Scalable Growth: How CNS Is Building a Stronger Future for Child Neurology
Summer 2024
By Monique Terrell, CNS Executive Director/CEO
By the time you read this, I will have reached the midpoint of my second year as Executive Director and CEO of the Society. And what a time it has been! There is so much happening and so much opportunity on the horizon. I cannot express how much I appreciate you, our members, and your dedication and commitment to the Society and the child neurology community.
The desire to see growth in several different areas in our organization has struck me. I am committed to ensuring our growth is scalable – thoughtful and careful, while still agile enough to adapt during specific periods. Change can be challenging and surprising, but with that comes tremendous opportunity.
Not everything can happen all at once, and we want to avoid overwhelming the Society to the point of causing unintentional harm. If you approach me, a professional staff member, or a member leader with an idea for change or a new opportunity, know that we recognize your intent to help our Society grow and thrive. We fully support you in that aim, but we will often need additional time or information to consider and potentially implement a new idea.
At this stage of my tenure, I recognize the importance of grace. Grace is valuable and necessary. We must acknowledge that change is inevitable in our present and future times. It is our responsibility to ensure that change and growth occur in a way that promotes the Society’s longevity. Change and growth will unfold over time, and with grace, we dedicate ourselves to being deliberate and considerate about our growth and the change it will require.
It is also important to recognize the centrality of commitment in our future planning. By instituting more formal processes for evaluating and deciding on whether to implement new ideas, we will know in advance whether a new idea (1) aligns with our mission and vision, (2) aligns with our strategic plan, and (3) is one that we can commit resources to over the time needed to launch a new initiative and help it become sustainable.
We have achieved a great deal in a short time:
- We have restructured our governance, allowing members to apply for committee positions more transparently and ensuring a more regular rotation of committee appointments. Information on our new governance structure is now available on the CNS website.
- We have structured our committees more efficiently, enabling us to execute the Board’s strategic vision. This includes our new three-year strategic plan, approved by the Board this past April, which commits to ensuring long-term stability.
- We have extended our member profiles to gain a better understanding of our members from different demographic standpoints.
- We have launched a new corporate partner program, engaging our industry partners more deeply throughout the year, not just at the annual meeting. This has already yielded increased engagement with our industry partners.
- We continue to offer an increased number of webinars and have delivered on our podcast. Our new education center provides more options for continuing medical education to support your professional development.
- We have simplified website processes for junior members moving into active memberships and are seeing increased member engagement in leadership positions and committee applications.
- Our membership numbers with medical students are growing, indicating a strong interest in the specialty.
- We have a sold-out exhibit floor for this year’s annual meeting. Based on your feedback, the evolving scientific program diversifies learning formats and introduces learning tracks.
- We have increased our communication to keep you informed and engaged, including launching our new quarterly update email.
In closing, we strive to create better communication to help our membership stay informed. Please attend the annual business meeting at the annual meeting to receive updates from our president and treasurer or listen to the recordings available on our website if you cannot attend. Our new membership report provides insights into the CNS membership, and CNS Connections Magazine continues to deliver valuable information within each issue.
There is much more to be done, but we are making significant progress. I request your understanding as we strive for deliberate and meaningful evolution over time.
Thank you.