Greetings ITAIS,

This is my first letter as chair of our interest section (IS), and I’m honored to be writing it. I know that many of you are running, or preparing to run, summer workshops and classes, and that others are preparing for fall 2017. Either way, I hope that your summer is both productive and relaxing!

I want to start by thanking everyone for a fantastic 2017 TESOL convention in Seattle. It was exciting to see what folks from around the globe are working on at their institutions. And yes, I did say around the globe! The international teaching assistant (ITA) strand had presenters from Denmark and Japan as well as from across the United States this year. It was an exhilarating week, and I’m sure we all returned to our programs with new ideas. I hope that many of you were able to submit proposals and become proposal reviewers for TESOL 2018 in Chicago. I look forward to seeing the proposals and all of next year’s presentations.

As many of you know, the organizational structure of TESOL is in the midst of being overhauled, and the ISs are undergoing some changes. Over the coming months, I will be working with current and past IS leaders to craft a statement of purpose, an annual plan, and a series of other documents to demonstrate our IS’s alignment with TESOL’s mission. By September, we hope to have these documents prepared and ready to be shared with the group for feedback. While it has at times seemed like the ISs were in peril, I believe that this is an excellent opportunity for us to highlight our alignment with TESOL’s mission and the significant contribution we make to the organization.

Finally, I’d like to take a moment to thank to several key members. Special thanks go to everyone from last year’s steering committee, but most especially my predecessor, Elizabeth Gillstrom. Additionally, I’dlike to thank Diane Costonas and all of her wonderful work on our website, and her work as community manager. If you’re interested in becoming an IS leader, please get in touch with Elizabeth Gillstrom, who as past chair is responsible for recruiting.

I look forward to all of the insightful discussions that will take place this year on our email list. Thanks again to all of you who contribute to our professional development as a community!

Sincerely,

Stephen Looney