Please forgive me for this late letter, Thanksgiving and getting ready for the Holidays have put this on my “back burner”.  Now I sit here thinking back to my first year as your Chapter President.  There have been a lot of changes from National that have impacted us at the Chapter level.  But there are things that have remained the same, such as:  Our wonderful Board of the New England Chapter.  They are consistently loyal to you.  The volunteer hours put in by all of them, plus their co-chairs and committee members are too numerous to count.  I am thankful for their support.  

The Education Committee Members, led by Sharon Davis and Co-chair Cheryl Rothermel, put on a fabulous conference in Mystic, CT. We had a record number of posters and we apologize for being so crowded in the new venue.  Our theme for 2024 was:  Belonging, Promoting Partnerships by embracing opportunities and diversity.  The following paragraph is my view of this theme:

We belong to an amazing National organization, begun in 1968.  An organization that is diverse, has published evidence-based research from within our own membership in our own Journal, in 2005 joined the ANA as an organizational affiliate, and we have partnered with the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) on a few projects in recent years, including the Ostomy Care Management/OCM program (most recently) as well as the Stoma Site Marking initiatives:  https://www.wocn.org/stomasitemarking/

During our Conference, we had several members volunteer for our committees.  Thank you for joining us.  Your new perspective to each committee is very welcome.  New insight and ideas help us to stay current and fresh as a Chapter.  Your new Secretary was elected.  Please welcome Liz MacWhinnie to the executive board for the next 2 years.   We also asked for input and questions to help us help you.  We appreciate the many questions and concerns, your board will be discussing them as we move forward into 2025.   Your Chapter is also on social media: Facebook and Instagram.  

Some of the changes coming “down” from National is:  

1. Communities is the new way for us to communicate with you.  Please go on www.wocn.org and sign in, there you will find “communities”.  You have already been assigned to the New England Chapter. Please do not delete yourself from getting regular emails from the Chapter.  Eventually you will only know what’s going on through this venue.  You will have options to sign up for your scope of practice too.

2. National is requiring each Chapter to have a Board of Directors.  Your Leadership Committee, led by Diane Bryant, is working on incorporating this into our election cycle. We will need a few more volunteers to help us. This is not a requirement of National but is a broader requirement for volunteer businesses such as the National WOCN® and all the Chapters.  

3. Your leadership team has quarterly meetings with National who are open to listening to our concerns and questions.  They are always available for guidance and questions anytime we need them.  This is a big change from National, prior to this past year, the only time there was open communication was at our Annual President’s Meeting at the National Convention.  

4. We are aligning ourselves with National and changing the name of the Education Committee to Conference Planning Committee.  Since this Committee is solely responsible for your conference, it makes more sense.  Please mark you calendars for 2025 October 17 & 18 in Mystic, CT, when we focus on you as a Leader “WOC this Way: Lead with Care, Compassion & Courage” 

I look forward to working with you and your board in 2025.  In closing, I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!  

​

Sincerely Yours,

Mary Harris, BSN, RN, CWON                                                                                                                        

New England Chapter President, 2023-2025