May 2015 Issue 11

President's Column

AAEA members are looking forward to what looks to be a very well-attended Joint Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Registration numbers are high and the hotel is nearly full. The program looks excellent and I encourage anyone who is considering attending to make your plans now. San Francisco is, of course, a great place to visit in the summer and the professional and intellectual climate of the meetings will be outstanding this year.

I am very pleased to congratulate recent AAEA Board alumnus Jayson Lusk for being elected as President of the AAEA. I have had the pleasure of seeing Jayson in action on the Board and he will make an outstanding leader for our association. I am also very pleased to welcome Allen Featherstone and Ani Katchova to the AAEA Board of directors. I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with both Allen and Ani over the years and will be very pleased to have their wisdom and insights as new members of the Board. I want to also thank Dan Sumner, Ashok Mishra, and Gopi Munisamy for their dedication to the profession and willingness to participate in the elections.

As my term draws to an end, I have often reflected on the successes and failures of the past year. Let me first say that the experience has been a highlight of my career and I have been very proud and honored to have had this wonderful opportunity. I want to preface the rest of my comments here by reminding you that you are, for lack of a better term, the AAEA. Each member of this association serves other members and the profession through their actions to extend and communicate knowledge on important issues. I believe the AAEA is as strong and vibrant as it has ever been. As is true of most things, we have had to evolve to face new challenges and demands in a dynamic world. I think we, as an association, have done very well in this regard.

We have made extraordinary progress in our “communicating out” activities. We are working to fill a position within EDI for a professional communications director. We have the great fortune of having access to an immense wealth of talent in Caron Gala, the director of C-FARE. Caron will be working for AAEA through C-FARE to direct government relations. We have made important strides in clarifying our relationship with C-FARE in a manner that benefits everyone. C-FARE is an independent organization that serves as a contractor to AAEA.

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• A Gene Nelson

AAEA News

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Government Relations Update

• Budget and Appropriations
• C-FARE Events
• Nominations
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• International Agricultural Risk, Finance, and Insurance Conference (IARFIC)

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