chaptersinaction Due Recognition

MOAA recognized during its 2014 annual meeting in Arlington, Va., the best councils and chapters that excel at implementing the association’s goals at the local level.

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anuary is always an inter- esting month for me person- ally, and it isn’t much different

at MOAA headquarters. It seems as soon as we finish celebrating the holidays and reflecting on 2014, we look up to find the challenges and opportunities 2015 will present. I’d like to congratulate our 2014

Level of Excellence Award winners, including those who attended MOAA’s 2014 annual meeting in Arlington, Va. More than 125 council and chapter leaders received their well-deserved four- and five-star streamers from Gen. John H. Tilelli Jr., USA (Ret), then-chair of the board of directors. During the chapter roundtable portion of the annual meeting, coun- cil and chapter leaders and MOAA staff discussed membership chal- lenges, chapter management, and MOAA’s advocacy efforts. We find this exchange of ideas and communi- cation with our members during the annual meeting extremely valuable. We also took the opportunity dur- ing the chapter roundtable to preview some of the refinements to Chapter

On the road: This month, Col. Barry Wright, USA (Ret), director, Council and Chapter Affairs, will visit chapters in California, North Carolina, and South Carolina. See MOAA Calendar, page 88, for dates.

Recruiting 2015*. Now in its third year, the focus of this program remains recruiting new chapter members and retaining our existing chapter mem- bers. We received helpful feedback and insight from our members and spouses throughout the year that we incorporated as we could. Congratulations to all our chapters

who make our chapter recruiting pro- gram a success. At press time, chapter members had recruited more than 2,000 new chapter members in 2014, and five new chapters had been char- tered. Chapters remain the backbone and lifeblood of our association. MOAA is working with council and chapter members to have chap- ter influence in all 435 congressional districts. Our success in achieving this goal directly affects our ability to make your voice heard on Capitol Hill. Our chapter and council members con- tinue to be our greatest ambassadors within their communities and have direct access to state and nationally elected officials and help us bridge the gaps with our elected officials and fel- low citizens about military service. As I travel across the country and meet with chapter members, I con- tinue to be amazed at the positive impact our members make in their communities. I call it “camaraderie with a purpose,” and yet it is the ca- maraderie — the shared core values

— that brings our members together and helps make our association great. As we begin 2015, our country faces

many challenges. Now is not the time to disengage. We need your voice added to the chapter voice. I hope to see you soon at a chapter meeting. — Col. Barry Wright, USA (Ret) Director, Council and Chapter Affairs

Rewarding

Excellence The best councils and chapters receive recognition.

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ouncil and chapter leaders gathered for MOAA’s 2014 annual meeting, held Oct.

27-28 in Arlington, Va. Highlight- ing the event was the annual Levels of Excellence Award dinner, which drew award-winning council and chapter leaders and their spouses, along with members of national MOAA’s staff and board of directors. Ten of MOAA’s 34 councils and 131 of 400 chapters received four- or five-star awards for their perfor- mance in 2013. MOAA President Vice Adm.

Norbert R. Ryan Jr., USN (Ret), welcomed attendees to the award dinner. Col. Gary Fredricks, USAF

*online: Visit www.moaa.org/chapterrecruiting to learn more about Chapter Recruiting 2015.

online: Visit www.moaa.org/2013annualmeeting for video recaps from events in Colorado Springs, Colo. 50 MILITARY OFFICER JANUARY 2015

PHOTO: SEAN SHANAHAN