Dear ANAC members and JANAC readers, As fall approaches, so does our annual ANAC Conference, which will take place this year on November 11-12, 2021, in Washington, DC. As we head toward the conference, I am reflecting on the many years that I have been involved with ANAC. After being a member of my local ANAC Golden Gate Chapter in San Francisco for several years as well as a member of the Policy Committee, I then took the plunge and ran for a seat on the ANAC Board of Directors (BOD). I have now been on the BOD for 6 years-first as a member at large, then as the president-elect, and now as president. When I first became involved with ANAC at the national level, I did it with some trepidation and wondered what I had to contribute. But I came with passion about HIV care and nursing and so I just stepped up. Over these past 6 years, I have learned so much and have had the honor of serving with three remarkable ANAC presidents-Sue Willard, Jason Farley, and Jeff Kwong-and with a large group of BOD members. What an amazing group of people with so much energy. One of our main accomplishments in recent years has been renewing ANAC's strategic plan. This strategic plan will guide ANAC's work in the coming years and help the organization and its members solidify their roles as nursing leaders in HIV prevention, care, and treatment.
In 2021, ANAC reaffirmed its strategic plan, envisioning a future in which "ANAC is a globally recognized professional nursing association that is the preeminent source of nursing expertise in all dimensions of HIV prevention, care & treatment, research and policy" (Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 2021). The plan includes the following goals:
"Leadership: ANAC will be the leading nursing organization in all aspects of prevention, care and treatment, research, and policy related to HIV and HIV co-morbidities."
"Member and chapter engagement: Nurses will perceive value in ANAC membership; membership will increase in size and diversity. The ANAC chapter system will be a vibrant, growing, successful model of local engagement, expertise, and organization."
"Policy influence: ANAC and its members will be recognized as the primary nursing resource at the policy level for the promotion of the health, welfare, and rights of all individuals living with and at risk for HIV disease and HIV co-morbidities."
"Global engagement: ANAC and its members will develop, foster, and enhance HIV nursing capacity and leadership in settings across the globe."
"Practice and research advancement: ANAC will be a global leader in advancing nursing practice and research."
In the years that I have been involved on the ANAC BOD, I have been privileged to be part of so many wonderful experiences. These include the following:
* Annual conferences held around the United States (Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Portland, virtual, and next, Washington DC) and conference galas. Think: Country and Western, Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, Tinkerbelle coming down the stairway.
* Organizational visit to the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas, Texas, in honor of his establishment of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
* ANAC's transition to a new Executive Director, Carole Treston.
* The completion of regional ANAC webinars to hear from members regarding what they see as the strengths and opportunities in our organization.
* The expansion of ANAC's bylaws to include partner members as part of elected BOD members.
* The transition of ANAC historical documents to the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing.
* ANAC's transition to an entirely virtual organization and our divestiture from the physical ANAC office in Akron, OH.
* Weathering the 2016 Presidential election together with ANAC colleagues in Atlanta, GA.
* The transition of JANAC Editor from Lucy Bradley, Springer to Michael Relf.
* Hiring new staff members and creating a partnership with CREO to support our administrative work.
* Marking the 40th anniversary of HIV in our world.
* The establishment of a stronger relationship with Canadian Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (CANAC).
* Welcoming a new ANAC Chapter at Bel-Air Hospital in Panchgani, India.
* ANAC's implementation of the COVID-19 webinar series, launched in Spring 2020.
* Collaborating with The European HIV Nursing Network, (Dutch Society of HIV Nurses, International Council of Nurses, and the National HIV Nursing Association to launch a nurse-focused plenary at the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam.
* Solidifying ANAC's collaboration with the International Nursing Network for HIV Research.
* [horizontal ellipsis] to name a few.
I have gained so much from my involvement with ANAC-as a local member and as a national member, as part of the BOD, and as president of the BOD-and I truly look forward to continuing to work with ANAC in the future as a committee member. For all of you who wonder what you can contribute to this organization, I invite and challenge you to step up, too, to get involved and to lead. You won't regret it.
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