Now that you’d had some time recover from a frenetic ISA week in Montréal, we wanted to take a few moments to thank you all for a very special conference. What an invigorating few days as we caught up with friends, exchanged ideas and began new collaborations. After three very long years, Montréal felt at least like we were moving to a new normal, even as many of us are still managing many disruptions – including those that prevented some from joining in Montréal.

We felt the energy in the hallways and are encouraged about what this means for the future of ISA and academic interchange more generally. If ISA feels strong and vital, though, it is because of its members and how they go about their business. We are grateful for the hard work that each of you put into preparing for the conference, working with those around you, and traveling to Montréal.

Speaking of hard work, the wonderful program team led by Erica Chenoweth and Swati Parashar and their assistants Katherine Irajpanah and Fisseha Fantahun Tefera, did a remarkable job throughout the year and they deserve enormous kudos for assembling such a vibrant program – with so many innovative ways to interact. They did this in the face of the considerable tumult over visas (that also prevented Fisseha from attending). They have our deep gratitude and hopefully yours as well.

We would also like to thank the ISA HQ staff, who work throughout the year to serve the membership. Although they are masters of making ISA, and the convention specifically, look smooth and seamless, they are often furiously paddling against the current to get us where we need to be on-time and under-budget. We have a truly remarkable group of people at HQ, who also deserve our sincere thanks.

As we look ahead, we wish Laura Shepherd and her team all the best as they start to prepare for San Francisco 2024. We hope to see you all there.

Deborah Avant, ISA President (2022-2023)
Mark A. Boyer, ISA Executive Director