Hello MCAICT Members and Industry Associates,

With our 2007-2008 programming year over, I pause to look back and realize that MCAICT has been my extended family in the communications business for over two decades and that I have been on the board for a good many of those years. After being President this past year, and working with the best board in memory, I'm happy to report that our chapter is strong and poised for further growth. I'm proud of the work we've done, the connections we've made, and the standards we've set.

Our chapter was recognized at the National level.
-  At the 2007 MCA-I Leadership Conference, attended by incoming President Steve Washer, our "Media Resources Guide" DVD project led by Craig Mikhitarian, attracted a lot of attention and accolades.
-  At the 39th Annual MCA-I Media Festival Awards in Milwaukee, I received the Shining Star Award for significant contributions to our chapter.
It was great for our relatively small chapter to receive these recognitions.

This past year we moved forward in a number of areas and held our ground in others:

• Our website is enhanced and is now a repository of all chapter information. We have an up-to-date member listing and freelance directory. The website has archival sections for newsletters since 2005, meeting e-notices for the past year, and a listing of all meeting topics and locations since 2005 which are now automatically posted to the website. This makes it easy to pass on paperless records to subsequent boards and is also valuable for potential members to learn about our activities and our chapter.
• Our meetings drew interested and engaged audiences. Some of the highlights of the past year's meetings were "Re-inventing Yourself", "Marketing for the Media Professional", "Pitching: Effective Face-to-Face Presentation", and "Digital Media Workforce Issues in CT". Each Board member pitched in to make all 9 meetings successful, as we did not have a "Programming Chair" for the second consecutive year.
• All our communications, including our website, have a unified look which has increases our visibility and brand recognition. Employers have contacted us to fill positions in their organizations. Having this inside track to job postings is a great benefit to our members.
• We've made new connections. John Ferrante and Diane Ploch forged a new relationship with ASTD, the American Society for Training and Development, a great organization for us to partner with. And we continued to partner with CTFCPUG, Connecticut Final Cut Pro User Group, for a second year.
• Our membership numbers are steady and our financial position is strong.
• We conducted a year-end survey and received some constructive feedback and good suggestions.
• We also had promotional items made with our new MCA-I logo as giveaways to advance our branding.

These accomplishments only happen when a group of dedicated board members all pull together. I'd like to extend my heartfelt thanks to this incredible board for their support and dedication this past year. It has been a pleasure working with you all.

Some of the board members will not continue in office next year and I want to take this opportunity to thank them individually.

John Ferrante, thank you for your 6 years as Secretary, and for always keeping us on track.

Craig Mikhitarian, as long-time Membership Chair for 6+ years, and more recently as Treasurer, you did an amazing job. Thank you.

Francie Anne Riley, our Communications Member-At-Large for several years, and our welcoming committee at all our meetings, you will be missed. Thank you so much for all your help.

The New Board of Directors:
I am happy to hand over the reins to the capable hands of Steve Washer, our new President. Steve will have the support of two current board members, Guy Ortoleva, as Member-At-Large for Programming, and Diane Ploch, who will continue as Communications Chair and will now take on Webmaster Liaison. My sincere thanks to Steve, Guy and Diane for their dedication and support this past year and for volunteering their time and talents for another year.

We also have 4 new board members:
Don Berry as Member-At-Large for Programming
James Early as Member-At-Large for Membership
Layne Rodney as Membership Chair
Neal Thomason as Member-At-Large
Thank you all for volunteering your time and expertise.

There are still key positions available on the board and I encourage each of you to get involved. This is our organization, run by volunteers for our collective benefit and it can only be as good as the time and effort each of us puts into it. If you cannot commit to a board position, please consider lending a little time and expertise to help plan a meeting, write an article or help recruit new members. Please contact Diane Ploch at diane@mcaict.org. Your participation will be greatly appreciated.

It has been my pleasure to serve as your President. I wish Steve Washer and the new board all the best for the coming year.

I'll see you at next year's meetings!!!

Have a great summer.

Gulnar Jeffereis
Immediate Past President