by Christopher Allman, JD, CPHRM, DFASHRM
November is often a month where we find ourselves expressing gratitude for all of the things that we are thankful for during the preceding year. Certainly, this November, my cup runneth over with the number of things I have to be grateful for as the 2025 ASHRM President. To be frank, if I tried to name all of my blessings, this would be a tl;dr column, but if you would indulge me, I would like to list a few things I have been grateful for in my year as President.
First and foremost, I am thankful for the ASHRM Advisory Board and the ASHRM Staff. During 2025, ASHRM certainly saw its fair share of challenges. But this group of individuals, through thoughtful preparation and debate have helped navigate treacherous waters. I am also thankful that the future of ASHRM and the 2025-2027 ASHRM strategic plan, is in the hands of this Advisory Board and the ASHRM Staff. In 2025, we made better than expected progress on the strategic plan, and I know that progress will continue under the guidance of this group. I truly believe the future of ASHRM is in good hands!
Secondly, I am thankful for each and every person who volunteers in any capacity for ASHRM. Volunteers come in all shapes and sizes. Volunteers can be committee chairs and members, authors of ASHRM Playbooks, Journal or Forum articles, Annual Conference speakers, webinar presenters, or any number of ad hoc projects that pop up during the year. Truthfully, with you, the volunteers, ASHRM would not exist. You are truly the lifeblood of the organization, and I am thankful for all you do for ASHRM.
In a similar vein, I am thankful for the state chapters and anyone who volunteers on any level for the state chapters, be it as a Board Member, committee member or speaker. During 2025, I got to visit a number of state chapters from coast-to-coast, and beyond. At each chapter, I was inspired by the level of commitment and dedication of the chapter members and volunteers to making their chapter successful. I was grateful for every minute that I got to spend getting to know the chapter members and attending their conferences, and truly thankful that I had the opportunity to visit so many of you!
Last, but certainly not least, I am thankful for you, the ASHRM membership. You have made my time as President all I hoped it would be and much more. You have responded to the call to volunteer, to write, to consult, to attend meetings, webinars and educational offerings. You’ve helped us achieve and exceed the goals we set in our strategic plan, and you have been faithful to the mission of delivering safe and trusted health care. For those things, and for things too numerous to mention, I will be forever grateful.
But, being thankful for things in November does not mean our work is done. There is still work to be done on our strategic plan and preparation for 2026. There are also plenty of things to be excited about during the rest of 2025, and beyond. We recently kicked off the ASHRM Virtual Conference, during November 5-7, which is available online through December 8th. For those of you who could not attend the in-person conference in September, this is great opportunity to catch the highlights and still get your continuing education credits. For those of you who attended the in-person conference, the virtual conference is included in your registration, so you can earn extra CEUs by attending the virtual conference, too! We also have great webinars on topics such as the business case for workplace risk, service animals and obstetric risk.
We also have our new member virtual meet up on November 13th. Be sure to check out the ASHRM website for details on all of these great offerings.
Finally, this is the final column that I get to write as the 2025 ASHRM President. I’d like to say what an honor it has been to serve ASHRM in this capacity and that you have entrusted me with this role is the thing for which I am most thankful.
Happy Holidays!