December 2023 - 9

A MESSAGE
FROM THE
PRESIDENT
As my two years serving as ACBL President come to a close, I want to share my
thoughts with you on the future of the ACBL and express my gratitude for those
responsible.
The ACBL, as an organization, was hit hard by the
PRESIDENT
Joann Glasson
VICE PRESIDENT
Margot Hennings
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Bronia Jenkins
CHAIR, ADVISORY COUNCIL
Doug Couchman
Board of Directors
Region 1 * Jonathan Steinberg
Region 2 * Mark Aquino
Region 4 * Margot Hennings
Region 5 * Dennis Carman
Region 6 * Barbara Heller
Region 7 * Larry Sealy
Region 8 * Jeff Overby
Region 9 * Paul Cuneo
Region 10 * Cindy Shoemaker
Region 11 * David Lodge
Region 12 * Jacqueline Zayac
Region 13 * Tim White
District 2 * Flo Belford
District 3 * Carlos Muñoz
District 4 * Joann Glasson
District 14 * Deana Liddy
District 21 * Stu Goodgold
To contact a district director,
visit acbl.org/boardofdirectors.
pandemic. Bridge, a game that was traditionally played
face-to-face with cards in our hands, was no longer a
possibility. Fortunately, because of the efforts of volunteers
like Jay Whipple and Uday Ivatury, we swiftly
moved our bridge clubs and tournaments online, providing
our members with a place to play bridge while
the world was shut down.
My presidency began as we started to recover from
the pandemic. Much work needed to be done to reshape
the ACBL into an organization that serves both the
online community and the face-to-face community. It's
been a very busy and productive two years.
We are now seeing a reemergence of our bridge
JOANN GLASSON
tournaments, many getting close to pre-pandemic numbers. Face-to-face bridge
is increasing as online play is decreasing slightly. The focus of the organization
today is on membership growth and retention.
I am optimistic and can confidently say that the ACBL is in a better place and
the future is bright. Sometimes adversity provides an opportunity for change
that can make an organization stronger and better.
I have had the honor and privilege to work with a volunteer Board of Directors
who care deeply about the game of bridge and work diligently to make the best
decisions for the future of the ACBL, and I sincerely thank them for working with
me over the past two years to bring us to where we are today.
Thank you to our executive director, Bronia Jenkins, who has brought a fresh
perspective to our organization, highlighting the fun that bridge brings to our
lives. Thank you to our director of finance, Jennifer Webster, who brings competence
and strength to her important role.
Thank you to the other leaders of our organization: Paul Linxwiler, Sabrina Goley,
McKenzie Myers, Stephanie Threlkeld, Marcin Waslowicz, Jeff Edelstein, Sherry
Terraciano, Nancy Rosenbury, Montie Hamblen, Brian Weikle and all the ACBL
staff who are working with pride and determination to make the ACBL better.
A special thank you to the volunteers who have headed our major committees:
Doug Couchman, Jon Brissman, Jordan Chodorow, Mitch Dunitz, Danny
Sprung, Robb Gordon, Chip Martel, Nancy Strohmer and all the volunteers who
have served on those important committees and to Brian Platnick and Franco
Baseggio for their work on EDGAR.
I leave with a deep feeling of appreciation and gratitude to all our volunteers,
the club managers, the teachers, the tournament organizers and the unit and
district board members, who have forged their way through these post-pandemic
years to get us where we are today.
To our members, I wish you a healthy and happy New Year and lots of bridge in
2024!
Joann
December 2023 | Bridge Bulletin |
9
http://www.acbl.org/boardofdirectors
December 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2023
