Numbers Matter

One more joy of being President...I get to brush up on my writing skills, and to those who know me it is not my strong suit. So here goes nothing,

First, a big thank you to the MOA volunteers and staff for pulling off a great convention. With the changes to the format and Lieutenant Governor Brown attending, a lot of additional planning was required. A thank you to Rob Stutman for leading us over the past two years. I almost had to twist his arm to turn that gavel over. I'd like to offer congratulations to all the award winners: Drs. Tracie King, Tom Wong, Bill Davis and Senator Mikulski.

If you were in attendance you know that my mantra over the next two years will be "Leave It Better than You Found It," and to help me get there we have developed a Strategic Plan. One of the goals is to increase membership in that time frame by 50 members. This may seem high, but I think it is attainable. It is a necessity if we want to accomplish our membership's main goal of scope expansion. 

As I was preparing to write this column, I read Dr. Mel Shipp's inaugural president's column for the APHA and it turns out the APHA is also in need of more members. Imagine that. Dr. Shipp states increased membership is important because numbers matter and success depends on size and strength of the organization. Our membership numbers over the last few years are stagnant at best. If each member recruited one potential member through our "Be One Get One" campaign, we could knock this goal out quickly.

One of our other goals is to get more active in the APHA and even create a vision section for the state of Maryland. The Executive Board has since joined the APHA to get the ball rolling. In the same vein, we invited Dr. Shipp to Maryland to address the General Assembly. He will be here on Tuesday, January 17. Along with the Maryland Chapter of the APHA, we are sponsoring a breakfast in his honor. You all received an invitation and I would encourage you to attend. It is early, so you can come before patient care. I would love to see a great showing because numbers matter.

I would like to thank everyone who donated to the MOA and AOA PAC during our convention. We generated over ten thousand dollars. I would like to recognize those who hit Governor status, Azman Eye Care Specialists; Ross Bregel, O.D.; Richard Edlow, O.D.; Helen Hooper, O.D.;Tracie King, O.D.; Peepers of Severna Park; Jeffrey Poland, O.D.; Jerold Wassel, O.D.; and Weinstein Eye Associates. This is a great start and of course we will continue to ask for more...because numbers matter.

Do not forget our next CE at Wilmer on Sunday, March 11, 2012. Dr. Myrowitz always puts together a great event. To register, follow this link maryland.aoa.org/x20759.xml.

Sincerely,

John Burns, O.D.
MOA President