The winter meeting of the ALA Council was held January 18, 2018 in Scottsdale, AZ during the Combined Section Meetings of the Triological Society. The Council reviewed the recommendations submitted by the Membership Committee, Drs. Stacey Halum, Dana Thompson and chaired by Dr. Seth Dailey .
A summary of this year’s program was presented by President Har-El and especially regarding the presenters of the Baker and State of the Art lectures, Dr. Gayle Woodson and Dr. Melina Kibbe who will discuss current behaviors and shifts in present laryngology. The Council encourages you to attend each of the three half day sessions as well as the business meeting that is scheduled for Wednesday, April 18, at 12:15 PM.
As Historian, Dr. Benninger requested Council to observe a moment of silence in memory to Drs. Phillip Sprinkle and Minoru Hirano who passed away December 28, 2016 and December 17, 2017, respectively. Dr. Benninger also reported that the Sustainers Fund continues to receive donations. Although one milestone of reaching $100K has been met, he encourages each Fellow to make a contribution.
Dr. Rosen reported that the ALA continues to be financially healthy. The investments have provided positive returns. Council was informed that several Fellows were suspended from the Association due to the delinquency of membership dues of three years or more. Following the recommendations of Siem Johnson LLP that performed a financial review, the outstanding amount deemed uncollectible has been reduced by more than 60%. Fellows who are delinquent are encouraged to remit payment when the invoice is received to prevent suspension of membership.
Dr. Chhetri, as Editor, provided an update to the revisions to the website. Anticipated date of launch is March 1, 2018. If you need assistance in obtaining your user name and a temporary password, please visit the member’s section and use the “request a password” feature, or contact our Administrator, Maxine Cunningham, at Maxine.c@comcast.net. A trial “run” was made for payment of the 2018 Membership dues that has been successful. Beginning with 2019 all members who are assessed dues will be able to pay on line as well as make a donation to the Sustainers Fund.
Nominating Committee – The 2018 Committee, comprised of Dr. Peak Woo, Clarence Sasaki, Tanya Meyer, Michael Pitman and chaired by Dr. Ken Altman reported a record number of nominations. A report will be presented at the Business Meeting on Wednesday, April 18th. According to the new bylaws, adopted in 2013, Active Fellowship of the Association may submit recommendations and suggestions for a new Councilor-at-Large. Active Fellows may submit self-nominations. Contact Dr. Lucian Sulica to submit nominees at the conclusion of the 2018 Annual Meeting.
