We lost an amazing former leader of IDA with the passing of Christine Burdick this month. If you were in Tampa last year with IDA or have visited recently, you have experienced much of her work as CEO of the Tampa Downtown Partnership from 2002 to 2017. You will also get a glimpse of her work if you attend next year’s conference in Chicago.
Most impressive, however, and lesser-known, was her leadership and support of women in our industry. Members across the country and generations noted how important and valuable Christine was in welcoming them into the profession and helping women navigate the network. Today, the IDA board is majority women. I also recently received positive feedback on the breadth of our diverse conference presenters and the trajectory of such in recent years. Other measures of a diverse profession continue to grow. IDA is on the right path, though we know much more work needs to be done.
To that end, I invite you to submit for a position on the new IDA DEI+ Task Force. This task force will continue our internal work to date at the staff level and further shape strategic needs for IDA in the years ahead. If you are interested, please apply here. The group will be asked to begin immediately and target initial recommendations for the March 2023 Board Retreat. So, if you have the time, passion and inclination to roll up your sleeves and dig into this work, consider submitting your name today.
Please visit IDA’s Call for Committee Interest webpage and make sure you are logged into your IDA member account to complete the short interest form. To join this task force, you must be an IDA member in good standing.