CLEAR's President's Message- October 2024
With sincere gratitude, I extend my heartfelt thanks for the honor of serving as CLEAR’s 2024-2025 President. It's an exciting journey ahead, and I am energized by the opportunity to serve alongside such dedicated professionals. As the first individual with both Black American and First Nations heritage to hold this position, this journey is both humbling and deeply meaningful. Together, we are not only making strides in meeting our shared mission but also creating spaces for new voices and perspectives that enrich our community.
Our recent annual conference in Baltimore was a resounding success, bringing together professionals from across the globe to learn, connect, and inspire. “CLEAR is by far my favorite regulatory conference. I trust their event planning programming to always be insightful, leaving me with new ideas and inspiration. The community makes it special.” This remark from one of our conference attendees spoke for many, highlighting the quality of programming and the innovation on display in Baltimore. My heartfelt thanks go to Shilo Tooze and Shelly-Ann Barnes, and the Program Committee they led, for overseeing such an outstanding event. The energy, dedication, and passion that filled the session rooms was nothing short of remarkable. The conference sessions covered a wide range of cutting-edge topics, from regulatory innovation to cultural sensitivity, demonstrating the vibrant and diverse nature of our association. We left Baltimore with new insights and connections that will shape the future of our work.
One of the highlights of this past year has been the success of the Elevate Mentorship Program. This initiative has connected today’s regulatory leaders with the next generation of professionals, offering guidance and fostering growth in ways that have already begun to bear fruit. Mentorship is a critical component of building a stronger, more inclusive regulatory community, and I am proud to see how this program has flourished. If you haven’t yet participated, I encourage you to consider becoming a mentor or mentee—this is an opportunity to give back while also learning from others.
As we look to the future, I want to extend another invitation: join us in committee service. Our association thrives on the contributions of members who step up to serve on committees, and there is always room for more voices at the table. Whether your interest lies in education, governance, or outreach, your involvement will make a difference. Together, we can continue to elevate CLEAR’s work and ensure that it remains a leader in regulatory excellence.