The TESOL Arabia team has accomplished a great deal over the past year. We have rebranded the association, begun an aggressive market campaign, updated our communication platform for the organization, developed our social media profile and held a multitude of chapter and SIG events that have impacted professional development in the UAE and in the region significantly. All of which have been accomplished by our most valuable asset; the people in our organization who have given their time and effort in the name of sincere and selfless volunteerism.

One important task we have started is a review of governing documents of TESOL Arabia. It is important for an organization to periodically reflect and modify its governance and we are currently in the process of doing so. A committee has been formed to formally review our Standing Rules, Bylaws, SIG and Chapter Guidelines and the descriptions of positions for the Executive Council. When these documents were authored eight years ago, TA had a different profile as an organization and we have grown. It is time, as we approach our twentieth anniversary, to look at these guidelines and revise them to reflect our organization now in 2013. It indicates to our membership and other external agencies that we are evaluating and adjusting leadership to meet the needs of the association and the community we serve. The objective is to have this work completed some time before our May meeting of the Executive Council. These amendments will be voted on by the Executive Council and eventually be review by an external group to ensure that the decisions on the changes are completely objective and that our procedures reflect best practices.

The nomination process for our upcoming elections has closed and I am happy to report that there has been strong interest from the membership about stepping into leadership roles on the Executive Council. We now have confirmed candidates for the positions of Vice President (President-Elect), Member at Large, Publications Coordinator (Conference Proceedings), Executive Treasurer, Executive Secretary, Dubai Chapter Representative, Al Ain Chapter Representative, and Eastern Region Chapter Representative. Voting for positions with multiple candidates has run until February 28^th and positions will be announced in early March at the Annual General Meeting at our conference. We are still looking for acting representatives to restart the Ras Al Khaimah & Western Region Chapters. It is a wonderful and rewarding opportunity to get involved with TESOL Arabia. If you are interested in being considered for the post, and a current UAE resident, please send a current CV and letter of interest to james.mcdonald@zu.ac.ae.

Work on the upcoming conference is moving along smoothly. As I mentioned in my previous letter, please check our website regularly for updates and remember that membership and early registration will save you a considerable amount of money in the long run. Also, with limited spaces available, our pre-conference series on Mobile Learning will fill up quickly so registering early for these courses ensures a spot for you. This year we have had a record number of proposals submitted, 455 to be precise, and have accepted 184 for the conference. I would like to take the opportunity to thank Les Kirkham and Sandra Oddy for the months of hard work they have put into this year’s conference. I would also like to thank committee members Beth Wiens, Trace Michaels, Melanie Gobert, Maria Brown, Rehab Rajab, Christine Coombe, Tandy Bailey, Konrad Cedro, Sufian Abu Rmaileh, Racquel Warner, and Paul Sirban for all of their efforts on this year’s event. Many of these committee members have been responsible for making our conferences a success for years. Their generous volunteerism has paved the way for TESOL Arabia to become the meaningful and effective organization it is today and we are grateful for that.

This is my last letter as president of TESOL Arabia so, in closing, I would like to thank you all for the opportunity and privilege to serve the organization. I have learned so much about the governance of the affiliate and the challenges of leading a very unique group of dedicated professionals. I have been very lucky to have a supportive, hard-working team on the Executive Council, in the Chapters and in the SIGs and I would like to thank them and their committees for making it such a productive and seamless year. I know I am leaving you in good hands with the in-coming president Rehab Rajab. She has been instrumental in many of the positive changes that have occurred this year and I know, under her guidance and leadership, the best is yet to come. I wish her the best of luck. See you all in March!

James McDonald has been a member of the TESOL Arabia Executive Council since 2007 serving as Executive Secretary, Executive Treasurer, Vice President, and now as President of the organization for the 2012/13 academic year. He has been an overseas educator for over twenty years in the Middle East and South America and is currently the Men’s Program Supervisor of Zayed University's Academic Bridge Program in Dubai, UAE.