The observance began in 1968 under President Lyndon Johnson and was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, to celebrate the cultures of Americans who come from Spain, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. At Cone Health, we are honoring Hispanic Heritage by offering book clubs for employees to discuss Luis Alberto Urrea’s novel Into the Beautiful North. Our Foundation has provided books to loan to our employees through our Medical Library to allow participation for everyone. I invite you to join us in reading this book to raise our awareness of the Hispanic culture.

Please take an opportunity to review Envisioning Tomorrow’s Healthcare Workplace, the white paper from the July Thought Leader Forum here. ASHHRA is fortunate to have TIAA CREF Financial Services to sponsor this most important effort. Many thanks to Kevin Nazworth and TIAA CREF for allowing ASHHRA members to take advantage of this membership benefit.

It is hard to believe that the 49th Annual Conference is only a little over two weeks away! I am so excited to be able to experience the tremendous learning opportunities that Barry Lindeman and his Annual Conference Committee have planned for us. Many thanks also to Stephanie and the ASHHRA staff for all their efforts and hard work to ensure we have an exceptional experience in Washington. I am personally anxious to interact with colleagues, old friends, and to make new friends during the conference.

See you in Washington as we continue our journey to the possibility of inclusion for all!

ASHHRA 2013 President

Vice President, Human Resources

Cone Health

Greensboro, N.C.