On behalf of the entire Board of Directors and AIFD Staff I would like to thank Theresa Colucci for her leadership, mentorship and friendship during your Presidential year.
You lead with grace and always with the intent of moving the American Institute of Floral Design forward.
I’d also like to thank Jodi McLoed, Michael Derouin, Jenny Thomasson and Ralph Giordano for the incredible symposium! I am grateful for the countless hours you committed to making this a successful experience for all of us.
I am honored to be taking on this role and to work with the board and all of you to continue to strengthen the success of AIFD.
I have belonged to the AIFD family since 1990. Like many families, who live far and wide we only see each other at holidays or in our case once a year at Symposium.
After 30 years I found myself semi-retired and I knew that I had the time and energy to commit to AIFD leadership and to give back to this organization that has been so vitally important in my life.
I am truly humbled and inspired by this amazing team behind me. Our National Board of Directors, our Committee Chairs, our AIFD Foundation CEO and Trustees, and our Executive Directors and Staff, all share the vision and dedication to make the necessary hard decisions to move AIFD forward. And we have!
Last year we partnered with a dedicated, creative, forward-thinking management team who is committed to our success! I thank the task force under the guidance of Tim Farrell who worked diligently to interview and ultimately hire this amazing team.
Each day our management team strives to work on the processes that will make AIFD more efficient, and opportunities to make AIFD more successful and solvent.
Last year the Board of Directors approved new PFDE Evaluation Software based on the needs expressed by the Membership and PFDE Committee. I’d like to thank Terry Godfrey for volunteering and sharing her specific knowledge with this team. I am indeed humbled by the countless hours that went into identifying those needs and writing the code required for this software. This act of selfless dedication does not go unnoticed.
Just a few days ago this new evaluation software was put to the test during the PFDE Evaluation of 102 candidates and was also utilized for the Student Competition.
Our mission statement reads: Advance the Art of Floral Design through Education, Service and Leadership”.
Because we know that we need to ADVANCE AIFD into the future and work on educational opportunities, our BOD under Theresa’s guidance created an Advanced Education Task Force, and Jodi McShan volunteered to be the chair.
I have had the honor and pleasure of working with Jodi, and with amazing educators and mentors such as Hitomi Gilliam, Keith White, Joyce Mason Monheim, Terry Godfrey, Vonda LaFever, Kathy Hillen Rulloda, Janet Gallagher, Marcella Lopex Vallejo, Bill McKinnley and Chris Norwood who have unselfishly shared their expertise.
We have met throughout the year to identify, outline courses and create curriculum for the Advanced Education Program such as Sustainable Floristry, Digital Marketing, Guerilla Marketing, Nomenclature, Advanced Care and Handling, Cost of Goods, Advanced Principles and Elements of Floral Design, Floral Art History, Color Theory, Cultural Sensitivity and so many more.
These affordable courses will be offered as virtual classes, hands on classes, ongoing virtual round table discussions, webinars, and some hybrid formats.
Soon, these classes will be available on our website and will enable you to receive CEU’s and in some cases college credits
Many will be formatted in other languages, all of which were designed for you !
Next year AIFD will celebrate our 60th anniversary!
In celebration, On August 1st, the History Committee with the support of the AIFD Foundation we will kick off a year long series of six floral design competitions called “ Designs of the Decades Floral Competition”.
Each competition will celebrate a decade of AIFD’s history, starting with the 1960’s.
There will be one winner for each of the six competitions and those winners will receive a general registration to Symposium 2025 where they will compete for the “Designs of the Decades Cup” and many fabulous prizes!
Make sure you keep a look out on our AIFD FB page with the links to the competition in the upcoming weeks. Thank you to Lynn Lary McLean and the AIFD Foundation for your support with this competition.
Please thank our Education and Industry Partners for their support and promote them! And promote yourselves! You earned your CFD and AIFD credentials, now is the time to show the public who you are and who AIFD is!
Lastly, I’d like to leave you with one thought. Be Humble and Be Kind. We are all in this together. Inspire others though your kind words and actions. Please thank our AIFD staff, we are a very complicated group with many needs and they are in it to win it!
Please, treat them like you would like to be treated.
I am proud to be a part of this dynamic organization and proud to call each and everyone of you my AIFD Family!
In the words of Tim McGraw: Always stay humble and kind
Laurie Lemek
AIFD National President
