Dear CEHA Members,

It's an honor to serve as the CEHA President for 2011-2012. I will do my best to promote CEHA and our profession and to elevate the association to the leadership role for the environmental health field in California. I promise to do my best to ensure that the CEHA by-laws are upheld by the Executive Committee and Board of Directors (BOD). I will ensure that your trust in us is well placed. Together with your Board and Chapters I will strive to keep CEHA as the state's premier vehicle for networking and exchange of ideas in environmental health as well as the foremost provider of continuing education for environmental health professionals.

One of CEHA's primary missions is to improve the quality of life and health through environmental education and protection. We as an organization and as individuals are responsible for maintaining our profession at the highest level of excellence and for continuing to provide the highest standards of protection to our communities and to all Californians. This is a lofty goal and CEHA can assist in its accomplishment by presenting timely and focused topics and training in the continuing education provided at the Annual Education Symposiums, Updates, Chapter meetings and all other association activities and functions.

Each year brings its own challenges to us, individually as an environmental health professional and collectively as an organization. We are all being impacted by the economy, and CEHA hasn't escaped the financial suffering. As government at all levels struggle to deal with decreased revenues and increased operating costs, environmental health agencies are finding it harder to fund attendance at CEHA meetings and functions and thus the ramifications affect the CEHA budget and membership. We, the CEHA Executive Committee and Board of Directors, will do all that we can to ensure that your dues and registration fees are spent wisely and only for the good of the association. At the same time we will make every effort to ensure CEHA remains a strong, quality professional organization. It is imperative that the Board and members endeavor to maintain current memberships and invite new members into CEHA.

Thanks again for the opportunity to be your President for the coming year. I'll do my best to meet your expectations. Please hold the enthusiasm and dedication to environmental health that is inherent in the members of CEHA and our profession.

Best Wishes!

Robin Hook
2011-2012 CEHA President