As I look back on the last year, I thought I’d share some of my thoughts with you.

I don’t know if you’ve been aware of this, but the economy is pretty bad. And when the economy is pretty bad, clubs and organizations such as ours tend to suffer tremendously. I’m happy to say that we have fared rather well up to this point, and I feel that it is due in no small part to the inspiring and imaginative programs and events that we continue to come up with. This year saw us roasting Judy Rush at the second Cheeky Awards. It saw us traipsing around the Crossroads District on a scavenger hunt during The Quest. And, most recently, it saw us assembling 9 local well-known faces to talk about what excites them at Bulletproof. Our CLIO Reel Party has always been a success, and our speaker this Thursday, Joel Templin, promises to be one of the best speakers we’ve had in recent memory.

This club has also been successful during trying times because of the passion and commitment of its council, and increasingly, volunteers from the membership. Last month I mentioned that with Bulletproof, the notion of “Ours” that I set forth at the beginning of this executive term was really beginning to gain traction. I feel that the next year or two is going to see a dramatic rise of membership involvement as a whole, not just because we’re trying harder to get membership involved, but because we’re seeing a new generation of members coming in that are hungry to make a difference, to make this club better, to make it “Ours.”

That’s part of the reason I decided not to run for re-election at the end of this term. I felt that I had adequate time to lend my ideas and vision to mold this club into something more, and now it’s time for someone to take my place who can do even more with what I’m leaving behind.

I’m very happy to say that the presidential torch is being passed to the person who made these strides in volunteerism for Bulletproof. Jeremy Johnson of GlynnDevins becomes your president on July 1st. He has done one hell of a job organizing the CLIO party, Bulletproof and the Joel Templin event this year, and he brings experience in leadership and creativity that is going to serve this club for what I hope is years to come. You’ll hear from him in the near future with his plans for the next year and the long-term vision he has for the club.

What’s next for me? The same thing that any ex-president has on their agenda: writing memoirs, embarking on a lecture tour, trying to finally do something about those creative turtleheads.

Seriously though, while I may no longer be an official member of the council, I intend not only to advise Jeremy as Immediate Past President, but also to assist in furthering the club’s communications efforts online. Therefore, you certainly haven’t seen the last of me.

I have certainly enjoyed my time serving this club, and I thank you all for electing me to the council so that I could have the opportunity to do so.

— Jeremy Fuksa, President 2008-2009.

• Ky Miller – Meers Advertising
• Joy Moeller – 19 Below
• Adam Seitz – Bernstein-Rein

And of course, we welcome back our comrades who have been re-elected:

• Jeff Berney – Burn Advertising
• Aaron Cathey – Two West
• Vicky Frenkel – Vicky Frenkel Design

Congratulations to each of you! We’ll see you at your first council meeting, June 1st at The Cashew.