President's Column - Scott E. Tarry

The Annual Forum is nearly upon us and everything is falling into place for a memorable conference in New York City. Jack Wells has assembled an exciting conference program that should appeal to a broad range of transportation interests. Paul Gessner has done exceptional work in finding a great venue for the meeting as well as interesting places for receptions on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. We'll have the opportunity to thank Jack and Paul formally at the meeting, but I would encourage you to thank them personally for all their hard work in preparation for the forum.

I hope that those attending the meeting take full advantage of the program to not only discuss their favorite issues, but also to step outside their regular area of interest and learn something new or different. There are a number of excellent paper panels as well as some intriguing discussion forums. Keep in mind that if you don't see something you like on the program this year, you have the power to change things for next year's forum. Make note of your ideas and pass them along to the new leadership. Our Annual Forums are only as good as the members who help develop and support them.

This is my last contribution to E-news as President of the TRF. I hope that you have enjoyed this new approach to communicating news and other information to TRF members. Patrick Nichols and Tom Jirik of the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute (UGPTI) have been especially helpful in getting this concept up and running and I know that the lessons we've learned this year will help improve E-news in the future.

I also need to recognize Gene Griffin and Sue Hendrickson of UGPTI, with whose help we've been able to put our administrative house in order this year. Gene and Sue have been instrumental in improving everything from our record keeping, communications, and planning, as well as many other organizational functions that provide value to our members. I know that the new leadership of the TRF will benefit greatly from Sue's assistance and Gene's vision for the organization.

It has been a most interesting past three years for me. Since developing the program and working with Ian Savage to hold the Annual Forum at Northwestern University in 2004, I've had the opportunity to work on a number of issues related to TRF's future. I believe that we've made good progress on a number of fronts, but also realize that there are a number of issues that need further attention. Chief among these is, of course, membership. I believe that TRF has the opportunity to stand out in an increasingly crowded field of organizations, clubs, and other demands on people's time and resources, but this will not happen if we do not continue to bring new people and energy into the organization. I encourage you to think of ways you might work with the new leadership of the TRF to bring new members in or invite old members back. In either case, TRF will be better off because of your efforts.

Thank you again for your support of TRF. I look forward to seeing everyone in New York.