President's Message
President's Message
Dear Colleagues,
I am into my final weeks as SRI President, and what a busy and exciting year it has been. I came into my Presidential year with many goals, and am pleased that thanks to the support of many, more have been accomplished than I thought possible. One main goal, which has been top of mind for many years, has been better collection and tracking of Society data. The Analytics Strategy Task Force has worked through Society membership, meeting and general data, ensuring that all relevant information is being collected and processed. We have optimized ways to visualize and use data to help guide our Society. I am extremely pleased that we now have a streamlined system in place to keep information current, so that as a Society we can make informed strategic decisions to serve each of you better.
Committee volunteers are an integral part of the Society, and we now have Committee Charters in place. These Charters will serve as a guide for each committee, informing volunteers of the committees role, the expectations, and also help to encourage the creation of committee goals for each year. We have also created a Regional Support Group Mandate, so that we better utilize members local to the Annual Meeting city, to assist and support the program. This includes our newest initiative, Reproductive Research Rendezvous. This initiative brings in local high school students to learn about Reproductive Sciences, with the hope of reaching students prior to making decisions regarding next steps in their education. This will take place on the Wednesday of the meeting, and I look forward to seeing it continue together with other outreach activities.
In just a few days, the new SRI website will be launched! Staff along with the new Website Task Force, have been hard at work this past year, to bring a fresh look and some new and updated features. I encourage you to update your profile once you have received the email announcing the launch. This will facilitate enhanced networking capabilities for members of our Society. We have also recognized the importance of trademarking the SRI and SRI Foundation logos, and this is in process.
Last, but certainly not least, the SRI Council met last December to strategize and create goals to strengthen our Society. This month as we meet again, we will begin the implementation process. Through these conversations, we took a thoughtful look at our Mission and Vision statements. As members should have seen over the past weeks, we have asked for your feedback and vote on the changes. I am pleased to report resounding support. I would also like to thank the DEI Committee not only for their input in the statement, but for their work on renewal of the SRI Diversity statement. Check all of this out on the new SRI website.
I look forward to seeing many of you in Vancouver in just a matter of weeks. We have an outstanding program planned for you!
Thank you for supporting me as your President over this past year. It has been a privilege to serve you.
Sincerely,
Stephen G. Matthews, PhD
SRI President, 2023-2024