President's Report 

Greetings from the Land of Enchantment! I hope all is well throughout the Region as we approach the National AMTA Conference in Kansas City, from November 12 – 15, 2015.

Here in New Mexico, temperatures this week are plummeting to around 18 degrees at night. I am looking forward to seeing you all in person once again and, hopefully, being a little warmer as we venture out during the evenings in Kansas City!

A new Board of Directors began service for the SWAMTA on 7/1/15. I’m pleased to introduce our Officers and AMTA Committee Representatives for the 2015-2017 term.

Past President - Sophia Lee;
President - Antoinette Neff;
President Elect - Christine Neugebauer;
Vice President - Amy Smith;
Vice President Elect - Dianne Powell;
Secretary - Esther Craven;
Assembly Representative - Debbie Dacus;
SWAMTAS President - Victoria Glasser;
Treasurer - Amy Rogers;
Continuing Education – Jennifer Townsend;
Government Relations - Della Molloy Daugherty;
Historian/Archives - Sarah Coury-Rios;
Parliamentarian - Jessica Jarvis;
Publicity - Veronica Butler;
RRV - Karen Sholander & Jessica Leza;
SAAB - Michelle Kennemer;
Website - Christina Stock. 

Thank you all for your willingness to serve the Region!

The Board of Directors met on August 8, 2015 at the home of Treasurer, Amy Rogers, in Grapevine, TX. Amy has hosted our Summer Board meetings for several years and we are most grateful for the generosity and “genuine Texas hospitality” that Amy, along with her family and friends, have provided.

We had a very productive meeting. Actions taken include approval of: 1) increasing the professional and non-member prices of 

SWAMTA conference Registration Fees; 2) the FY 2015-2016 Budget, 3) moving the SWAMTA website platform to Wild Apricot, and 4) the 2017 SWAMTA conference location, 5) the AMTA Committee Representative Appointments - Academic Program Approval, Barbara Bastable; Affiliated Relations: Amanda Sehr; Association Internship Approval, Amy Smith; Continuing EducationCommittee, Jennifer Townsend; Government Relations, Della Molloy-Daugherty; International Relations, Yu-ling Chen; Judicial Review Board, Kathleen Coleman; Membership Committee, Leslie Smith; Professional Advocacy Committee, Carolyn Dobson; Reimbursement, Kate Harrison; Research, Nancy Hadsell; SAAB, Michelle Kennemer; Special Target Populations, Mary Altom; Standards of Clinical Practice, Michael Zanders; Technology, Allison Etter; Workforce Development and Retention Committee, Charlie Seaman.

The upcoming Assembly of Delegates was elected in June. They will begin their term on November 15, 2015, at the end of the AMTA Conference. The new Assembly of Delegate members are Antoinette Neff, Christine Neugebauer, Della Molloy Daugherty, Debbie Dacus, Ed Kahler, and Carolyn Dobson. Alternates are Mary Lawrence, Marcus Hughes, and Karen Miller.

I am extremely pleased and excited about our current Board, Assembly of Delegate Representatives, and AMTA Committee Representative Appointments! I have heard a lot of fantastic new ideas about how we can propel the SWAMTA Region forward!

Thank you to all for your continued involvement in the SWAMTA! Please encourage other’s to become members so we may continue to support each other in the profession.

Last but not least, thank you all for your thoughts, kind words, and patience as I have been recovering from several serious health issues since the last week of August. You have all been wonderful. I feel fortunate that all of you who serve the Region continue to keep the SWAMTA running smoothly!

Antoinette Neff, MT-BC
President, SWAMTA, 2015-2017