President’s Message

Greetings and salutations to all,
I have returned from one of the best seminars I have ever had the privilege of attending. As many of you know, the Southeast Chapter held it’s annual training seminar, June 22-26, 2008 in Mobile, Alabama. It was by all standards, a very successful seminar. One hundred and forty-seven attendees registered for the seminar. Thirty-seven new members were signed up at the seminar. Subjects taught included serial number restoration, motorcycle identification, tractor truck and trailer identification, electronic identification of vehicles, bait vehicle programs and title fraud. Members in attendance represented every state in the Chapter except for Puerto Rico and West Virginia.

A new Executive Board was voted upon and ratified by the membership. The members of the new Board of Directors are: President, James Cadigan, NICB; First Vice-President, Edward Gesser, Prince Georges County, Maryland Police Department; Second Vice-President, Doug Dunnagan, North Carolina Motor Vehicle/License and Theft Bureau;
Third Vice-President; Sheri Taynor, Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle/DMV; Secretary, Patricia Hester, Tennessee Highway Patrol; Treasurer, Chris McDonold, Baltimore County PD, Maryland. Directors, Dave Dempsey, Paige Green, Lojack for Laptops; Rick Redd, Marietta, Ga PD; Chris Spranger, State Farm, Bert Turner, Knoxville, TN, PD; Frank Wins, Virginia Beach, Va PD; Web Site Coordinator, Bobby Brantley, Warner Robbins, Ga PD.

The Southeast’s 2009 Seminar is slated for June 21-25, 2009 at the Clarion Hotel, Columbia, SC. Room rate for the conference will be $108 a night. The On-Site Program Chairman is Doug Dunnagan, NC DMV (contact dfdunnagan@ncdot.gov ,office number 919-861-3144). The On-Site Committee Chairman is Captain Thomas H. Dotson, Columbia, SC,PD(contact: thdodson@columbiasc.net , office number 803-545-3529)

A registration form for this conference will be on the SE Chapter website within the next few weeks.

I am very excited to be your President. I have been around IAATI for more years than I like to admit, but throughout all of that time, whenever I came to a SE Chapter function, I always felt like I was coming home. You have voted in an Excellent Board. Doug Dunnagan has already taken several steps to ensure that next year’s seminar in Columbia, SC will be the best ever. This Chapter is truly blessed to have such a hard worker in the Second VP slot. Speaking of blessings, I want to take this opportunity to personally thank our 3rd VP, Ms. Sheri Taynor for all the work she did for our Mobile seminar. She stepped up to the plate when things were confused and did a terrific job putting things back on track. Thanks Sheri for a wonderful job.

While I am handing out thanks, I would like to thank our immediate Past President, Todd Blair for all of his hard work this past year. He was the calm in the middle of the storm and things all fell into place. He is a hard worker and I thank him for all of the work he did for the SE Chapter last year.

Last, but not least, special kudos go to our Treasurer, Chris McDonold, who is filling in for me, representing our Chapter at the International Seminar in Sydney, Australia next month. Work constraints restrained my travel this year and Chris was kind enough to volunteer for the job.

I am looking forward to a great year serving the needs of the membership. If you have any questions at all, Please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

President,

Jim Cadigan