I think most of us have stumbled back into Boise after an amazing but intellectually exhausting weekend! Hopefully everyone who attended the retreat is able to get back safely as well. We have so many ideas and plans for all of you here in Idaho and can’t wait to move on them! In a week or so, after we have a chance to decompress, we’ll begin sharing things with the group and getting feedback from you all on what we plan to do and of course hearing about what you guys need as well. Things will be changing around here, I hope you’re ready for it!

As for taking that next step towards making AIGA a global design movement, earlier today our new President Debbie Millman rolled out her first order of business – the AIGA Connectivity Initiative – with a new hashtag for everyone to use: #aigaconnect, with the intention of connecting chapters and our members and keeping the conversation going strong. I strongly encourage you to spend some time there, especially in the coming weeks, as our AIGA chapters throughout the nation will begin rolling out their plans in response to the Mandate of 2014.

It was truly a pleasure spending the weekend with AIGA leaders around the country. For those of you who attended the retreat as well, we’d love it if you’d please write to us, @reply to our Twitter, or leave comments here on the blog with your name (so we can spell it right!), your board position from which chapter and your Twitter handle. We’d love to keep in touch with everyone we met and follow along with how you are responding to our new direction. For Idaho members, be sure to follow the #aigaconnect hashtag and the other board members from around the country, as they are some of the most talented and inspiring folks I’ve ever met!