From the Outgoing President

Outgoing President Jennifer Place

A Message as We Move Forward

I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation for being allowed to serve as GFOA Alberta President for the 2020-2023 terms. It has truly been an honor to represent the association, even through times of challenges and change that 2020 brought upon us.

I am proud of the inter-organizational connections that I have played a part in building. I am confident we will continue to see growth at the annual GFOA conference, in our professional development offerings and our membership base.

There are numerous individuals who made my job as President a lot easier that deserve special recognition. Many thanks to Executive Director, Rick Wojtkiw, who could always provide guidance, historical reference, background information and a good laugh.

A special thanks to the GFOA staff and contractors for the work they do all year long: Executive Administrator, Alanna Creagh, who keeps the Board and Task Forces on track throughout the entire year; Sheila Moore, who handles GFOA marketing and organizes the conference; Michela, for keeping our platforms and processes as efficient as possible, while also managing membership and webinars and Jeanette for overseeing the bookkeeping duties.

Thank you to the Task Force Committee Chairs and Members, whose volunteer time is valued and appreciated as they also work hard to develop processes and programs that will meet our membership
needs.

I would also like to recognize the conference committee members who provide support for the conference to help ensure it is a success every year. All of the committees do a wonderful job, and I have been a part of a few of them myself over the years and understand the work that goes into it, so thank you all so much for your efforts.

GFOA is a great organization and one that I am proud to be part of. I joined the board in 2013 as secretary after having sat on the Communications Task Force prior to that. It has been a privilege and I
have appreciated serving the membership consecutively since that time. My time on the board has provided me with the opportunity to meet and connect with amazing individuals as well as a chance to be involved from the start on many of the initiatives and developments GFOA has experienced over the past several years.

With that said, I look forward to stepping back over the next couple of years as I work my way through past presidency where I can be a part of GFOA through a different lens.

In closing, I must thank the entire membership for granting me the opportunity to represent GFOA as your president for the last few years. While it took me out of my comfort zone from time to time, it has truly been an honour and I am grateful for that.

You are in great hands with your newly elected President Alvin Allim, who I know will do an exceptional job for GFOA Alberta.

Thank you,
Jennifer Place, GFOA Alberta Past President