Welcome to the New Year and best wishes from everyone at the AAW headquarters in St. Paul. We are enjoying a real Minnesota winter for a change, with plenty of snow and hundreds of skaters daily using the rink right outside our offices and gallery in historic Landmark Center.

2007 was a year of change for your association. I am honored the board selected me as AAW's first full-time executive director just over a year ago. After a year on the job I am more excited than ever about the association's continued growth and truly amazing record of accomplishment as well as by the potential to do even more to better serve our members in the future.

A few highlights of the past year:

• We welcome Tom Wirsing and Corey Anderson to the AAW board of directors and, at the same time, thank Tony Cortese and Sean Troy for their service to AAW during their tenure as board members.

• We have had several staff changes at AAW. Tib Shaw became the first full-time coordinator at the AAW Gallery of Wood Art in Landmark Center. Under Tib's leadership and creative initiatives we already are seeing increased visibility and attendance. Linda Ferber is the new AAW office manager. Linda brings years of administrative experience to her position and is a woodturner as well. She replaces Eunice Wynn who is retiring in March, 2008 after over fifteen years of service. We thank Eunice for her dedication and long service to AAW.

• The 2007 Portland, Oregon symposium was a great success, and we look forward to another well-attended symposium June 20-22, 2008 at Richmond, Virginia.

• AAW's membership base continues to grow. At the end of 2007 there were over 13,000 active members and 277 local chapters. AAW has members on every continent except Antarctica, and we are working on that! Our heartfelt thanks to each of you for your interest and support.

• The new AAW Star Chapter program that recognizes local chapters which achieve 100% membership in AAW is off to an excellent start with seven chapters so recognized during the first year of this program. These Chapters are:

Central Florida Woodturners

Central Illinois Woodturners

Gold Country Turners (California)

Northwest Michigan Woodturners

Peace River Woodturners (Florida)

San Diego Woodturners

Southern Oregon Woodturners

• Throughout 2007 the AAW board of directors engaged in a board development and strategic planning process designed to help focus time and effort on shared long-range strategic policy issues. The board approved a complete set of new board policies late in 2007. A new AAW strategic plan is nearing completion and should be ready for board review and adoption during the first quarter of 2008.

• During 2007 we acquired and installed new integrated membership database management software. This new software system already is making it easier for AAW members to renew or change their membership profile information, register for the annual symposium, order merchandise and cast ballots in the annual board election.

• Board, staff and professional members are working together to restructure the AAW Professional Outreach Program to better serve and recognize the needs of this group of AAW members.

These are just a few of the things AAW has been working on during the past year. As always, feel free to contact us via letter, email or telephone whenever you have questions or need information about the association or woodturning in general.

Thank you.

Lawrence Sommer

AAW Executive Director