Executive Director’s Blog: What to Expect

Greetings all! Welcome to the first OTAC Executive Director Message blog posting in collaboration with the 100 Stories of OT blog. While the OTAC office team doesn’t provide OT client services, we want to share with you our own 100 stories about the OTAC headquarters and staff; OTAC activities, operations, and policies; and other information to address frequently asked questions (or maybe frequently un-asked questions). You will also read on occasion about the world of associations in relation to OTAC. You are welcomed to submit topics that you would like hear more about as well.

A Day in the Life of Your OTAC Professional Association Management Team

I am kicking off the first blog with a bird’s eye view of our ‘typical’ day serving OTAC members. Typical is in quotes because we don’t have a typical day. While every day is different (and we love that!), we do have one constant. We come to work every day with a mantra ‘make every day count on behalf of the members.’ When I was recruited in 2008 as the OTAC executive director, following in the very big shoes of Chuck Strauch, my inauguration presentation at the Annual Conference was about this very mantra. I am proud to say that we are as dedicated to it today as we were nine years ago.

So, here are a few highlights from today, in no particular order: attended the CBOT special board meeting on CBOT’s sunset review / provided an overview to the OTAC president and comments to the advocacy committee, set up a template for a survey going out next week on behalf of the OTAC subcommittee on OT school credentialing, collected more letters from members opposing AB 1510 (athletic trainers’ bill), created an OTAC NEWS about the 100 Stories of OT blog, updated the website, interacted with a few potential presenters for the Annual Conference, communicated with the Annual Conference and Professional Development and Leadership Committee, checked on status of CFPs for the Annual Conference, mailed more than 400 dues renewals notices, created dues stuffers: a ‘save the date’ for Annual Conference and Vision/Mission/Core Values leave behind, reached out to several new vendors for the Annual Conference exhibit hall, created administrative instructions for OTAC Region events, updated the OT Centennial Float donor roster and website thermometer, added a check button in the customer management database to track members interested in the OT school credentialing initiative, provided assistance to various Board members, answered a nonmember question on how to obtain advanced practice for a course they are sponsoring, directed several callers to the CBOT website for answers to their questions, processed registrations for OTAC Advocacy Day and other OTAC activities, and processed dues renewals and responded to various related communications from members.

Warm regards,

Karen C. Polastri, IOM

OTAC Executive Director