NDAA members engaged in proactive committees & congressional outreach.

• Author: Scully, Jan
• Position: National District Attorneys Ass'n - President's page

BY THE TIME YOU READ this article, we will have said goodbye to 2011 and welcomed in the New Year. That means I have the opportunity to reflect on the past and forecast what's ahead ... at least insofar as NDAA is concerned. Here goes ...

Last July at our summer conference in beautiful Sun Valley, Idaho, I took the gavel and laid out the "to do list" for my term. Now I am half way through my NDAA presidency and must confront the problem: Unlike my job back home, my president's term of office is one year, not four; and my list is just too darned long to finish up in the next six months. So my first lesson learned and my advice to future presidents--just pick one or two things you want to accomplish and you might just get them done.

But if your list is too long, there is the good news. When I was president-elect, I was lucky to have President Jim Reams (NH) and Chairman of the Board Chris Chiles (WV) who involved me early and often in the affairs of NDAA. The three of us actually functioned as a team that allowed us to have projects that extended beyond our one-year terms and made it possible to plan and achieve continuity of purpose and goals. I have continued that practice with Jinx, now as chairman of the board, and our President-Elect Mike Wright (MO). I refer to us as the "triumvirate." Hopefully, with the "leadership of three," I will continue to work on my "to do list" beyond my term as president.

Another component of my leadership team is the Executive Committee. As I reflect on these first six months and look forward to the next six, I am confident in their advice and guidance. An engaged Executive Committee also provides for continuity and completion of goals.

And then there is my Board of Directors (I am getting possessive, yes?) You will see by reading the rest of this article that we have lots of members (and I could name many more) who are actively and energetically involved in bettering this fine association and moving us forward.

So let's get back to reflecting and anticipating. Let's talk about some of the NDAA team highlights from the first half. (Remember, at NDAA, it is not about the leadership of the president, but the leadership of our team.)

The reviews from our fall meetings in Nashville are in--with resounding applause. This came as no surprise because the committee agendas were so interesting that Board members wanted to go to as many of the meetings as possible.

We kicked off those meetings with our Strategic Planning Committee, chaired by Curtis Hill (IN) and Brad Berry (OR) with me as the cheerleader. While everyone was welcome to attend, the official members of this...