From the President's Desk

It's that time again. Excitement is building for AASECT's 46th Annual Conference at the Portola Hotel and Spa in stunning Monterey, California, Wednesday, June 4 to Sunday, June 8. You can now register for the chance to join the most professional, educated, colorful, and interesting sexuality experts in the world for our annual sexology conference. Hotel rooms are already going fast, so please reserve yours soon. 

The conference offerings this year are a masterful balance of substantive workshops for educators, counselors, and therapists. Come on out and mingle with sexology notables, talk with your heroes, make new friends, learn, play, and explore the beautiful California coast.   

What are YOU most excited about when it comes to the upcoming AASECT conference? Are there any particular workshops, plenaries, posters, or events that are getting you revved? Are there any people you are especially excited to learn from, or meet? Email me, and let me know what you’re getting excited about, and why. I’ll pick some of your emails and include them in next month's CS!

See you in Cali, and see you soon!

Other AASECT News:

There has been a lively and passionate discussion on the listserv about the changes to the Certification Renewal Process. This is being heard and discussed by the Certification Committee and the Board of Directors, which is about to meet about and discuss the updated Code of Ethics, as well as the Certification Renewal issue and the possibility of reinstating CEs for regional events. 

We work very hard to be an open, fair, transparent organization, as well as to uphold and maintain the highest standards of professional practice for educators, counselors, and therapists. AASECT has been working diligently on improving its infrastructure so that policies and procedures are clear, up to date, and representative of the current organization. This kind of overhaul has not been done in many, many years, and takes time to complete.  

Thanks to Russell Stambaugh — the head of the Bylaws Committee — and the rest of the committee for pushing through the bylaws review. No stone will be unturned as we look at what needs updating within our organization. Thanks, also, to Jo Kessler and the Certification Steering Committee for the ongoing, arduous overhaul of policies to make certification more clear, consistent, and simplified. We are also working to ensure that all fee structures are fair. 

As we roll out the new website, which will include distance learning opportunities for our members, we are excited about the new ways in which we will be able to create community, connect more deeply with each other, and provide even more educational prospects. A deep bow to Sallie Foley for all she has done to make the website a reality, and to Rob Gates at Bostrom for his expertise, as well as the whole AASECT office team.

Are you interested in working with the board on a young leadership initiative within AASECT? We are looking for increased diversity within AASECT in all regards. As we look to AASECT's future, we want young professionals, educators, counselors, and therapists who are interested in becoming more involved in leadership within AASECT. If you are a young professional with a vision you would like to share in terms of making AASECT an even greater organization, contact us!

As always, we welcome your comments or suggestions. Thank you for your dedication to the field of sexual health, and thank you for being a member of our organization! 

Happy (almost) spring,

Michele
msugglcsw@gmail.com