Dear CEHA Members,

Thank you for electing me as your President for 2009-2010. I promise you that I will do my best to ensure that the CEHA by-laws are upheld by the 2009-2010 Executive Committee and Board of Directors. I will ensure that your trust in us is well placed. I will do my best to increase membership. I will do my best to promote CEHA and ensure that CEHA remains a strong association that will provide our association with a growing list of quality services.

As with many years in recent memory, our profession is facing several important issues in the coming year. Continuing education has been a hot topic. With new requirements imminent on the REHS registration for continuing education, CEHA has poised itself to become an accrediting agency to help deliver the required continuing education to its members and to the REHS community. We are also considering several methods of making continuing education on current and updated topics available to our members. CEHA has always been in support of the continuing education initiative. It is a means to accomplish one of our primary missions. CEHA is “dedicated to improving the quality of life and health through environmental education and protection.” We as an organization and as individuals are responsible to maintain our profession at the highest levels of excellence and continue to provide the highest standards of protection to our communities and to all Californians.

Last year, we made the decision to modernize the CEHA website. The website is the public face of our organization. It has seen some drastic changes, and is still in the process of development. In the coming year, we are planning to continue to embrace technology in order to provide CEHA members with streamlined, additional services and more convenient means of accessing important and current information. This is a steady and continuing process. I want to thank everyone that has been involved thus far.

I am looking forward to this coming year as your President. I expect that there will be challenges ahead, but I and the CEHA Board will work earnestly to advance CEHA and its mission.

Be on the lookout for new CEHA members and help us to return members that we have lost through the years. The greater in number that we are, the stronger we are as an organization.

Best wishes to you all!

Darryl Yorkey
2009-2010 CEHA President