Hello! Welcome to the Spring 2012 edition of The Affiliate News. The Affiliate News is a great forum for affiliates around the world to come together and share experiences about their events in the TESOL world.

In this newsletter, Karen Cadiero-Kaplan, the chair, welcomes our incoming Member A, Larisa Olesova, and new affiliates TESL Nova Scotia Association and English Teachers’ Association of Georgia (ETAG). We also meet the six confirmed Best of Affiliates! Do not miss their presentations at the scheduled times and locations as detailed in this issue. We have information from Misty Adoniou, ALC past chair, on the affiliate colloquium “English Language Teaching Goes Mainstream.” We also have information on the Affiliate Leaders Workshop from Chair-Elect Dorothy Forbin. I’m excited about our Newsletter Editors’ Workshop as well. We will have information on using technology in newsletters and how to navigate the online TESOL Community as well as time to share and see the actual newsletters of our affiliates.

There is also an article on how one affiliate, JALT, revitalizes membership and another affiliate, MinneTESOL stays in touch with members; an article on Global Advocate Honor for affiliates outside the United States; an article on how the U.S. State Department supports TESOL affiliates; an article on the experiences of one affiliate, NNETESOL, when TESOL President Christine Coombe came to speak at their conference;an article about another affiliate, New Jersey TESOL/New Jersey Bilingual Educators’ (NJTESOL/NJBE) experiences with their newsletter moving to an online format;and an announcement for an upcoming convention of one of our affiliates. So as you can see there is much interesting information inside this newsletter. I hope you enjoy it!