Message from the Board

Now that we are all back home, it is with great appreciation and gratitude that the Board looks back at the annual conference that NAJIT just held in Miami, Florida. Often, it is only during these events that people's commitment, kindness and support are truly appreciated. Once again our membership, our staff and friends came together, with over 225 attendees, and jointly made the Miami meeting a resounding success. The pre-conference workshops were very well attended and extremely fruitful to the presenters and attendees alike. The presentations during the annual conference were interesting and many, like the Haitian Creole Glossary presentation, Brainstorming for the Future, the Independent Contractor and others have sparked ongoing discussions and activities.

After many years of dedication and arduous work, Dagoberto Orrantia formally stepped down as editor-in-chief of Proteus. He has not left the effort completely, but Nancy Festinger is now the editor-in-chief and Dagoberto will continue to collaborate in an advisory capacity. Mirta Vidal, chair of the SSTI Board, announced that a final contract for the development and implementation of NAJIT's credentialing exam is scheduled to be signed in the near future. This is a long-awaited and precedent-setting step in NAJIT's history and exemplifies this organization's commitment to excellence in the field of judicial interpreting and translating. In recognition of this the NAJIT Board voted to make $50,000 available to SSTI as a one time payment towards the future of court interpreting in the United States. After many years of a careful planning and budgeting, NAJIT is now financially able not only to philosophically support the further professionalization of court interpreting but to economically support these efforts. We ask all NAJIT members and supporters to do the same.

The 2001 Educational Conference and Annual Meeting will take place in Chicago. Besides working on next year's conference, the Board has committed itself to developing a program of regional meetings.

The Board also made some other important decisions. Working with our dedicated and irreplaceable Webmaster, a members-only section will be created for the NAJIT Webpage. The existing list serve will continue to be open to all, but other discussion groups will soon require a password. Please stay tuned. The Board also created a new By-Laws Committee to be chaired by Steve Mines. One of the points this committee will be looking into is the viability of expanding the NAJIT Board. Anyone interested in participating in the Committee should contact either Cristina Helmerichs or Steve Mines.

Once again, the Board wishes to thank you all for your commitment to professional excellence and for your active participation and faith in NAJIT.

Cristina Helmerichs D., Chair of the Board
helmerichs@najit.org