I am very pleased to be providing my first Executive Vice President update on the state of our Association. I will be sharing with you some information about a number of key priorities that we will be focusing on over the coming year, and also reflecting on some great work that has been done in the past year. It is important to recognize that I am currently on day 27 as AACP’s seventh CEO, so the completed work I will be commenting was not mine – it was work you did as members, that our amazing staff did, work that was overseen by an incredible leader, my predecessor, Lucinda Maine. We have spent the past week, and indeed the past few months, paying tribute to Lucinda for her two decades of service to AACP and our academy, and far more years serving our profession. I would like to take another opportunity to thank Lucinda for all she has done, and I ask that you join me in recognizing her, one last time this week.
As I mentioned yesterday during the third general session, I believe very strongly that an organization’s strategic plan is critical to its success. It is not a static document that, once created, is placed on the shelf until the next time it is necessary to bring together leaders, members and staff (often, unfortunately, dragging, kicking and screaming) to the table to develop a new one. Instead, the strategic plan must be a dynamic, daily guide to an organization’s work, setting priorities that reflect its mission and vision, helping decide where and how limited resources should be invested. It should also provide a framework for evaluating the progress of an organization. We have completed the first year of our current strategic plan, and we are entering year two. The Chair of our Strategic Planning Committee, incoming President Elect, Craig Cox, with support from our entire staff, but particularly Terri Moore, has already begun working to establish a measurement process that will provide essential information on our progress. All organizations that are enthusiastic, creative and innovation (and AACP certainly fits that description) are prone to taking on more work than they can effectively complete. It common for organizations to take an undisciplined approach to considering new projects and programs. It is possible to find a place in most strategic plans where almost any new project might fit. Using that approach to justifying new work is how organizations become over-extended, pursuing too much and accomplishing too little. AACP is vulnerable to that sort of situation.
Instead, we will work from the strategic plan to the options of what projects will best meet our goals. Just as you work to decide how to decant your over-crowded pharmacy curricula, we must also consider when projects and programs are no longer providing value for our members, and we must be prepared to make changes that will free up resources for other work. Sitting here today, we are already 7% done with this programming year, and I look forward to making the most of the next 93% of the year, pursuing our strategic plan!
Two of the key components of our strategic plan will be prioritized in the coming year – pillars 1 and 2, continuing the successful launch and growth of the AACP Transformation Center, under the leadership of Melissa Murer Corrigan, and our DEIA efforts reflected in pillar 3.
The ATC will hold its first expert advisory committee meeting early this fall and will use that group to help guide efforts stemming from the recent BPEP summit and other work to ensure there is significant traffic on that bridge that Melissa uses to describe the connection between transformative practice and innovative educational efforts. We will also be continuing to focus on diversity, equity and inclusion in the AACP workplace, within our membership, in our faculties and students and in the pharmacy workforce. I will say that I have found AACP – including within our office with staff, and here at this meeting with all of you – to be a safe place where critical discussions on these topics are open and productive. This openness cannot be taken for granted – it is still not the case in many organizations, and it is an aspect of AACP culture that we must celebrate, continue to nurture, and ultimately leverage to make significant progress in these areas.
The financial health of our organization is another key priority. While we are fortunate to have substantial financial reserves, we are exposed to the economic phenomena that are impacting your colleges and schools, and all of us. AACP must spend with care, invest wisely, and most importantly, seek new sources of revenue wherever possible. I am working closely with our Vice President of Finance, Sibu Ramamurthy, to seek out, prioritize, and capitalize on new revenue streams. We will prioritize non-dues revenue, but we must also maximize revenue from membership – not by increasing dues, but through membership growth – making sure that AACP provides a home for everyone involved in the pharmacy academy. Of course, we will be focusing heavily on development efforts in the coming year, in the short-term by seeking partnerships with key corporate entities and others with whom we share goals, and in the longer term through other efforts. I look forward to working with the 2022-2023 Argus Commission under the leadership of past president Steve Scott, on a charge set by incoming President Russ Melchert, to create and implement a development plan that will take us far into the future. One of the key components of that plan will be the Lucinda L. Maine Transformation Fund, hosted by AFPE, which I believe will be an essential vehicle to help ensure the success of our future efforts.
As I also mentioned during our general session yesterday afternoon, I am listening carefully to staff and members, learning about our challenges and opportunities. I do not intend to make significant changes to our operations or activities in the near future, but I do think it is important to recognize that expanding the development activities of AACP will result in the need for investment in new infrastructure to support that growth. We will be deliberate in this growth, ensuring that our new projects and programs are aligned with, and supportive of, the priorities of our member institutions. In this way, AACP can extend and amplify the great work being done in each of your colleges and schools of pharmacy. I will be relying on all of our senior staff at AACP for their help with this, including (in addition to those I have already mentioned), Lynette Bradley-Baker, Kelly Ragucci and Libby Ross, along with all of our amazing staff.
One of the keys to our strategic and financial success is sitting right here – in this room. Our members. Most of you belong to other associations in addition to AACP, so I know you realize what I have just started to appreciate. Our community of members is substantially more engaged that members of most other organizations. We put a call out for volunteers, and we have 10 times the number of offers of help than we have places to put those volunteers. Our affinity groups are passionate about their respective areas, and are engaged in ways, again, I simply have not experienced in other professional societies. We have a small staff, and the committed leaders and member volunteers are the force multipliers critical to meeting AACP’s goals.
In closing, I want to thank that incredible AACP staff – who, over the past week have provided us with a fantastic Annual Meeting. I thank our Board and elected officers, particularly our President, Stuart Haines, for your leadership, and all of you for welcoming me into this professional family. It is my incredible honor to serve you as the Executive Vice President and CEO of AACP. Thank you.
- © 2022 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
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