Happy New Year to all from the USITT Board of Directors. With the celebration of the holidays behind us, we began the New Year with renewed energies.

One of the aims of the Institute leadership is to bring into alignment all processes in policies and procedures to make sure they are all consistent. The current focus is on Awards/Recognition and Nominations/Voting.

My thanks to all who participated in the Diaz Inclusion Consulting survey. Twenty-five percent of the membership participated in this important work. Carlton Ford of Diaz Consulting, presented the preliminary analysis of the responses at this meeting. He will be presenting an in-depth look at the results and assist with a plan for action at the March Board meeting in Seattle.

On February 2, all USITT members eligible to vote will receive the ballot for the FY 2025 election. Voting is a responsibility of membership that should not be taken lightly. The makeup of the Board depends on the choices YOU make. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with the candidates’ statements and vote intelligently.

At my behest, the Board has begun a project of self-analysis to find out who we are currently, what we are missing, and what elements should be added to truly reflect the membership of USITT. This information collected will be combined with the results of the Diaz survey resulting in information and instructions to the Nominating Committee as they are tasked with the due diligence to isolate actual needs of the Board when submitting the 2025 ballot for approval.

An informational session for the Board on creating an investment policy for USITT’s investments and endowment funding will also be held in March.

The Audit Committee reported that a recent audit of the finances of the Institute was completed. The company charged with the review of the USITT accounting systems reported the results. The system is in good shape. Thank you, Fran Taylor, Director of Finance, for your attentiveness, thoroughness, and hard work.

As we are asking ‘how we serve the membership’, it was announced that USITT will be offering USITT Training Ground, a phenomenal new training program supported by Cirque de Soleil this summer and our Education & Training team estimate seven or more training opportunities outside of Conference this year.

The National Office is in the midst of a full overhaul of the technology services, website, and membership classifications/services to be completed this summer.

Finally, I am so pleased to announce that professor emeriti Dr. Shizuko Herrera, aka Shiz, who retired from California State Los Angeles, has created an endowed fund for students’ professional development. It is being awarded this year to three Cal State LA students to fund their travel, housing, and registration for the 2024 Annual Conference in Seattle along with a one-year USITT membership for each. A huge THANK YOU to Dr Herrera for providing a professional growth opportunity to those who are the future of our industry.

The Board works to continue to strengthen the position of USITT in the entertainment industry. You are an important component of the ‘why’ we do things. Feel free to share your thoughts with me at president@usitt.org

 

Happy New Year and I’ll see you in Seattle.

 

Carolyn Satter

President USITT