It’s the end of the year and a time for celebration in many of our communities and cultures. Hanukkah starts off the season, followed by Christmas, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Day. This is a time for family and friends, for prayer and peace. It is a time of renewal as we prepare for the coming of the New Year.

For me, this month is an opportunity to say thank you. It has been a true privilege to serve as ASHHRA president. The best part of the job is the opportunity to meet ASHHRA members throughout the year. It’s like being a member of a large extended family. We all live separate lives, but we all have the same mission in life: to care for others and lead people through change. We do this by helping each other. This is what family is all about.

A big part of our extended ASHHRA family is our staff in Chicago. They work behind the scenes each day to provide support to the Board, the committees, and task forces. But more importantly, they are our friends and we count on each other. A special thanks to Stephanie, Sharon, Shirley, Ferdinand, Emily, Jamie, and Ursula.

My final thank you goes to the ASHHRA Executive Committee and Board who made this year very special for me. They were engaged and supportive, fun and creative, practical, and down to earth when necessary. It’s been such a pleasure that I’m glad I get to enjoy the Board one more year. Thank you, Bob, Grace, Joe, Nicole, Tom, Karmen, Maureen, Paul, Amy, John, Marit, and Michael. You are the best board on the planet!

I want to end by sharing two favorite quotes. I hope you will find in them the inspiration I do.

The first is by Abraham Lincoln:
"And in the end it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years."

The second is by Edith Wharton:
"In spite of illness, in spite of the archenemy sorrow, one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways."

Thank you for the opportunity to Lead People Through Change.


Health and happiness,
Irma L. Pye, SPHR
ASHHRA 2012 President
Senior Vice President & CHRO
Valley Baptist Health System
Harlingen, Texas