An Important Announcement about a New Member of the AHRA Family

By Bill Algee, CRA, FAHRA

November started off with a boom celebrating the superheroes in our departments! I hope each of you experienced a great Radiologic Technology Week. At Columbus Regional Hospital we had a week full of superhero themed activities. From paper plate awards, trivia and door decorating contests (our facility has some very creative people – one of which is not me!), to attending the 2018 Virtual Fall Conference. I’d like to extend a big thank you to Design Team Chair Cathy Coleman and the rest of the superheroes on the 2018 Fall Design Team for putting together an excellent conference. If you missed out on the live sessions, you can still register and watch the recordings to earn CE until the end of the year.

The Hallmark Channel has officially kicked off its ‘Countdown to Christmas’ series where you can catch a Christmas movie every day for the next month and that tells me the holidays really are right around the corner. For many, the holidays mean family time and let’s not forget – AHRA is a family. The other day, I found my first AHRA membership certificate from when I joined in 1998. It’s crazy to think I’ve been a member for 20 years. Since then our family has grown dramatically and I’m excited to say we’re adding a very important member to our family this holiday season.

After an extensive search following the announcement of Ed Cronin’s retirement at the end of 2018, the Board of Directors and AHRA Search Committee are proud to announce Daniel Kelsey, MBA, CAE will be joining AHRA as the new Chief Executive Officer. I am delighted to welcome him to our association, and I know he is eager to work with our members and key stakeholders as we continue to shape the future of medical imaging management.

When I met Dan, it was immediately clear why he has earned a reputation for association leadership and strategic vision. He brings more than 20 years of strategic planning, business development, and management experience in association and non-profit organizations. In his new role as CEO, he will be responsible for leading AHRA’s dedicated team of professionals while increasing the value of the organization to its members, donors, sponsors, partners and other stakeholders. He will lead the efforts to expand the organization’s programs while growing and strengthening its membership base.

I remember clearly the first meeting I attended after joining AHRA and how warmly people I’d never met before welcomed me. The Urban Dictionary defines family: A group of people, usually of the same blood (but do not have to be), who genuinely love, trust, care about, and look out for each other. Heck they might as well have put “The AHRA is a group…”at the beginning of it. As the leadership team works with Dan to ensure a smooth transition, I know our members give him a warm welcome like they first gave me.

At this time, while we gather to give thanks, please know that I am so thankful for each and every one of you. I am so happy that we are all part of this family we call the AHRA. I couldn’t end this article without thanking Ed for his 14 years of outstanding leadership and dedicated service. He will always be a part of our family.

Everybody wants to follow wherever we go
They hang around all places and people we know
We live the life, we’ve paid our dues
We’re hanging tight, we make our news
– “All For the Glory” KISS

Bill Algee, CRA, FAHRA is the 2018-2019 president of the AHRA Board of Directors. He is the director of imaging services at Columbus Regional Hospital in Columbus, IN and can be reached at balgee@crh.org.