Thank you for the opportunity of a lifetime. Thus far, only 15 people have served as the president of the American Bankruptcy Institute. The superb leaders that have come before helped create the incredible organization that we have today.

With almost 11,000 members, numerous committees, programs across the country and abroad and publications that are second to none, ABI is a leader in both the bankruptcy and education fields. Can any one leader (including me) claim credit for what it has become? Hardly.

I recall reading a story about Winston Churchill being asked about a blood shortage in English blood banks during the war. His response was that they had all of the blood they needed—stored in the arms of his countrymen. The same is true for ABI. Our strength is not limited to either our leaders or our staff. Its true lifeblood is its members.

Having spent three years overseeing ABI's publications and the past year as President-elect attending almost every one of ABI's regional meetings and programs, I can say that ABI's vigor and vitality come from the people who share their time and talents to make our organization so incredibly strong and diverse.

Giving credit where credit is due requires that the hard and sometimes unseen work of committee chairs, program chairs, authors, editors and our Board of Directors be both recognized and appreciated. ABI would not be where it is today without all of their efforts.

Managing this enterprise is a professional staff that is without peer in the field. Our meeting planners take care of many more details than most of us could imagine. In doing so, they help make our programs flawless presentations that draw more participants each year. Our publications staff manages more written material ("content") than some news organizations. The volume of material to be reviewed, edited, laid out and published in the Journal, Law Review, monographs and committee e-newsletters is staggering. Then that mountain is organized and digitized onto ABI World so we can have it available at our fingertips.

We are all indebted to Sam Gerdano for his tireless efforts in orchestrating each of these disparate parts into a symphony of productivity. Having a volunteer organization grow year after year does not come about by accident or good fortune. We can continue to grow and excel only with diligence, perseverance and a recognition that we can never rest on our laurels, no matter how great they may be.

Being trusted with ABI's presidency is not unlike the feelings you'd have after receiving the keys to daddy's Ferrari—a combination of both fear and excitement. Fear, because I don't want to end my term with any missteps. Excitement, because I realize the vast untapped potential our organization holds.

While I intend to concentrate on continuing ABI's trajectory of growth and innovation, I also want to encourage and enable more people to participate. Our members should know that there is a place and a task for anyone, and everyone, who wants to contribute. A large part of our leaders' jobs is to find or create ways for that to happen. I plan to use the President's Column in each ABI Journal to recognize the dedication and service of our members and staff. I also plan to keep you abreast of what is planned so that ABI will be bigger and better this time next year.

Some might think that using the column in this way will inordinately focus on the little things. It has been said by those much wiser than me that if you concentrate on doing the little things well, the big things will take care of themselves. I could not agree more.

I freely confess that I do not have a monopoly on the ideas and innovations we need to realize ABI's full potential. I extend an open invitation to each of you to send me your ideas for ways that we can continue to provide more for our existing members while always reaching out to find new members in the bankruptcy and insolvency community. Please send me an e-mail or find me at one of the conferences that I will attend during the coming year. I will have both an open door and an open mind to all of your ideas.

There are so many people to thank for providing me with this opportunity. So many, in fact, that I dare not name a few for fear that I will omit one and unintentionally slight their efforts. The efforts of many I could name, and so many more I could not name, have brought us to where we are today.

The same will be true when I conclude my term next year. I truly believe that ABI's strength is in its members and those who lead its numerous and varied parts. We will have a successful year because of what everyone does, and not because of anything that I alone will do. I look forward to working with each of you to continue making ABI a leader in each of its endeavors.