Over my professional career, I have always been very active in professional development and an advocate for what it can do for people personally and professionally. I have no doubt that it is the connections to colleagues and experiences I have had from professional development opportunities that have made me the person I am today. I started, even back as an admissions counselor, serving on the state (TnACRAO) calendar committee and have continued to pour my time into the state and regional (SACRAO) level organizations in various roles. I recently joined the Public Policy Advisory Group for AACRAO as a way to begin to serve the national organization.