Announcement
Dear WSCO Members,
Let me begin by thanking you for taking a moment to read how you have individually and collectively contributed to the progress outlined below. This letter is intended to provide insight into the efforts that we have been making, as well as provide an outlet via a survey for you to share additional suggestions regarding how we can continue to advance WSCO in ways that are most meaningful to all.
Hosting the congress in Austin, Texas was a steep learning curve that was scary to take on, but it was worth every challenge, and it was a success because of the largely unseen volunteer efforts of many people in our community.
I want to especially thank Dylan Pruitt and Katie Winters, our Austin Team on the ground, and all who helped make this event possible and especially those who are now actively taking what we learned in Austin to ensure that our 12th triennial congress in New Zealand is even more impactful.
As we worked to revise the website, I want to recognize the volunteer efforts of Rich Brundage who spent countless hours on the development of our prior website, and to thank Bart Rzeznik and Conor Foran of Take Courage who have transitioned us to our new site.
With your valuable feedback, we had the guidance needed to revise our website to enhance the user interface. Thank you for your patience with this process and your suggestions regarding the changes needed. Your input helped us improve the membership enrollment and renewal process as well as a more efficient process for reporting and receiving immediate response regarding any web-based concerns.
As you read updates from WSCO committees in the coming pages, you will see our commitment to strengthening our global representation and strengthening expertise in the area of cluttering, as well as a direct call for more members to join our committees.
While global representation on the Executive Board is already included in our bylaws, we have initiated a review and revision of our bylaws to ensure that representation for cluttering becomes a permanent and integral part of the Executive Board.
I have also met with the ICA board to explore other ways to enhance representation and impact, and will continue to provide you with updates regarding progress in this area.
Our Executive Board has focused several discussions on how we can ensure fiscal responsibility. Our hosting of the congress in Austin enabled us to reduce expenses and secure funds to support our continued growth. We are forecasting to ensure long term sustainability such that any financial implications of our decisions related to future congresses, ongoing website maintenance, and journal partnership do not compromise our resources as we look toward the future.
On our new and improved website, we are excited to announce that we are adding a members-only access portal, in which we will be continuously adding and expanding new content.
There, you’ll find the WSCO Keynote Series, Researcher Spotlight Series, Clinician Spotlight Series, Mentorship Spotlight Series, and Lived Experiences with Cluttering and Stuttering Series.
We are so grateful to the members of our community who have already, and who will in the near future take the time to create these recordings and are willing to have them accessed by WSCO members worldwide.
In addition to the new members-only learning series described above, I am dedicated to capturing the stories and wisdom of those who shaped our organization’s past through recording interviews with founding members of the IFA and past Presidents.
During my time on the Executive Board I had the honor of working under the leadership of Kurt Eggers, Elaine Kelman, and Nan Bernstein Ratner, and directly observed their dedication and want to honor their contributions as well as those of past leaders, including recording Martine Vanryckeghem discussing the significant role of Gene Brutten had in the establishment of our organization.
We will be recording interviews, as well as including pictures, as a tribute to their legacy with respect to WSCO’s mission and impact.
By incorporating input from all committees and board members, we have expanded our newsletter to reflect and serve our community. Our plan is to distribute this newsletter biannually, with the additional aim of highlighting the activities of each of our committees on a monthly basis through enhanced social media presence.
Your engagement and feedback as we move forward with this plan will shape our ongoing efforts. This will not take the place of the exceptional contribution of Evan Usler who along with his committee has created an invaluable resource in the research newsletter, but is intended to share with the membership the efforts of the other committees and that of the Executive Board.
We want to thank all who are contributing to JFD whether as Editor or Guest Editors for our WSCO Proceedings, as Editorial Board Members, or Reviewers. We are determined to strengthen the regard and impact of JFD and the benefits related to its unique partnership with WSCO. We are actively meeting with Elsevier to ensure the integrity and efficiency of the review process, and to determine pathways for increasing contributions from leading researchers in countries beyond the US, UK, and Australia.
As you read the rest of the newsletter, you will gain more insight into the steps above as well as insight regarding additional steps we have taken. On behalf of the Executive Board and myself, we thank you for entrusting us in our roles. Please know we will continue to do what we can to maximize WSCO’s global impact.
We thank you for taking the time to please complete the survey as we will translate the information you share into our efforts moving forward with gratitude and excitement for the road ahead.
All our best,
Courtney Byrd
President