City Trees is a premier publication focused on urban + community forestry. In each issue, you’ll learn how to best manage the trees in your community and more!
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/94460
President's Messages John McNeil and Nick Kuhn London this summer, analysis attrib- uted a key to their performance was the "safe exchange" during each tran- sition stage of the race. When the U.S. Women's 4x100m team won gold in As I write this piece, SMA is about to enter its annual transition stage from one board to the next. I can see that we, too, are headed for a "safe exchange." We have an influx of talent com- ing onto the board: Lance Davisson, Tom Hoerth, David Lefcourt, and Rachel Barker. They will be contributing fresh perspectives. This talent combined with the veteran presence of Bob Benjamin and incoming President Nick Kuhn plus existing board members Peggy Drescher and Dave Bienemann should make for a gold-medal perfor- mance in 2013. I know that Nick cares deeply about SMA and is committed to helping fulfill its mission. I'm optimis- tic we'll be able to build upon some of the successes that the board achieved in 2012, including SMA's first Position Paper, on Emerald Ash Borer. As always, Executive Director Jerri LaHaie is the rock that solidifies the organization and I thank her for her leader- ship. I'd also like to thank outgoing board members Tami Sadonoja and Andy Hillman for their service and give a special recognition to SMA Past President Doug Still for his contributions. I'm appreciative of the opportunity to serve as President of SMA. I cannot overstate that volunteer experiences such as this pay back many times their value! —John McNeil, Outgoing SMA President, Manager of Forestry Services, Parks, and Open Space, Town of Oakville, Ontario, Canada As I settle into a new job, I think about how past members and training from our conferences and MFI have prepared me for what is to come. I can't be sure of what will come next but I encourage everyone to talk to me about what you need out of SMA. I also encourage you to talk to others to join us and learn what they need and expect. Knowing what is possible by learning from each other raises the performance bar for us all. It is the confi- dence built from competence provided by the camaraderie of all SMA members that makes our niche in the larger world workable and enjoyable. It is an honor to help all the members and carry our message for a while. —Nick Kuhn, Incoming SMA President, Community Forestry and Communications Coordinator, Missouri Department of Conservation 4 new state, and new role for SMA, Executive Director's Message Jerri J. LaHaie about elections and Thanksgiving? In the U.S., we have reelected our President after one of the most costly and bitter campaigns in history. At SMA, we have elected new board members in a much more friendly way, and, with online Can you think about voting, a much more cost-effective way. We can all be thankful for these people who are willing to give of their time and energy in the name of leadership. Those board members who have served in the past have laid a strong foundation for the newly elected. It is always bittersweet when good talent leaves and we have to say goodbye to those rotating off the board; this year will be no exception. We now have Facebook where we can post something we are grateful for each day of the entire month of November. While I haven't joined in that exercise, I do think it is important to take time to count our bless- ings, if for no other reason than to remind ourselves that we do indeed have it pretty good after all. What a world we live in, one day we are worried about online security and privacy, and the next we are posting what we are eating for breakfast for the entire world to know. We now have more access to more information than we could have known we needed! Without sound- ing too much like a Facebook post, I am so thankful for the SMA Presidents with whom I work closely. They are the pillars that hold this organization together, year by year. John McNeil, you are officially entered into my book of Favorite SMA Presidents. Somehow, we continue to do more every year, despite our limited resources. We could not accomplish any of this without the support of our partners, sponsors, exhibitors, advertisers, contributors, and grantors who continue to believe that SMA is a vital and growing organization with a leadership role to play in the urban and community forestry arena. But there is one group without whom we could not and would not exist. That is you, our members. SMA is known for its peer-to- peer learning, members helping members, sharing of information, and building relationships. So many of you contribute to the work of this association, and for that we are all truly grateful. To each and every one of you who served on a committee, attended a program, made a suggestion, donated money, or helped in any number of ways, we offer our thanks. City Trees November without thinking