| Just past my half-way point in my Presidency, I want to take this opportunity to highlight just a few of the things YOUR NRCA has been involved in. As you may have read in your recent JARC issue, or downloaded in your NRCA “inbox," Dr. Betty Hedgeman passed away on May 3rd. Betty’s involvement and contributions to the field of Rehabilitation Counseling, and to NRCA specifically as our Administrator, are unmatched. She was a leader among leaders, and leaves behind a 45 year legacy of service to people with disabilities. Over her career, she served as President of NRCA, ARCA, and NRA, and was Executive Director of the Epilepsy Institute of New York. She was also an educator, an advocate for credentialing, and a mentor for many. Although I never had the privilege of meeting Betty in person, I do feel as though her professional spirit, dedication, and commitment to service has “set the standard” for me. I am sure that she has touched many of us. I would like to thank Dr. Jeanne Patterson for providing a fitting and beautifully written tribute to Betty (published in JARC)- she will truly be missed. If you wish to contribute to the Betty Hedgeman Foundation, please contact the NRCA Office for more information 703-361-2077 (voice) or info@nrca-net.org. |
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| I am pleased to announce that in May, the NRCA Board voted to appoint Dr. Jeanne Patterson to the position of NRCA Administrator, replacing the late Betty Hedgeman. Jeanne has graciously accepted this appointment, and we are lucky to have her continue supporting NRCA in this very important role-THANK YOU JEANNE! |
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| With this year’s “changing of the guard” in Washington, DC, some new players have arrived- namely the newly appointed Deputy Director of the Social Security Administration (SSA), David Foster. You might be interested to know that Mr. Foster approached NRCA Board member Dr. Ken Hergenrather to learn more about the NRCA and how the SSA could develop a working relationship with our organization. Ken met with Deputy Foster on April 24th and provided him with an overview/history of the NRCA, and brought forward a myriad of questions (many of which Dr. Connie McReynolds supplied-thanks Connie!) related to SSA policy, agenda, and functions. As a member of NRCA, you should feel good knowing that our organization was sought out, and that we have such an awesome person in Ken who is willing and able to represent us in D.C! Kudos Ken-job well done! Ken has been a busy person in the D.C. circles, and has brought to the NRCA Board a number of critical advocacy opportunities and legislative updates for us to weigh in on. Please be sure to read his piece in this newsletter so that you can become updated on D.C. happenings. |
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| In case you have not heard yet, there is an ongoing effort across various Rehab organizations to hold in the future a “Mega Conference” designed to bring our family of rehab organizations together for a shared professional development venue. At the February NCRE conference in San Antonio, your President-Elect, Dr. Penny Willmering, graciously accepted my recommendation that she represent the NRCA on the Mega Conference workgroup. She has been quite busy with the workgroup team which is comprised of representatives from NRCA, ARCA, NRA, NCRE, IARP, CRCC, the VA and others. With much work left to be done, and many decisions to be made, I feel confident in Penny’s strong leadership to successfully guide NRCA’s interests in this ambitious and exciting endeavor. |
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| Since our last newsletter, we have also successfully transitioned in our new JARC Editor, Dr. Jamie Satcher, and approved his Associate Editor, Dr. Dan Boutin. Our new Editors have been quite busy establishing their processes with JARC, and have implemented some fresh ideas to the current JARC Editorial Board and Reviewers. More details about JARC happenings can be found in this newsletter, including an exciting announcement about an electronic JARC. (See also.) |
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| In other “behind the scenes” NRCA news, I am thrilled to tell you that I just received a confirmatory response from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that ownership of our NRCA Trademark has been officially accepted and renewed! Initially at issue was the fact that the registered Trademark for NRCA was in need of renewal. Notice of this renewal had been received by NRA over a year ago, but had not been forwarded to our office. Fortunately, Dr. Ray Feroz, now Past President of NRA had the strength of leadership to “do the right thing” and sent the renewal information on to Charley and I last fall. I was able to secure an attorney who processed the renewal- only to discover weeks later that the official ownership of the Trademark resided with NRA! Finding this out, I again contacted Ray and explained our dilemma. Together with the professional goodwill and assistance of Ray, Butch McMillan, and Beverlee Stafford at NRA, we were able to obtain the necessary documentation to facilitate an official transfer of the NRCA Trademark and interests to NRCA! Our attorney submitted this evidence to the U.S. Trademark office, and we have now received an official acceptance of the ownership transfer. I would be remiss if I did not openly and publicly praise the leadership and professional courtesies of Ray Feroz, Butch McMillan, and Beverlee Stafford at NRA. Your actions in this matter go a long way in mending old wounds and developing new relationships- THANK YOU!!! |
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| The other day, I was looking over a recent NRCA Quarterly budget and noticed a line item entitled “Life Memberships” . . . it got me thinking…how many of us (myself included) are “Lifers.” I look at my career, and recognize that if I had the foresight years ago to think long-term, I could have easily paid for a life membership, and saved considerable dollars on annual renewals- duh!! If you “do the math” and think about how many years you plan to be in the field of Rehabilitation Counseling, you’ll see that for many of us a Life Membership with NRCA would be an excellent value for your dollar. At $700, your membership would pay for itself in 10 years (or less if annual dues were to increase). I have many years in front of me, so a Life Membership still makes a lot of sense- as it would for many other NRCA members out there. To make it convenient, and lessen the burden of a lump payment, NRCA can issue you a Life Membership if you agree to pay four consecutive annual installments of just $175- how simple is that!?! I would like to issue a challenge to all those NRCA members out there to consider the value and benefits of a Life Membership. You “run the numbers” . . . I think you’ll agree with me that it is one of the best professional bargains out there. Join me in becoming a “Life Member” of NRCA today! |
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| I cannot end without recognizing the exceptional dedication and continued hard work of your NRCA office team and Board members! Norma Maxson and Barbara Huffman amaze me on a regular basis in terms of their efficiencies and competencies in keeping our organization running smoothly. From assisting in budgeting, planning, coordinating member services, rebuilding the NRCA website, to publishing JARC…THEY are the backbone of our organization, and deserve to be recognized. Your NRCA Board members serve your organization because of pure dedication to the profession. They do not receive accolades (nor do they seek them out) for what they do, nor do they receive compensation for their time and effort- they simply continue to unselfishly ask the question: “What else can I do for my NRCA?” The next time you call the NRCA office, or run across Charley, Penny, Jennipher, Connie, Ken, Cheryl, Jim, Carol, Gina, Beth, or Jeanne, please be sure to thank them for their service! |
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| These are just a few of the things YOUR NRCA Board has been busy working on. In the months ahead, we look forward to moving forward with strategic planning for the organization, adding additional member services via our new website, exploring innovative opportunities to collaborate with other organizations and entities, providing outreach and resources for State chapters, and developing new ways to support, inform, educate, and grow our membership. As always, my “door” is always open. Please drop me an email (joseph.keferl@wright.edu) if you have any comments, suggestions, or want to get involved in YOUR NRCA. |
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| Respectfully, |
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| Joseph E. Keferl, Rh.D., CRC |
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