Dear ERAPPA Members, I hope you all have been doing well and are staying safe during this uncertain time. All the 20/20 vision in the world could not have foreseen the impact the COVID-19 pandemic would have on our daily lives and our professions. As we move closer to the when registration for the ERAPPA Annual Meeting would typically open, the Board has been working closely with the 2020 Host Committee Chairs and Conference Planners about the potential success of our annual conference and the safety of our members. Many institutions still have bans on non-essential travel, especially internationally, and travel budgets are among the first to be put on hold as we navigate through this unprecedented time. As such, we have made the incredibly difficult decision to cancel our 2020 Annual Meeting. To give AAPPA an opportunity to hold a successful conference and not wait the usual 9-year cycle, we have rescheduled AAPPA’s hosting to 2023. This also allows for the next three consecutive years to continue their momentum and maintain contracts that are already in place. The ERAPPA Board is working through the logistics of the many things affected by this decision, including elections, budgetary implications, and our annual business meeting to name a few. To maintain our vision to be a key resource for professional development, we plan to offer virtual ways to remain engaged during the time in which our 202 Annual Meeting would have been held. We will share the details with you as they are developed. I encourage you all to remain involved and stay connected with all ERAPPA and APPA have to offer their members – local Chapter engagement, ERAPPA Committees, APPA’s online Community, and free webinars offered by both APPA and ERAPPA. We are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to safely resume our usual face-to-face offerings soon and I ask that you help to promote and support ERAPPA 2021 as they continue their planning efforts. To share the sentiment expressed recently by Beth Clark, APPA’s Vice President for Professional Development, in these times when overtime has been put on hold and raises cannot be given, what better way to reward someone at your institution who has been working hard through this pandemic than to invest in their professional development.
Listed below is the new permanent rotation for Chapters to host the ERAPPA Annual Meeting:
2021 – DVAPPA – Valley Forge Resort, Pennsylvania
2022 – NYAPPA – Turning Stone Resort, New York
2020+3 – AAPPA – Saint John, New Brunswick
2024 – NJAPPA
2025 – SNEAPPA
2026 – OAPPA
2027 – MD/DC APPA
2028 – NNECERAPPA
2029 – KAPPA
Shortly, the 2020 Host Committee will be reaching out to those who have committed to a sponsorship for the annual conference. The Host Professional Development Committee will also be reaching out to everyone who submitted a presentation proposal for 2020 with information on some alternative options for their content. I want to express a huge thank you to the entire 2020 Host Committee and Conference Planner for all their hard work to date and through this tumultuous time. I was greatly looking forwarding to seeing everyone in Saint John, New Brunswick this fall as I finished my year as ERAPPA President. While I am saddened by this decision, I know it is the right one for the well-being of our members. Thank you all for being a part of our ERAPPA community. Do not be afraid to reach out or lean on each other f support and insight. Together we can make it through this! Stay safe and be well.
Jessica Abbott ERAPPA President
president@erappa.org