Feb-April 2008
Centennial Vision Journal Entry
Penny Moyers Cleveland, EdD, OTR/L, BCMH, FAOTA
I cannot believe that these winter months flew by and now it's spring, at least in Alabama! So much has happened, both personally and professionally, since my last journal entry in January. In early February, I visited Texas Women's University in Dallas to deliver the keynote for the 2008 Vanderkooi Endowed Lectureship. I was able to reemphasize the importance of becoming a leader in order to enact the Centennial Vision. Students were encouraged to think about their leadership now while still in school and how they will develop leadership skills throughout their careers.
I also attended, with AOTA staff member Karen Smith, the National Association of Home Builder's (NAHB's) conference in Orlando. We attended in order to represent AOTA on the association's Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) Board of Governors. The exciting, new development is that AOTA will be working with NAHB on the development of advanced courses for the CAPS program.
The February AOTA Board of Directors meeting was very dynamic as we finalized the launch of the public awareness campaign to occur at the Annual Conference. Productive work also was begun on using the logic model of program evaluation to begin to measure our steps towards success.
Using this model will help us focus our activities and strategic directions in alignment with our stated, desired outcome of meeting the occupational needs of society in the six focus areas of the Vision: Mental Health; Rehabilitation, Disability, and Participation; Children and Youth; Productive Aging; Work and Industry; and Health and Wellness. We will introduce this outcomes measurement model to leadership groups in order to become laser-focused in selecting only those work plan activities that will have significant impact in leading us to our Vision.
The Board of Directors also voted to support personal contributions to the AOTA Political Action Committee (AOTPAC) from all AOTA members on the Board of Directors. The contributions—about $7,000—were made in recognition of AOTPAC's 30th anniversary, and to ensure AOTPAC's ability to contribute significantly to congressional campaigns during this major election year.
Board members also met with members of Congress and as a result secured a spot for Carolyn Baum, AOTA's immediate past president, to give public testimony to the House Veterans Affairs Committee on the topic of post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, I visited Howard University and gave a presentation to the District of Columbia Occupational Therapy Association to keep them apprised of Centennial Vision-related activities and how their association could contribute.
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President Moyers Cleveland with Howard University Students
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The month of March was consumed with my preparations for two major events, my wedding and the AOTA Conference! I was married on March 29 and had a beautiful ceremony with family and friends in attendance. (Whose bright idea was it to have these two events so close together?) So, don't be surprised to see that my name is now Penelope Moyers Cleveland.
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My Wedding Day
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The AOTA conference was absolutely thrilling. Attendees were extremely complimentary and excited by the new brand message, Occupational Therapy: Living Life To Its Fullest. This new brand was unveiled during my Presidential Address with a lot of fanfare; you can see part of my Presidential Address on AOTA's Web site and feel some of the excitement.
Conference is always a time to learn and to connect with so many colleagues. It was wonderful to meet with the past presidents of AOTA and have a discussion of global connectedness with the Presidents of the Canadian Occupational Therapy Association, the British Occupational Therapy Association, The Colegio de Terapeutas Ocupacionales de Mexico, the President of the World Federation of Occupational Therapy, and the President of the Council of Occupational Therapists for the European Countries (COTEC).
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Meeting With International OT Leaders
AOTA Presidents Meeting at Conference |
I promise I won't wait so long before submitting another journal entry. Until then, keep me posted of all you do to implement the Centennial Vision.
