After three years of dedication to the SICP, the time has come for me to say goodbye as president. I would like to take a few minutes to reflect back on the Society™s accomplishments over the last three years. Keep in mind, as we travel down memory lane, that these accomplishments were made possible by the SICP board of directors™ expertise. Only after many countless hours of conference calls, conferences, review courses and sleepless nights, did the SICP arrive at where it is today.

In 2003, when the current board of directors took over the leadership of SICP, we quickly realized we had a hefty job ahead and met several times to create a plan of action. Our goal was to make the SICP THE society in the invasive organizational community. There was a great challenge ahead of us as we sought to make a small society into a premier one, home to all invasive cardiovascular professionals. Importantly, we felt that the SICP should continue to be an inclusive organization, inviting all cath lab professionals to join.

Our first step was to ask you, as the membership, What is important to you as a member? What do you want from your society? Your replies echoed the board of directors™ first two priorities CEU opportunities and RCIS review courses. Over the past three years, the SICP has provided CEU opportunities from one side of the country to the other. We™ve been in Texas, Kentucky and Las Vegas for conferences, as well as Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia for RCIS review courses. The SICP has successfully taken the lead in education for the cath lab professional.

Another Society project that I am very proud of is our local chapters. I am proud of the board for accepting and meeting this challenge, but more importantly, I™m very proud of and extend a gracious thank-you to those who took the initiative to start their local SICP chapters. The chapter initiative started out in a grand way with the Texas Gulf Coast Chapter. As it grew, we continued to receive requests for more chapters and so we turned idea into reality, making the Gulf Coast Chapter our poster child. There are currently 10 local chapters throughout the country, with several others in the startup process. These chapters, in conjunction with the SICP, continue to push our profession at the state level in order to make our society and our profession the best it can be. The SICP will continue to focus on education, legislation and collaborative opportunities with other organizations.

One business-oriented milestone for which we are thankful is the change in our management firm. The SICP board spent the better part of 2003 in transition as we underwent a management change, financial change and board changes. There were many decisions imperative to the growth of the SICP and recognizing this, the board came together and worked as a cohesive group.

We also met the challenge of establishing a corporate sponsorship program. This program has allowed the SICP to move forward with educational opportunities. We are proud to have had Boston Scientific Corporation as the Review Course sponsor for 2005 and to have Edwards LifeSciences and Datascope Corporation as educational initiative sponsors for 2006. We welcome and thank these companies for their generous support. Please acknowledge their representatives when they visit your labs.

As my term ends, I cannot step down without sharing a few thoughts. When I became involved with the SICP back in 1998 due to legislative issues, I quickly learned what it meant to be involved with your professional society. It was because of those issues I came in contact with several people that I am fortunate to call not only colleagues, but friends. I will take these people with me throughout the rest of life in many capacities. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to share in their expertise. A thank you seems so small in comparison to the thanks I owe, but I mean it with all my heart.

Chris Nelson is an original leader and a mentor, and I am thankful he trusted and encouraged me to move into executive leadership of the SICP. His ability to reach people is one attribute that I will forever strive to achieve.

Chuck Barbiere and Darren Powell have both been my rocks, jumping in and not only having better ideas, but implementing those ideas! Their dedication to the SICP as well as the RCIS has always been above the top.

Ken Gorski deserves thanks for joining in the legislative issues with me in Ohio and jumping on board as a great SICP secretary. His dedication to the profession is stellar!

Marsha Holton always knew how to keep me grounded when things weren™t quite right, and for that I am thankful.

Andrea Davis has been a real staple for the SICP as well as a friend, and I thank her for stepping up when needed. She is a great educator.

Craig Cummings and I rode quite a wave together through some tough times, but as we always said, SICP would soar to new heights and we would be proud to have been a part of it together. We made it! Thank you!

Tommy Maloney, one of the busiest people I know, still finds time to fit the SICP into his schedule and put us at the top of his priority list. He is a man of integrity.

And lastly, thanks go to Jeff Davis. Jeff and I have probably undergone the most change together. We started out as professor and student in college, and became colleagues and friends post-graduation. When I needed help or still need advice, I always find my way back to his office for an afternoon talk. I can always count on his guidance to set me straight.

I have the utmost confidence in the abilities of the incoming board of directors, especially incoming president Lynne Jones. Lynne will continue the SICP™s momentum with the same style and grace she showed in putting together the first SICP chapter (the Gulf Coast Chapter). Her success in Texas speaks volumes of her character and ability to lead this society.

To the membership, thank you so much for your continued support over the years. It is your support that allows the SICP board to function. A society is nothing without its members your ideas are our fuel and our energy. As several of us exit the board of directors and the executive board of the SICP, please know that we are not going far. We will all be close by and readily available for help and consultation. That promise not only extends to the up-and-coming board of directors, but to you, the membership. Please keep our numbers and stay in touch. We will also be around future conferences and review courses, so as usual, stop by the SICP booth and say hello.

I hope that the coming years are good to each and every one of you, and I look forward to the next generation of the SICP and the new board of directors. I have truly enjoyed my experience; the wealth of knowledge that I am taking away is priceless. I will continue to support the SICP and as always, work to better the profession of the cardiovascular professional. Legislation remains my passion and I plan to continue the push for patient safety on a national level.

One last thought as I say farewell. Take extra special care of each other and never forget one thing I strongly believe new ideas motivate new direction, and new direction drives success. This is my belief for the future of the SICP.

Tracy Simpson
SICP President
Tracy@sicp.com