IAOM President’s Greeting 2021: 50th Anniversary Celebration

Welcome to the 50^th Anniversary celebration of the International Association of Orofacial Myology. Fifty years as the gold standard has been achieved and I know that we are each proud of the journey to get here. In actuality, we represent a movement and method that pushes us past the gold standard. Luckily, we all get to be here together on this virtual platform to celebrate all the successes, the progress, to see the evolution, and powerful changes in the orofacial myology sector that have been led and supported by the efforts of this organization. We are privileged to have some our founding members in attendance and we also get to marvel in the knowledge and experience of early visionaries, researches, leaders, and longtime members and supporters of the IAOM who are here celebrating and learning with us. This group includes past Executive Committee members, Board of Director members, convention planners, raffle coordinators, sponsors, and others who have contributed to our history and to the ability for us to mark the 50^th anniversary this weekend. Without these dedicated professionals we would not be here celebrating this milestone and we thank you for paving the way for us to thrive.

There is a palpable energy around us, as there should be, as we reflect on the evolution and positive changes that are happening in this organization. We can feel the passion and dedication among the members that pulses out into each of our practices and communities touching the patients that we treat. It is a collective energy that really fuels all we do as the IAOM. So, as we take these next few days to reminisce, connect and network, stimulate ideas, questions, and even new and needed research; remember that we celebrate each of you. We are celebrating us – the IAOM.

Reviewing our numbers and growth is impressive. This year alone, we had a membership increase of 32% bringing us to a total of 790 members. This number is up from 533 in 2019 and 647 in 2020. Of our total membership, 461 are speech-language pathologists, 285 are registered dental hygienists, 47 are dentists/orthodontists, and 2 are other allied health professionals. We currently have 415 Board Certified Orofacial Myologists and 14 Fellows in Orofacial Myology. This growth represents further impact in our communities and more patients receiving services from highly skilled, knowledgeable, and proficient providers.

I am honored to have served as President for the last 2 years, allowing me the opportunity to work amidst such an amazing group of professionals. I have had a front row seat to watch how much impact a group of passionate, intelligent, driven people can have, and it’s impressive. The power of our member volunteers has brought about an immense level of positive change for this organization. Let’s take some time to review these.

Last February (2020) the Board of Directors and Committee Chairs met in Cincinnati, OH, for a Leadership Retreat that helped develop the shared focus and mindset for the accomplishments achieved over the past two years. Since that time, we have hosted two highly successful online conventions with the 2020 convention being the most profitable to date and this year’s 50^th anniversary benchmarking at that rate as well. Each committee, including the Education Committee, Mentoring Committee, and Nominations Committee, was supported by dual chairs and a liaison to the Executive Committee. The Board of Examiners addressed our certification examination process, which has been redesigned to ensure inclusion of the latest research. The procedure for submission and completion of the certification process has also been redesigned to reflect our high standards of knowledge and application to clinical settings. Procedures for the Fellowship in Orofacial Myology have also been redesigned. The Education Committee established new application processes for certification track and supplemental courses with a succinct approval checklist ensuring that our course offerings represent quality education and supports the learning process for certification. The International Journal of Orofacial Myology and Myofunctional Therapy (still coined as the IJOM) was masterfully taken online and is free and open-access worldwide with more than 18,000 downloads in just under one year. We have also hired support for marketing and part-time administration support for our executive coordinator. Through specific and intentional fiscal responsibility led by our treasurer, the organization is healthy and can support continued growth. The IAOM Code of Conduct was reviewed and a self-checklist was provided to members to ensure we are each utilizing correct credentials and descriptors of our training and certification levels. And finally, the mentoring committee has expanded in number and reach. Monthly Zoom Mentoring calls have been established and are attended by 50-60 members regularly with a waitlist for case presentations. This process is supporting members on the certification track as well as giving a platform for ongoing case discussion and problem solving to continue development of our care plan development.

Celebrating this international, director-driven nonprofit organization that runs on the power of our members through the volunteerism and contribution of your energy, brain power, and leadership requires recognition of those members who have been so dedicated to the mission of the IAOM. These volunteers see the background work that helps bring ideas, needs, and projects to fruition. The list we reviewed before really highlights the larger projects and milestones but does not account for all the work in between. We owe a debt of gratitude to those who have dedicated endless hours over multiple years serving our organization in leadership positions. These achievements could not have been made without the work of our board and committees. While these changes are not small, we do know that even the smallest positive change can make a big impact on growth, longevity, and sustainability.

Congratulations to our 2021 IAOM Award Recipients. Thank you for your long term commitment and contributions to the IAOM.

Patty Fisher – Connie Painter Award

Shira Kirsh – Connie Painter Award

Lori Overland – Rosemarie Van Normal Prevention Award

Mary Billings – The Anita Weinfield Outstanding Mentorship Memorial Award

Kim Benkert – Unique Contribution Award

Thank you to the IJOM Editor-in-Chief, Nancy Solomon and Managing Editor, Katie Dietrich-Burns.

Thank you to the IRB Chair, Hope Reed.

Thank you to the Marketing Committee, co-chaired by Barbara Taylor and Kaye Baumgardner. This duo is also co-chairing this years’ 50^th Anniversary Convention. Thank you for a wonderful convention filled with dynamic speakers and topics.

Thank you to the Nominating Committee, co-chaired by Patty Fisher and Nancy Wehner with Debora Munoz as advisor.

Thank you to the Education Committee, co-chaired by Judith Dember-Paige and Crystal Reszczynski, with members Anne Bry, Joy Lantz, Marge Foran, Pat Pine, Shira Kirsh, and myself (liaison).

Thank you to the Mentoring Committee, co-chaired by Dana Surena-Mattson and Seema Virji, with members Susie Quaranta and Shira Kirsh.

Thank you to our Board of Examiners, co-chaired by Mary Ruma-Smith and Joni Loftin, with members Pat Brinkman-Falter, Dianne Fonssagrives, Shari Green, Phyllis Magelky, Nancy Magar, Randi Miller, Misty Bridges, Marsha Lee, Kathleen Elder, Nancy Wehner, Dana Hockenbury, Cheryl Metcalfe, Deb Munoz, and Patty Fisher (liaison).

To our Board of Directors including Rebecca Thorsen, Pat Pine, Barbara Taylor, Chris Zombek, Crystal Reszczynski, Kaye Baumgardner, Seema Virji, Shira Kirsh, and Susan Quaranta – a sincere thank you for your service to this organization. It has been a pleasure working alongside each of you over the past two years.

To our Executive Committee including Lorraine Frey (Vice President), Patty Fisher (Parliamentarian), Fabi Moy (Treasurer), Joy Lantz (Recording Secretary), and Jenn Asher (Executive Coordinator) – endless appreciation and thankfulness to each of you. We have spent a multitude of Mondays at our Executive Committee meetings creating a space for open conversation, problem solving, development, and forward thinking in order to lead this organization well. I am honored to have served on this Board and Executive Committee with you and look forward to watching the positive momentum continue as the new Executive Committee and Board of Directors begin their work.

We have so much to look forward to and so much to look back on. The momentum is fierce and we expect to be wowed by the continued presence, relevance, and imprint our organization is making. On our 50^th anniversary we are holding our rank as the category leader in orofacial myology. We are moving forward without hesitation and with a clear picture of where we are headed. We are maintaining our gold standard and continuing to surpass that standard. Cheers to 50 years and many more to come.

Sincerely,

Amanda Chastain, MA, CCC-SLP, COM® IAOM President 2019-2021