Greetings NABT Members,I hope this finds you recharged and ready to return to the classroom, the lab, or the field. As my tenure as president comes to a close, I want to share with you a few things I have learned over the past eight months serving as your president and to express my optimism for the future.First, I have learned that we are a diverse group in terms of our academic backgrounds and that is a source of strength. In biology, we know that genetic variation and diverse ecosystems are more resilient and adaptable to change and disruption. Before my time as NABT president I was enmeshed in the high school world of NABT, spending my time at conferences attending workshops geared toward that environment and enjoying the AP section luncheon. I did not make a concerted effort to meet our two- and four-year members. Of course I understood the important roles played by the higher education folks, but I had the misconception that we came from different worlds. I did not have a PhD, had not done research, and perhaps that implied that I was not an expert. These were constructs I formulated in my own head, perhaps based on some version of imposter syndrome. In reality, the opposite reaction has been the case. During my term, I have had the opportunity to work with amazing college-level educators who have guided and counseled me when it came to making some difficult decisions related to NABT and our future direction. Never once was my high school teaching status an issue, we are all biology teachers. I appreciate all experiences that biology educators have had, particularly as we all navigated instruction together in a time of COVID and the changes that has wrought.Second, there is another type of diversity we need to address within NABT. This has remained a priority for me throughout my term of office. At the conference in Atlanta, I had the opportunity to meet members who had important ideas about diversity and inclusion as it pertains to our organization. I am pleased to say one response was the formation of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee. The committee’s charge is to help NABT develop programs and resources that address the needs of a diverse community of biology teachers to ensure full access and opportunities following the guidance articulated in the NABT values and position statement on equity in science education. The JEDI committee will also work to revive the Equity Award, which has not been given out since 2009, and create an equity survey to see where NABT is in terms of welcoming new members who are underrepresented in NABT. Finally, the Board is in the process of updating the NABT Equity in Science Education Position Statement to include more guidance for supporting equity in the profession, not just the classroom. I am proud of the work NABT is doing in terms of equity and inclusion within our organization, and I realize there is more work to be done.Third, and probably the hardest lesson for me, is how slow organizational change can be. I had a list of tasks I wanted to accomplish, and even after speaking with past presidents, I thought I could get it all done. Reality is cruel, and I soon realized I would have to pull back on some of my initial priorities. I was told that change in organizations is often more graduated than punctuated and NABT is no exception. However, I remain optimistic despite not yet updating every position statement and not yet growing membership by 5%. I am happy with the direction NABT is going, and I think the board has laid some important groundwork for the future.Finally, I have learned that the greatest challenge and threat we face as an organization is growing membership. There are many factors that professional organizations face, so NABT is not alone. Many professional groups are facing declines due to financial issues, changing needs and expectations of members, and strategies for attracting and connecting with newer, younger members. We have been struggling with ways to address these three issues. For instance, there are over 11K on the NABT Facebook page, yet about half are members of NABT. Why? We are in the process of creating networking opportunities and experiences that have value beyond what people can get for free from the Facebook connection; I think this should remain a top priority. We must focus on developing opportunities and educational offerings that align with the needs and interests of the next generation of biology teachers and potential NABT members.As we move forward, I would ask all of you to think about why you joined NABT and why you continue as members. Let me challenge each of you to share your story with a colleague and welcome at least one new member into NABT. We are only as strong as our membership.