This is my first message as president of the MBREA and I find this position to be exciting, interesting, and motivating.

I joined the MBREA in 1992 because one of my instructors mentioned that if I considered myself a professional, I needed to belong to a professional society and MBREA was that premier organization. MBREA was founded in 1934 by forward thinkers, who recognized the need to educate and designate professional men and women to become real property appraisers. It is still doing an excellent job 74 years later.

The MBREA has gone through many changes in the last few years. We have brought on a professional management team led by our new executive vice president Steve Sousa. We have streamlined the committee structure to make all the committees more efficient. Many new members have joined our committees and will be meeting for the first time in the upcoming weeks.

Under Tony Federico, RA, the education committee met the requirements of the AQB's 2008 educational criteria. The 2008 education committee, under Steve Dunn, RA, has already met to go over its agenda which includes new courses and seminars. We have a very active designation committee chaired by Robert Bostrom, RA. This committee is mentoring close to 40 individuals who have made their decision to stand for designation. I congratulate all of you and wish you the best.

Ellen McDonald, who chairs the new combined marketing and membership committee, has had her first meeting. Sousa attended and was very pleased by the creative ideas that committee members came up with to enhance membership. This committee has a full work load ahead of it and appears to be up for the task. Our expo and programs committee, chaired by Lane Nordquist, will be meeting soon, and in conjunction with the Mass. chapter of the Appraisal Institute, will do the usual stellar job of putting together the N.E. Expo, which is scheduled October 20th. This committee will also be working on our very successful series, "Breakfast with the Experts." The governance committee under immediate past president Shaun Fitzgerald, RA, will be working on the new policy and procedures manual, and the executive committee will be keeping a watchful eye on several bills both at the state level and in congress.

I would also like to note that the MBREA is well represented at the Appraisal Foundation (AF) with members serving on the ASB, TAFAC, ECAFS, and board of trustees.
I attended my first AF meeting in Washington, D.C. last November. The MBREA is held in high esteem as evidenced by the fact we are the only state organization to hold one of the nine positions of an Appraisal Sponsor of AF. This is a direct result of our members who take the time to represent us at the national level. Greg Accetta, MRA; Byrnes, MRA; Steve Elliott, MRA; Steve Spangle, MRA; thank you.

I would also like to mention and thank Tony Trodella, MRA, whose service to AF began more than 20 years ago with his final term as a member of the board of trustees expiring last year.
The future indeed looks bright for the MBREA, and the committees and trustees are taking up the challenge again this year just as they have in the past. Now is the time for all appraisers to join these many hard working volunteers and become part of the MBREA. We, as an organization, still have a lot of work ahead of us and look forward to you becoming part of this exciting endeavor.

Wayne Valliere is the 2008 president of the Mass. Board of Real Estate Appraisers, Dedham, Mass.