President's Message

President's Message

I feel like the new proud owner (or renter) of an old house. This house was built with the energy and determination of incredibly bright and committed individuals. Thanks to their efforts, it is a house with a firm foundation. Walls were erected where needed and it was expertly constructed.

Over the years some talented individuals lived in the house. Individuals, like Steve Townsend, [the late] Sunny Peer, Janet Harris, Mary Ann Lutz, Gillian Lawrence, Connie Rill, Jim Bowen — to name a few. These individuals added on to the house and made many improvements.

The house I am speaking of is the house of AAERT. I am humbled and honored to be a resident in this house. I hope to add to or enhance the structure. I have some lofty goals. With the help of a competent Board of Directors and amazing membership, I hope to see some of those goals become reality.

I sincerely appreciate being given the opportunity to work for you and represent you as president of AAERT. The AAERT board is motivated to do some "house" work this year.

The next couple of months will be a period of transition. I had the good luck to follow Gillian Lawrence and Janet Harris as presidents. They are both very committed to this industry, and they left the AAERT house in good order. Gillian Lawrence will be helping me transition to president. I am appreciative of her guidance and patience.

Gail Malm Armstrong was elected vice-president. Gail is a calming force on the board. She has experience in reporting and transcribing, both privately and in the courts. She has a grace and determination that will lead AAERT into the future. Gail is also the conference coordinator for the 2009 conference in Indiana.

An incredibly daunting task is being undertaken by Sherry Simmons. Sherry is assuming the responsibilities of executive director as Bill Wagner transitions into retirement. Sherry is learning everything she can about the business of AAERT from Bill Wagner and Karl Fuss. It is a huge task. If you have ever talked with Bill, you know why Jan Harris refers to him as our own "personal professor." Sherry has a lot to learn and she is perfect for the job.

Randel Raison is new to the board this year. Randel received the Transcriber of the Year award last year and is a board member this year. Does that tell you anything about Randel's ambition? With his energy and creativity, it will be an exciting year.

Karen Bergstrom is also new to the board this year. She was our 2005 Transcriber of the Year. Karen takes this responsibility very seriously and she is a great asset to us at AAERT.

We have the benefit of experience from the remaining board members Gillian Lawrence, Kim McCright, and Luis Gomez to continue guiding us in the right direction.

So as you can see, I don't do this job alone. We are a working board. We work for you, the membership of AAERT. We will do our best to make AAERT "the .WAV of the future."

With all of that said, the following are some areas we hope to address in the coming months:

Promote E-Reporting for what it really is — an accurate, verifiable method to capture and preserve the record.
Create more formalized committees: an advisory board to help AAERT continue to grow; government relations to address proposed legislative changes that create barriers for E-Reporting; membership to address our ever increasing membership; certification to continue to maintain credibility.
Correct misinformation about E-Reporting that is frequently reported by other associations.
Continue to promote E-Reporting through advertising in trade journals and exhibiting at industry-related conferences.

At a recent meeting, someone remarked to me that digital reporting is on the verge of exploding. I believe he is right. With some advance work and preparation, we can ride that .WAV into the future. I hope AAERT can count on your help.

— Margaret Ann Morgan, CERT
AAERT President
aaert@comcast.net

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AAERT's PRESIDENTS
	Connie S. Rill, CERT (California) 1994 - 1999	James V. Bowen, CER (New Jersey) 1999 - 2000	Mary Ann Lutz, CERT (California) 2000 - 2002
	Janet B. Harris, CERT (Wisconsin) 2002 - 2006	Gillian Lawrence, FPR, CERT (Florida) 2006 - 2008	Margaret A. Morgan, CERT (Minnesota) 2008 -

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