It was my first visit to Mexico. Having the opportunity to visit our neighbor to the south for the winter meeting of your Board of Directors was exciting and productive. The Board met at a time of modest growth (particularly of professional memberships) and in an atmosphere of fiscal and organizational stability. It also came at a time of mourning for Luke Lukens and gave us all the opportunity to share in Bonnie’s grief at his passing and to help her to begin a healing process. We began the meeting with personal reflections and tributes to his gentle strength and continued to feel his spirit throughout our time together. It seemed fitting that we dedicate our efforts at the meeting to continuing the growth and development of AHP that had been such a focus of his life. The Luke Lukens Memorial Fund has reached its first milestone by achieving the goal Luke had set in June of $5000 in matching donations by members to the same amount contributed by Board members. In his honor, we continue to invite members to contribute to AHP’s future. During the meeting, your Board received reports on the development of several exciting projects and continuing development of our member resources:
 

1. An  AHP Press has long been a dream of many of our members. Under the  strong leadership of Perspective Editor Kathleen Erickson, who  serves as president of the AHP Press Board, it has at last become a reality.  Organized as a separate not-for-profit corporation, the Press expects to  publish four diverse books during its first year, each one authored by an AHP  member and each one reflecting our humanistic philosophy and values. As the  Press matures, we can anticipate it both enhancing AHP’s international  reputation and contributing to our long-range financial health.  
   

1. The  Archive Project is moving ahead with efficiency and effectiveness.  Under the leadership of Board member  Deb Oberg, the project involves scanning and cataloging all back issues (1963  to present) of the AHP Perspective  with the intent to make them available for all members and for carrying out  research into humanistic values and therapeutic approaches. All back issues up  to 1978 have been scanned and will be prepared for searching and studying. The  project goes on.
   

3.      Final arrangements are under way for our Annual Conference, to be held again at California State University Northridge, under the direction of Board member Stan Charnofsky. The conference, scheduled for June 10–12, has the theme “Opening Hearts: Seeking Peace in a Chaotic World” and will keynote Gerald Corey on the subject of  spirituality in therapy. The 2005 annual AHP membership meeting will be held during the conference and the summer Board meeting will follow.

1. Our  web site ahpweb.org continues to flourish under the coordination of  John Harnish with more than three million hits in the last year and with clear  and growing interest in the resources our site provides. Of most interest to  visitors is information about the Journal of Humanistic Psychology.  This will lead us to give the JHP more prominence on the site.  In addition, a web design and development team under John’s direction will  guide a redesign of the site in the coming year. We expect ahpweb.org  to continue to grow in importance as a vehicle for communication among our  members and with the world.
   

Major policy discussions and decisions made up the Board’s primary activities during the meetings. Prominent among these were a) clarifications of our Board structure and function, b) reorganization of our strategy to serve our international constituencies, and c) continuation of our deep examination of AHP’s long-range vision.
 
a) Board Structure and Function. Over the past several years, your Board has devoted major attention to its own organization and function. Long-time Board members and others close to AHP have given generously of their time and energy. It had become clear that changes of professional situation, health concern, and just plain burnout were making it difficult for some members to fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities of attendance and participation over very long terms of office. Yet, these same members continued to express interest in and commitment to the success of the Board and of AHP. To remain faithful to our bylaws and yet to allow for gradations of involvement, the Board defined a new status of involvement–Affiliate of the Board–to differentiate those whose connection to the Board remains close but does not involve fiduciary responsibility nor voting rights and other responsibilities. Included in the new status will be Board members whose life circumstances do not permit full participation, Consultants to the Board,  liaisons to sister organizations and functions, and prospective Board members who might eventually become active full Board members. Connected to this new role, but as yet undetermined, is the status of Energy Center representatives. A full review has been undertaken under the direction of Board member Ray Siderius of the energy center concept and how it can be reconciled with the actual functioning of the AHP Board. Once the review is complete, proposal for bylaw changes will be forthcoming for review and vote by the AHP membership.
 
b) International Strategy. For some time it has been apparent that supporting humanistic values around the world is increasing not only in importance but also in intensity. In a world of cultural differences that no longer can be hidden from one another because of global instantaneous communication, we are coming to realize more and more that human sharing, respect for diversity, and the need for sophisticated forms of conflict resolution are the only viable alternatives to terror, war, and incalculable human suffering. Building on years of committed work by Steve Olweean, past president of AHP, who has now embarked on the development of a distinct international network of humanistic organizations, AHP has established a team of members, Board members, and Board affiliates to expand and enhance our efforts to identify individuals worldwide who share our values and to offer AHP as a resource and a communications medium to further their work. The International Team, to be led by John Harnish, will make extensive use of AHP’s web site to identify and support individuals all over the world who seek to espouse and practice humanistic principles.
 
c) Vision. One of our deepest commitments as a Board is to reflect continually on the direction of AHP and to keep examining its vision. Board Member Chip Baggett and AHP member Don Eulert led us in a spirited discussion of our current vision statement, from which emerged a sense that our traditions and roots in the psychology of the human individual may need to serve as a stepping-stone from which we can address broader issues of our societal institutions, cultural and national groups, and the planet itself.
 
We continue as a strong and committed Board serving you, a growing and increasingly diverse membership. Much more happened at the meeting that you will read about on the web site and in later issues of the Perspective.  As I watched our staff and Board members share their views and cooperate to reach important understandings and decisions, I found my confidence in your organizational servants growing and deepening. I invite your comments and questions and look forward to sharing with you our continuing endeavors.

See also AHP PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE, August, 2004
Four Pillars for AHP

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