I never imagined this would happen to me, President of NAON. I heard Nancy Mooney once say; "You don't get to be president without wanting to be president." Well, I didn't want to be president. I just wanted to serve NAON. Others told me that I had the leadership skills that were necessary to be president and that would help to move us forward if I were elected. I am so proud that people believed in me, because serving you, the membership, is all I ever wanted to do. As a leader I think one of the most important characteristics should be that of servant.

At work, I tell people, "my job is to look after my nurses so they can look after our patients." Now as President of NAON, I feel that my job and the job of the Executive Board is to look after the association's business so that you can continue to advance the art and science of orthopaedic care through research, education, and nursing practice.

We have been leading the way in orthopaedic care for the past 25 years, and now, looking into our future, the possibilities are endless. They are endless because of you, the membership, and because of the wealth of talent and experience that you bring.

I am fortunate to follow Laurie, who said we can shine our beacon of light, and Geri, who said we should have passion in our bones, because there is not much that I am more passionate about than nursing, orthopedics, and leadership. If we have a passion for these, then we should be shining our beacon so others can follow along with us. We are leading the way to endless possibilities. A quote from "Leadership Challenge" by Kouzes and Posner says: "Leaders breathe life into the hopes and dreams of others and enable them to see the exciting possibilities that the future holds. Leaders forge a unity of purpose by showing constituents how the dream is for the common good. Leaders ignite the flame of passion in others by expressing enthusiasm for the compelling vision of their group. Leaders communicate their passion through vivid language and expressive style." We can all be leaders for NAON, and we can ignite the flame of passion in others by expressing our enthusiasm for NAON.

We should be so proud of the accomplishments we have made during the past 25 years. We have had great leaders with wonderful ideas and plans that have been implemented to move us forward. Let's not dwell on the past or rest on our laurels, but let us look to the future for all that we have yet to accomplish. Nothing should be impossible. We have the desire and the courage to try new things. It should be about change and improvement.

We must surround ourselves with good people to be successful, because no one person can make this association successful by himself or herself. We have a culture that recognizes accomplishments and learns from failure, which allows people to be free to try new endeavors.

The board needs to know our membership. Board members must understand your strengths, and you must be willing to use them to move the association forward into the future. Be willing to serve on committees and task forces. Step up to serve in leadership positions. Find a mentor or ask the Mentoring Task Force for one. Let it be someone you are willing to learn from and take constructive criticism from. There are many people in this association who will be willing to help you, if you are willing to serve in some capacity. Our goal is to inspire and develop other leaders. We hope to inspire you to a higher level of service. We hope to create a clear vision for the next 25 years, a vision that you as the membership will want to be part of. Speak or write to us. E-mail us. Let us know what you want. We must be able to connect on a personal level, and we can only do that if you allow us to get to know you.

Communication is key to our success. NAON wants to be proactive not reactive, and you have to help the board know what things are affecting your orthopedic practice. If you have ideas or thoughts about how we should be leading the way, let us know what they are. We don't have all the answers, but hopefully we have the right questions, and with your help, together we can come up with the answer that is best for this association. We want to focus on growth rather than failure. Hopefully you can help us with this.

We must get our name out and make NAON a household word. We want to make sure people know who we are and why we exist. It will take each and every one of us to make this happen. Wear your NAON logo with pride. Carry your logo to work. Put it out there so people will ask you about it. Tell them who we are and why you are a member. Know what it is about NAON that makes you passionate, and then tell others about it. Give people a reason to want to join us or to buy our products. We want to be the broker of orthopaedic knowledge and research. We want to form alliances with other groups. We don't want them to ask us to join them, but we want them to want to join with us, and to become a partner in our legislative and research issues. We want the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons to always want us involved with them in everything they do, not as an afterthought but as if the project wouldn't be complete without our involvement and input. We can make this happen because with you, our possibilities are endless.

Next year will be our 25th congress, an anniversary worth celebrating. This 25th year should be special for all of us, and I am so proud and honored to be your president. Love NAON and the work that you are doing in orthopaedics.