Mar/Apr 2017

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M A R 2 0 1 7 A P R

ASSOCIATION PERSPECTIVE

by Joey Reynolds

Greetings!

I think it is appropriate for me to begin this article by talking about the 2017 Chapter Officer’s Meeting held in March at the FBI Academy. The Chapter Officer’s Meeting is traditionally the kick off of our Association’s business year. This is always a great meeting as your Executive Board gets some quality face time with all of your chapter leadership. It is a time to catch up with old friends and make new ones as we go about discussing the Association’s business. I have never been prouder of our Association’s leadership at both the National and Chap- ter levels. We were able to work together through the business issues as professionals and friends should do. I want to personally thank our chapter officers for their leadership and dedication to our Association. I want to especially thank everyone who attended the Hall of Honor Induction Ceremony for Deputy Chief Baber . This was a moving event attended not only by the Chapter Officers, but also by the 267th Session . The Baber family wanted to make sure all of you knew how deeply appreciative they were of the honor and respect shown by all of those who were involved. This is a busy time for our Association. Chapters are planning for their meetings and conferences while your National Office Staff is busy supporting the current sessions while at the same time planning for our Youth Leadership Program and the 2017 Annual Conference . I had the pleasure of attending the graduation of the 267th Session on March 17th. We had a surprise guest as retired NBA star Shaquille O'Neal attended to support a friend of his that was in the graduat- ing session. I was impressed how Shaq made it a point not to be a distraction from the ceremony. He is a strong supporter of law enforce- ment and it showed in his respectful demeanor at graduation. Another highlight of the 267th Graduation was, that the first Youth Leadership Graduate walk across the stage as a graduate of the 267th, Kelly Walsh from the Connecticut Chapter, who attended the 1st Session of the Youth Leadership Program. Lt. Walsh is a great example of how important the Youth Leader- ship Program is to our Association and to the youth of our respective communities. As we get ready to host the 19th Session, I thought I would talk about how successful this program has been. Since its incep- tion in 1997 we have had 853 graduates, some of which we know have gone on to be leaders in the military. One became a Navy Seal, and several have been FBI Honors Interns, including our own Past President Barry Thomas’ son Zachary Thomas . Many have gone on to have law enforcement careers such as my own step son, Ross Howard . I know none of this surprises any of you who are familiar with this program, as the attendees are truly amazing and this program is indeed our “Crown Jewel.” As a reminder, the 19th Session will start on June 22nd. Our staff, YLP Coordinator and counselors are working hard to make it as memorable as all the previous sessions. Please join me in thanking all of those who work so hard to make this program what it is. As I am writing this, the 268th Session is getting ready to start their journey down the yellow brick road. I am sure they are getting last minute things done at their respective departments and homes as they get ready to head to Quantico. I know all of you join me in welcom- ing the 268th Session and wish them well. An interesting highlight of the 268th Session is that we will have reached a milestone for our Association. The 50,000th graduate will walk across the stage at the

268th session graduation. The National Academy Unit along with our staff is working hard to make sure we commemorate this important landmark. I hope all of you are planning to attend the 53rd Annual Confer- ence in Washington, DC, July 30-August 2, 2017. I know Michael Spochart and the Conference Committee have been working hard and are excited to host this year’s conference. The registration is tracking ahead of past conferences so if you haven’t registered you need to do so soon before the host hotel is sold out. As an add on to this year’s confer- ence, the National Academy Unit has invited us back to the FBI Acad- emy on Thursday following the conference for a “Homecoming!” This will be great opportunity to go back to the academy for tours, lunch and demonstrations. I want to thank our partners at the FBI, especially Assistant Director David Resch for making this happen. What a great opportunity to go back and see the upgrades to the academy including the Executive Office and the National Academy Store. In closing, I want to thank all of you for what you do in our com- munities every day. What a privilege and honor for us at the National Office to get to support our members who are making a difference in the communities we love. I hope to see you all soon at your Chapter, Section Events and the Annual Conference. Until then if I or anyone at the National Office can be of any assistance please do not hesitate to reach out.

God Bless!

Joey Reynolds

Joey Reynolds President

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