Message from ALMA 2017 President-Stuart Magoon

Focusing on What Matters: People, Processes, and Performance

Welcome to San Diego, location of our 38th annual ALMA conference.  I’m thrilled to be a part of ALMA with its core mission to enable managers of laboratory based organizations become better leaders.  Our Annual conference is a capstone event that offers an exceptional opportunity to listen, learn, and share with other laboratory leaders from a broad range of disciplines.  The conference committee, and especially our conference chair Christie Bowden, have done a terrific job putting together this conference.  Their energy, creativity, humor, collective insights, and ideas have made this conference possible.  

I hope the friendly and informal atmosphere will prompt you to immerse yourself in all this conference has to offer.  Whether you’re new to laboratory leadership or a seasoned veteran, learning is a critical element of effective leadership, and I’m pleased you are here and a part of our ALMA community.  

I am grateful to everyone who has contributed their time and energy to make this conference possible.  Thank you to our sponsors, exhibitors, workshop instructors, speakers, facilitators, and participants. Thank you to our Executive Director, John Sadowski, and Executive Administrator Jill Kravitz, for their steadfast energy and dedication in support of ALMA and this conference.  To my fellow board members, and conference program committee members a sincere thank you for helping with all the details required to create this conference program.

ALMA can only stay successful with strong, active and diverse membership.  Please consider being someone who leads, guides, and shapes the future opportunities of ALMA.  Talk with a committee or board member to find out more.

 

Message from ALMA 2017 Conference Program Committee Chair – Christie Bowden

On behalf of the conference program committee, we are pleased to welcome you to San Diego and to the 38th annual ALMA conference.  The committee has worked diligently and enthusiastically over the last 10 months to create a program that is filled with engaging speakers and insightful topics and we look forward to sharing it with you!  The ALMA conference has always been focused on continuous learning from the shared experiences of laboratory managers who face the same challenges and issues as you do.  This year’s presentations will continue that message.  

For this year, the program committee has focused on three main areas that matter when managing a laboratory:  people, processes, and performance.  During this conference, you will learn how to engage, motivate, develop, and retain your employees and how to implement processes that will improve your laboratory’s performance.

The conference is made possible by the work of numerous people.  First, I would like to thank each member of the program committee for their ideas, hard work, and dedication. Second, I would like to thank the ALMA Board especially Executive Director - John Sadowski, Current ALMA President - Stuart Magoon, 2017 ALMA President - Paola Guevara Riveros, and Executive Administrator - Jill Kravitz for their insight, opinions, and patience.  Lastly, I would like to thank all of the speakers for taking time out of their busy schedules to share their learnings with all of us!  

ALMA also would not be possible without all of you in attendance.  It is because of you that we can share our experiences, obtain different perspectives, and continuously improve as laboratory managers.  Please continue to be active in ALMA by becoming a member, attending the annual  conference and local meetings, and by serving on the board.  We strive to improve and continue to make an impact in the laboratory management community, which is only possible with your help.