Those of you who attended the final general session at ADCES24 in New Orleans heard about getting engaged in your specialty organization. ADCES can’t do it without you, and it turns out you need ADCES too!
Our 2024-2028 Strategic Plan includes three audacious goals: improve access to diabetes care and education, advance the expertise of DCESs, and grow and diversify membership. In my July letter, I wrote about the advocacy work that goes on at ADCES. In fact, without that work, we could not possibly improve access to diabetes care and education. ADCES needs each of you to advocate for our important work, and we, in turn, need ADCES to do the same. Our jobs and people with diabetes depend on it.
The second goal is likely what most members think of when they think about ADCES: educational resources. The Annual Conference (in Phoenix next year!) is ADCES’s largest and most highly attended educational offering. I heard many, many positive comments about the keynote speakers and breakout sessions at ADCES24. You honestly don’t want to miss this opportunity to learn, have fun, and meet other people who are passionate about the same things as you.
ADCES is clearly delivering on the advancing the expertise front, and we need you—our members—to volunteer and take this work to the state and local levels. We also need you to volunteer for national committees, where your expertise can help generate future resources for our members.
Finally, ADCES is working diligently to grow and diversify our membership so that more DCESs can benefit from all that our organization offers. You can help by telling others about ADCES, inviting them to come to a meeting, inviting them to present at a meeting, and telling them about all the benefits of ADCES.
Not everyone has the option of a local DCES group. If you are feeling isolated in your work, please check out the Communities of Interest (COI) on ADCES Connect. You can join as many COIs as you like, and it’s a wonderful way to learn and network.
Another—very important—way you can engage with ADCES is to vote for your Board of Directors and officers. Every July, the Nominating Committee puts forth a slate of candidates who are running for a director or officer position on the ADCES Board of Directors. After you get involved at the state and then national levels, the natural progression is to apply to run for the Board of Directors. Those who have been on the Board are then eligible to apply to run for Treasurer or President-Elect. The Nominating Committee works very hard to present a ballot that is diverse on multiple levels, and every year, it’s a challenge to find those who are willing to run. Please consider moving to this level of involvement. Your current Board members (myself included!) are always willing to speak with you about our experience on the Board and what is involved.
Each year, less than 10% of our members vote for the ADCES leadership. We need to increase this! You likely already know one or a few people on the ballot, and if you don’t, it takes only about 10 to 15 minutes to review candidate bios and watch their videos. You can also ask around to see if any of your colleagues are familiar with them. This represents a small investment of time and returns so much by lending your voice to the shaping of ADCES’s leadership!
Serving on the Board of Directors and ultimately as President of ADCES has been the best way I could possibly have learned how this organization works, what we do, and why it matters so much. Thank you to all those who already volunteer for ADCES. I truly hope the rest of you will choose to engage with ADCES in the near future by taking on a role at your local or state level, joining a national committee, attending our Annual Conference, and VOTING next July. And then one day, we hope to see your name on that ballot . . . .