Gathering of AOBTA - Texas Members in Austin  I called for a Gathering of the Texas members of AOBTA to meet in Austin the end of Feb. during the Southwest Symposium. The purpose of the Gathering was to introduce myself as their new Central Regional Director, and to hear their thoughts as to the problems they felt we might have as an organization, and how we can improve and resolve them. Out of 40 members statewide, 12 attended the meeting. The above picture are of members who attended along with people interested in becoming members in AOBTA. The following is a list of the main issues the group felt should be addressed in the order of importance: 1. Lack of Communication from the Board and the Organization - Since I’ve come on board as the Central Regional Director, this is the same complaint I’ve heard from everyone I’ve spoken to, “No one from the AOBTA calls me, or communicates with me. I feel alone out here.” 2. No Support for Certified Instructors (CI’s) - Those who are CI’s don’t receive any endorsement or support of any kind from the organization or the BOD for the classes they offer. They want to see more involvement from the BOD. 3. No Classes being Offered or Advertised for PDA’s - Members don’t know where to go to get their PDA’s (CEU’s) to further their education and skills. Especially those who need to acquire PDA’s for their national certification through the NCCAOM.  We had a open and candid discussion as to how these issues might be solved, and what we could do to in our efforts to solve them. It’s easy to sit back and complain about problems, but something else to get up out of your chair and put forth the effort to do what’s needed to change things for the better. Everyone seemed to be in agreement as to what the problems are and what needs to happen to improve the situation. As the meeting concluded, an air of positive enthusiasm and excitement was expressed by all who attended. There was a renewed feeling of commitment among the group. Many told me that for the first time in a long time they felt that something was finally going to get accomplished to move the organization from a state of “stagnation” to a state of action.
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Feb. Issue                                                                                                                                                         2010