On June 8, 2020, NYSDA President Dr. Craig Ratner sent the following letter to members:
Dear fellow members of NYSDA:
I would like to thank all of you for the honor of representing you as your president. Many of you have wished me well as we embark on the coming year. Some of you have tempered your congratulations by saying something like, “Man, what a tough time to be taking over.” In truth, I feel just the opposite. I saw firsthand how we came through the fire -- stronger in some ways, and in other ways, learning what we must change. As we put these lessons into motion, we must not look back over our shoulders. For me, it is all about what
we will achieve in the future. And that’s why the theme I’ve established for my tenure as president comes down to three simple words:
FROM NOW ON.
From now on, we will build on our strengths and fortify ourselves for a future that has been forever changed. There will be new challenges and crises ahead, and we will gird ourselves to meet them head on. I realize that one year may not seem like a lot of time to make real change, but your officers and trustees have hit the ground running. Together, along with our local leadership and members, we will effect real change in our organization to make it stronger and more successful than ever.
To achieve these goals over the next year, three platforms will define my presidency: Participation, Communication, and Advocacy.
Participation:
From now on, we will need everyone actively involved. More voices ensure a final outcome that is more valid. More participants working together toward any goal ensure that the goal is reached faster, with better results. Whether it be through local mentorship and membership recruitment, or active participation on a state association council and our House of Delegates, these critical times require all of us to pitch in. We must then utilize our powerful resources, our members, if we are to succeed. We will engage these participants - making sure they are involved in the process. Active participation not passive is the key. Our profession and Association depend on it.
Communication: The world of communications has evolved exponentially over the past decade, and everyone seems to be getting their information, including NYSDA news, differently. For some, it is a traditional letter or email. For others, it’s the website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and we have responded by sharing news on all of those platforms. But now, the means of communication have grown even beyond these to include many other new mediums. And even more are developing that we can’t foresee.
From now on, we will use metrics to study your communication preferences and make our best effort to provide the most relevant information to you in the ways that you prefer.
Advocacy: NYSDA works hard to represent you in the halls of government, and this year we will do more to keep you up-to-date on our political advocacy. With COVID-19, NYSDA was successful on many levels – on statewide reopening, advising guidelines, sourcing PPEs, advising you on the PPP and other stimulus and loan programs, and providing back-to work tools.
From now on, we will do more to keep you apprised of these ongoing efforts and the progress we are making
.
More on these and other subjects in letters to come. For now, there is much to be done. So let’s begin. I firmly believe that we are on our way to making our Association stronger and more vibrant. But we will be even more successful with your involvement.
Sincerely,
Craig Ratner, DMD
President