Welcome to the Mississippi Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, an affiliate of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS)! I am excited to serve you as your President for the upcoming year. I have enjoyed my journey in the Association and look forward to the wonderful opportunities for us to grow as an organization.
I recently attended the AAFCS 104th Annual Conference and Expo in Houston, Texas, as President of MAFCS and an inaugural member of the AAFCS Leadership Academy. During my time in the Academy, I had the opportunity to meet some wonderful fellow professionals, as well as learn about how to become a better leader. Each of us was charged with developing ideas for our affiliates. My focus was on growing our membership and gaining participation by members.
For the upcoming year, I will be working on a membership initiative, Membership AWARE. I hope to focus on keeping our current membership AWARE of the Association activities as well as updates in the field of Family and Consumer Sciences. Secondly, I hope to WORK with sister organizations to build a stronger body of professionals in the State and in- crease membership and participation. RECOGNITION is important to showcase the success of our members and the phenomenal work they do each day. Finding new ways to recognize our members is one goal of the initiative. At our July board meeting, members regained enthusiasm about implementation of awards at the annual meeting. Last but not least, ENTHUSIASM is vital to the ability of the organization to retain membership and to encourage others to join. My hope is that members can become more enthusiastic about the organization and the field in which they work.
The initiative not only requires the commitment of the Board but acƟve parƟcipaƟon by members. I would like to invite YOU to become more active in YOUR organization and to provide the Board with feedback about new ways to enhance our programs and annual meeting to fit the needs of the members.
Let’s all be committed to the vision of increasing membership and parƟcipaƟon in MAFCS. Help others become AWARE—invite one FCS professional to join this year!
Julie Sims
MAFCS President
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