Two BOD additions, and some announcements

Last night at our board meeting we nominated two new members, Robin and Janice. Both people are very strong additions to the ICF, and we are very happy to have them!

Last night we put the nail in the coffin of a 2007 symposium - that's right, no symposium for 2007. We did this for a number of reasons, the most important of which are:
1) We want to "take a year off" from the massive resource drain of planning such an event to focus on the Foundation's general direction, and establish some products in other areas. We know just how important the symposia are to the community, and we know what a unique resource they are. However, we have to develop other aims of the foundation, and get the foundation moving in more directions. To do that, we felt, it was best to buckle down for a year without the pressure of hosting a symposium.
2) In addition, we want to start preparing for the 2008 symposium much earlier and secure some of the financial backing that we were unable to obtain in 2006. This means, of course, that the symposium will be back and "bigger then ever" in 2008! We are not sure exactly when, where, or in what capacity - those details remain to be worked out - but know that we'll be working to make it the best and most informative symposium yet.

In addition to the symposium announcement, we had the pleasure to discuss our recent partnering with the ARIC in France. Details of the partnership have yet to be worked out, but we are happy to be taking steps to strengthen the international scope of our mission. All that is left is to get the Cystinuria Support Network on board, and i think we'll have a very strong and productive group. An ICF-CSN partnership in some form has always been a goal of www.cystinuria.org and the ICF. We will continue working to extend the invitations and make that a reality!

So, with a few new projects in the pipeline, a new Website Content Committee, and fresh ideas from new board members, i think we're in a position to have a very productive year. More on those projects as they become realized...

All of these details were recorded by Janice who is also serving as our new Secretary in place of Mike Fass. Look for the official meeting minutes on the site, coming soon!

Thanks for reading,
matt