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The AMT National Board and Council met in Panama City Fl, on February 22 and 23, 2008. The meeting was held at the same conference center as the Magnolia Treasures District Meeting, so it was good to see old friends and squeeze in a few continuing education sessions. The Council conducted a great deal of business and several items are of interest to the membership.

The following state societies from the Eastern District received Honor Roll designation for 2007, and will receive their award at the 2008 National Conference in Providence, Rhode Island:

There were also several national award winners from the Eastern District. Congratulations to all, and I hope you will be able to attend the Awards Banquet in Providence to receive your award!

The AMT website is being redesigned. It will have a new look and will be more “user-friendly”. AMT is also redesigning the brochures for the various disciplines and updating their other marketing tools.

AMTIE bylaws were recently amended to add another elected member to the AMTIE Board. Anyone wishing to run for this position should contact the AMT office for information. The election will be held at the meeting at the AMT National Conference in Providence, RI.

The membership renewal cycle process change went very smoothly. Many members chose to renew for the additional time (1 year +) that was offered as an option on the statement. AMT now has over 41,000 members.

The survey results from the members of the two state beta sites for electronic publications were reviewed at the Council meeting, and recommendations were sent to the AMT Board. It appears that we will be moving forward towards electronic publications in the near future. The new Publications Councillor, Tommie Williams, MT, NC, will work with the Publications Committee to address the many questions and issues concerning electronic publications.

The 2008 AMT National Convention will be held July 7-12, 2008, in Providence, Rhode Island at the Westin Hotel. Room rates are $119 single/double, and travel costs should be at a minimum for those of us in the Eastern District. I hope that many of you will also take advantage of the close proximity and attend this year’s conference. Diane Powell, AMT Meeting Planner, announced there are tours planned for local attractions, including Nantucket Island and Martha’s Vineyard. The Friday night optional social is a dinner cruise to Newport Harbor, with live music/DJ in the works.

Future convention sites:
2009 – Minneapolis, MN – Hilton Hotel with free shuttle service to Mall of America (five minutes away!)
2010 – Western District

In closing, I would like to encourage each member to become an active part of his or her state society. Your state officers and board members work hard to keep your state society moving forward, and need each and every one of the members to attend and become active. To the officers and board members, thank you for all that you do to keep AMT a vital organization in your states. As always, please feel free to contact me with your questions and concerns.
Hope to see you in Providence!