How does this benefit our members?”
I recently looked back at my first message where I was considering how little time this term would be. It was then that I made a commitment to make time for what was important. For the past two years, that was the VHMA. As I have said before, I know that I received far more than what I have given. I hope that my efforts have begun to repay all I have received from the VHMA.
As I make the transition to Past President, I want to say thank you to so many who supported me over the years. I want to say thank you my fellow board members for their enthusiasm, patience and purpose. I want to say thank you to all the past board members whose shoulders we stand on. I want to say thank you to the VHMA staff for all the work they do. They are the gears of the VHMA. Mostly, I want to say thank you to the membership. I am grateful for your support. I am humbled by your trust. I am excited for the future of the VHMA.
Thank you for connecting. Thank you for sharing the VHMA Life with me.
Jim Nash, MHA, CVPM
VHMA President