SEAHO Report - Holiday 2020 - 3

SEAHO PRESIDENT

I hope this message finds you all as well as
can be. It seems like just yesterday (despite
how tumultuous 2020 has been) we were in
Louisville for our conference and now I find
myself writing these words in my final address
as President. I must say that serving in this role
has been the highlight of my professional career
so far! I am honored and humbled that you had
the trust in me to serve in this capacity! It has
certainly been an experience like no other in a
year that has likewise been like no other.
As we approach the SEAHO 2021 conference,
I hope you will join us in a virtual format from your office, home, or other location. You can
register for the conference by going to https://www.seaho.org/page/seaho2021 and following
the instructions on the page. Ben Wicker and the SEAHO 2021 host committee have done a
great job in adjusting their launching point to bring you a virtual experience. It certainly isn't
what they signed up for, but it is what they got and they have made the most of it. I am excited
for the experience that they have created and appreciate their labor of love and I am especially
excited that we will be able to bring you the experience at no cost! I ask you to keep an open
mind as you partake in a conference that is different from our traditional experience. It is my
hope that you will find opportunities for growth as a professional and engage in meaningful
interactions with your colleagues even if the medium is a computer screen. At this point, I
know that we can all count ourselves as experts in online platforms/interactions and will be
able to navigate this experience well.
This past year has been filled with various firsts that have made this organization more
nimble and have challenged us in unexpected ways. We participated in our first ever virtual
reception as a part of the ACUHO-I annual conference, we had a virtual SEAHO mid-year
where we conducted the business of the organization, and we are not far from having our first
ever virtual conference. Thanks to the creative genius of Marketing Coordinator Ben St. Cyr,
we were able to bring you both the #TipsWithTryman series and #SEAHOTrivia series. I hope
that you got a good chuckle and maybe a small nugget of wisdom that was useful from the
tips. Through the trivia series, we were able to support members of our region attending the
ACUHO-I fall series conferences by using the Legacy Fund to distribute $2,850.
I also want to give a special shoutout to Corporate Partner Chair Katie Lewis. She has done
an extraordinary job in reaching out to our corporate partners and creating new touchpoints
to stay engaged with this important portion of our region. The organization has also moved
forward with year 1 of implementation of the 2020-2025 strategic plan passed under the
leadership of Gavin Roark. Even in a pandemic when other traditional business has been
halted, we continue to move forward with the items outlined as our guiding principles in the
strategic plan.
As I close my final message I must say thank you to the executive board and the entire
governing council of SEAHO. You all have remained steadfast in a year that has thrown us
curveball after curveball and you have not flinched. You have continued to press forward and
do everything possible to make this organization run smoothly. You have given your time,
talent and energy to this organization and for that I am indebted to you.
I also want to thank my supervisor Dr. Matt Kerch as well as the leadership in the Division
of Student life at The University of Alabama for allowing me the opportunity to step into
this space. They have supported me from day 1 of this endeavor and made space for me to
participate fully in this experience.

https://www.seaho.org/page/seaho2021

SEAHO Report - Holiday 2020

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