My commitment is to continue the recovery and growth of the ANA from the ill-advised, costly and divisive goals and programs embarked upon over several years, ending with the election of seven new Board members installed in August of 2007, in building the revitalization of membership pride and ownership in the organization.

    While significant progress has been made over the past two years in reestablishing the image and acceptance of the organization, I believe the immediate future demands a guiding hand whose skills of leadership, patience and impartiality have been honed by a 40-year career spent managing and nurturing business activities immersed in the broad spectrum of our hobby

community: collectors and dealers, novice to veteran, generalists and specialists, scholars and authors, publishers and marketers.

    I will strive to assure all deliberations and votes on membership issues are conducted on an open-forum basis, that fully transparent fiscal performance reports be presented to the membership periodically through the year on a regular and timely basis, and that management continue to meet and maintain balanced-budget fiscal performance without operationally pulling from invested endowment.

    As an ANA member since 1956, I have long actively monitored the activities of nearly 90 regional, state, specialized and local organizations and clubs serving the community, holding lifetime memberships in more than

55 of them. Thus, I believe I possess a global grasp of what the diverse desires and requirements of our community are for the fruitful pursuit of their respective interests.

    These diverse issues of concern relative to the ANA¹s policies, practices and programs must be carefully considered and worked through on prudent bases in implementing changes that are fiscally responsible and fruitful to the broad spectrum of our universe. We must always maintain our focus on the fact that collecting is the base from which the community springs, and that education in its many diverse forms facilitates interaction.

    In the end, the ANA¹s success will be dictated by the strength of its weakest link, demanding a strong president, strong management, a strong membership, and a strong tie between the collecting and dealership ranks.