I would like to begin by thanking the Chapter for having enough confidence in my abilities to allow my service as President. I have inherited a strong Chapter that has benefited by the leadership of previous Presidents and Board Members. As a result of this strength our October conference was a great success. I would like to thank Past President Ric Abbott, Board Members, the Past Presidents Club and several volunteers who donated time and work to accomplish our goal of providing quality training to our membership.

Prior to the annual Chapter business meeting elections the leadership asked for members who previously had never held an office to "step up". To no surprise several candidates came forward and those elected will provide new ideas and leadership to Officer and Board Positions.

During the course of the year one of my goals is to increase communication with the membership. Past President Dan Hebert has graciously assembled a new and hopefully more complete email list. I would encourage each member not to wait on emails to discover the training offered by your Chapter. Please check the web site periodically to gain updated information. The web site is being improved and we hope that soon we can offer the purchase of LA IAAI merchandise and dues payments via the internet.

We are committed to maintaining the training schedule as in previous years with a Northern Training Day, Southern Training Day, and our Annual Fall Conference. Training ideas are always welcome. Please don't hesitate to contact an Officer or Board Member with a topic you feel would be worthwhile. All of our contact information can be found on the chapter web site ( www.laiaai.org ). Also don't be surprised if an email goes out requesting volunteers for various projects to include training.

The first Board of Directors Meeting for the new year is set for January 9, 2008, at the State Fire Marshal's Headquarters Building in Baton Rouge. We will be discussing future training, so send in your ideas prior to this time. The minutes of the meeting will be posted on the web site.

Once again thank you for the opportunity to serve, but members, please remember that this is your Chapter. Please stay informed, attend the training offered, and volunteer when possible. I anticipate a wonderful year.

Sincerely,
President Don Davenport