2020 Started With a Flurry and More is On the Way!

By Robert Budd, ANCOR President

The beginning of the year seems so far off with the volume of activities that have occurred since!

It is always motivating to begin the year with our Government Relations Retreat. This year in particular, we heard the challenges for 2020 and then learned about progress on exciting legislation that will help us to deal with issues we had reviewed.

This is our second year partnering with UCP on the Case for Inclusion, the 2020 edition of which was just released. The coverage that this important data is receiving is so valuable for our advocacy! 

Be sure to reference the great strategies and toolkits that are available on the ANCOR Connected Community. In many national and state meetings, the importance of having good data to support our messages has proven invaluable. 

Speaking of meetings and legislative advocacy, be sure to sign up soon for the March 26 Capitol Hill Fly-In. Even in this digital age, there is nothing that replaces good old-fashioned face-to-face advocacy with federal legislators. Remember, our stories are essential to put the data into context and to provide the impact on real people!

Also heartening was our Board of Directors Retreat in February in Austin, TX, where we completed our first annual review of our five-year Strategic Plan. We noted how the new model truly accommodates the rapidly changing environment. The focus areas remain pertinent and the annual touch-base revealed new trends and guided our emphasis on priority areas. All in all, the Retreat was an important time to ensure we are as relevant as possible to influence the changes in our field. We also updated on many exciting initiatives that keep us focused on advocating for a brighter future. A few examples are the work being completed by the Alternate Payment Models Work Group, the efforts of the Global Council that were discussed at our Foundation Board meeting, and exciting news about the reach of our Included. Supported. Empowered. campaign and our 50^th Anniversary Gala celebration!

Finally, we celebrate the wonderful participation in the number of presenter proposals and the number of colleagues who have already registered to attend Elevate: The 2020 ANCOR Annual Conference, from April 27-29 in Miami, FL. The Annual Conference is always a great source of national information, best practices and productive networking, and the fact that it is in Miami is a bonus! Don’t miss this exciting opportunity — I look forward to seeing you there!