Letter from 2021 INTA President Tiki Dare

Sometimes progress is gradual. And, when you’re eager to find resolve in something, your patience and fortitude are put to the test. Yet, we keep marching forward in the knowledge that, eventually, we will get to where we want to be.

Right now, humanity continues advancing toward a post-pandemic “new normal.” At the same time, we are figuring out what this “new normal” looks like. Progress may be slow, but there is determination that this new reality will indeed involve progress—that, somehow, we will work together to come out of the crisis better off.

This has been a mantra at INTA since the onset of COVID-19. We have embraced the idea of being an agile and flexible organization, to navigate—and truly advance—through this crisis as well as other unexpected roadblocks or opportunities that may come our way. We have also learned that empathy and understanding helps maintain our personal well-being and keeps our community together and strong.

It goes without saying, 2021 has been another challenging year, full of uncertainty about when we will truly begin to emerge from this horrific pandemic. Yet, despite these circumstances, through the strength and tenacity of our community, INTA has once again had a tremendously productive year. And, once again, the year will culminate with our Annual Meeting—when we come together and showcase the incredible ingenuity and commitment of our Association’s volunteers and staff, and the support of our membership.

The 2021 Annual Meeting Virtual+ shows that we are making real progress. It marks our first truly hybrid event. Given the current global health crisis, this approach allows us to achieve our desired objective—to come together as a community in the safest way possible. This includes, where viable, giving registrants a choice in how they want to connect, whether virtually and/or in person at one-day mini-conferences. >>>