Nashville is beautiful in October. The leaves are starting to change and the air is crisp. When you’re an ex-pat from the Midwest living in Miami for the last 35 years, any hint of a seasonal change is a real treat!

However, the MEIEA Board didn’t get to enjoy much of Nashville’s weather.
We were sequestered at Belmont’s new Music Row facility for most of two very productive days. Among other things, we discussed the progress of our Strategic and Branding Action Plans.

Since embarking on this course three years ago, our Active membership has more than doubled and we’ve added a number of new Institutional Members. Our Member Statistics are quite impressive.

O.K., I admit it; I’m shamelessly plugging our website. I’m very proud of it. It’s a good example of the commitment and dedication of the great colleagues that voluntarily and selflessly make this organization work. In this case Wes Bulla, our current Treasurer who is also our unofficial webmaster. We can’t thank you enough Wes.

Next year’s 2009 MEIEA Conference is shaping up quite nicely. Our colleagues at Berklee are pulling out all the stops to make it a memorable event. They have already confirmed some fantastic speakers and have a great hotel lined up. There’s even a rumored MEIEA Jam Session in the works! Registration will open up soon so be checking the website.

Election season is upon us again. Not the one on T.V.! ....The MEIEA election. We’ve had very good participation the last couple of years and I hope that trend continues. This cycle we’ll be voting for President, Vice-President, Director of Membership, and four Board Members. I want to encourage as many of you as possible to consider serving in one of these capacities. This organization will only continue to thrive as long as the membership remains actively involved.

Finally, there are times in life when good things lead to difficult choices. Since becoming MEIEA’s President, I have assumed a number of new responsibilities at the University of Miami, most recently appointed Chair of the Department of Music, Media and Industry. I have therefore decided not to run for re-election at this time. I will continue to serve as Immediate Past President for the next two years and look forward to working with the new leaders to further the progress of our organization.

Rey Sanchez
MEIEA President