December 15, 2009
It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve MOVITE in 2009. This year has challenged our Institute and profession, both of which have responded admirably. While we still have a lot of hard work ahead of us, we have a lot to be very proud of.
The MOVITE board started 2009 with 3 primary goals:
- Be active at the local level,
- Support our students, and
- Have great meetings.
I am proud to say that as a section we met all of those goals.
Be Active at the Local Level – MOVITE reaches out to our local membership largely through our chapters. MOVITE has six Chapters, each of which is active in their local community. Cumulatively, our Chapters sponsor an ITE related activity almost every week. More information about Chapter activities can be found at: http://www.movite.org/chap_chapters.htm and http://sites.google.com/site/motrcalendar/. We are also exploring the establishment of a new chapter (or chapters) in Iowa. MOVITE is supporting this effort by sponsoring small events (such as webinars) for the Iowa ITE membership. Please contact Tony Boes if you are interested in participating in a new Iowa ITE Chapter.
Support Our Students - In 2009 MOVITE supported our students with over $6,000 in the form of student scholarships, competition awards, and student chapter support. This support is critical to our mission in that it provides opportunities for our students and professionals to interact and learn from each other. This support is a catalyst for increased involvement from our student chapters. Our students have done well in 2009.
Have Great Meetings - We had an absolutely fantastic fall meeting in Springfield. The local OCITE Chapter put on an “over the top” program including several nationally and internationally known speakers, several special events for students, and exceptional entertainment. I would like to extend a huge “thank you” to the Springfield Local Arrangements Committee for a memorable conference.
I hope that you will all support Angelo Lombardo in 2010 as much as you have supported me in 2009. He is excited for the opportunity to serve you and committed to having another great year for MOVITE. We need you to be involved! Please consider the following in the upcoming year:
- Attending the Spring Meeting in Kansas City and the Fall Meeting in Oklahoma.
- Running in 2010 for state director (Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska) or board director (Missouri)
- Talking with your state’s director about their business plan.
- Attending a chapter meeting or hosting an ITE webinar at your office.
- Making a professional presentation to your local student chapter and/or taking a student out to lunch.
- Publishing a technical article in the MOVITE journal.
Be Active at the Local Level
Thank you for your support of MOVITE, have a great Holiday Season, and the best of luck in 2010!

Shawn Leight
2009 MOVITE President
Read Past President's messages for the section!