PRESIDENT'S CORNER

I was delighted to be in New York for their chapter's annual holiday party. A rainy night couldn't dampen the festive crowd's enthusiasm and we celebrated in style with great food and drink in a terrific Soho space (thanks again, WIN-Initiative!). The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Jane Kinne Picture Professional of the Year award to longtime ASPP executive director Cathy Sachs. In her acceptance speech Cathy turned the spotlight away from herself and on to Jane Kinne honoring her inestimable contributions to the ASPP and the industry as a whole. Watch for a feature on Cathy in the upcoming issue of The Picture Professional. A big thanks to the New York board and the many generous sponsors for crafting such a memorable evening.

We're looking forward to many new developments in the New Year. One important item is a revamping of our membership categories to broaden our reach while maintaining our professional standards. In our monthly national board call earlier this month, we discussed adding additional types of membership to our existing offerings. We will keep the levels currently in place while changing "regular member" to "accredited general member" to distinguish it. It, as well as the senior, international, student and group membership categories, will remain the same with the same dues structure as before.

The board decided to consider adding an "affiliate member" category at a reduced cost for semi-pros and dedicated amateurs. These are individuals who would not fully qualify as an accredited member, but who are interested in the networking and educational opportunities the ASPP offers. There would be a two-year time limit for this category after which the affiliate would be offered accredited membership. Affiliate members would not receive the magazine, be able to serve on chapter or national boards or have voting privileges among other things, but would be able to access most member benefits and serve on committees. We also moved to create a new discounted accredited member category for military personnel and second "family" members in the same household as well as a "lifetime" membership. Our membership task force is fine-tuning the proposed category changes and the board will vote on them before the end of the year. We will roll them out in early 2012 along with a new related membership drive.

Which makes a nice segue into a reminder to renew your membership if yours is expiring at year's end (or has, heaven forbid, already expired). Don't forget that we now offer a convenient monthly payment plan option. We're also working on more new member benefits to give you even more reason to be an "accredited" member. Gift yourself with ASPP membership. And all the best for a very happy, healthy holiday and year ahead!

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