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| —PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE—
Looking Ahead and Preparing for a New Administration
By Rear Adm. Michael W. Shelton, CEC, USN (Ret.)
was approved by the Executive Council in August. Essential changes reflect: reducing the number of board members (both elected and appointed); shifting appointed service vice presidents to appointed non-voting advisors; establishing a dues sharing arrangement with PHMA Chapters; increasing the authority and responsibility of the Executive Council; and more clearly defining the duties of the Executive Director and the central office. The new bylaws will be submitted to the full Board for a final vote soon. Elections and updates Elections for the PHMA Board will open on November 18 on www.phma.com. There is a short paragraph on each nominee in this issue, and I encourage everyone to review the nominees and vote for their choices. Also, everyone should be enjoying their second annual PHMA/MHLI calendar that was sent with the last issue of the magazine. Thanks very much to the staff for the superb effort in producing this piece for our members. If you did not receive your copy, please contact the staff at 703/771-1888 or phmaoffice@earthlink.net. On another note, the last two months have been quite busy in the training area, particularly in the European Region. Chapter training was completed for the Royal Chapter at RAF Lakenheath in the UK in September. Additionally, in October, the Naples Chapter received chapter training. This was a first-time event for both of these chapters and was very well received. Europe was also the venue for the annual PHMA cruise orchestrated by Joe Fitts and the Cabrillo Chapter. This year the itinerary was a Mediterranean cruise leaving from Rome and going to Naples, then Greece and Turkey, before returning to Italy. Some of the group also participated in a side trip to Paris and Munich. It was a great time that I can testify to through personal experience as Mary and I went along on the cruise, and we had a ball! Thanks to Joe and the Cabrillo Chapter. PDS XXI update and congrats I want to remind everyone that registration for PDS XXI, January 19-23 in San Diego, opened on www.phma.com/pds on October 21. Please register at your earliest opportunity. I want to congratulate the 15 scholarship award winners that were announced in the last issue of Defense Communities. This year, PHMA funded $20,000 in scholarships to deserving students. These scholarships are available to family members of PHMA members, and I encourage those of you with college-bound children to have them apply. There are likely to be some changes in the rules for next year so look for them. Never enough thanks I want to take this opportunity once again to thank all of you who are doing such a magnificent job supporting our military members and their families into the seventh year of the war in Iraq and continuing engagement in Afghanistan. You continue to make a difference! While we do not know the end date of this conflict, we can guess that it will not bring an end to deployments and family separations. The demands on the "system" will continue, and you will meet them. May God bless all of you! Mary and I wish you the best of holiday seasons and a great New Year.
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