BFU-USA

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Office of the National President, BFU-USA

Helmetta, NJ

BFU-USA National President’s Inaugural Address to the Union

Dear BFU-USA Family,

Thank you for answering the call of the “Power of One” by entrusting us with our dear Union. We are humbled and honored in the confidence you placed in us.  We hope to live up to your expectations; and NEED YOU on this journey.

Our profound appreciation goes to the outgoing National Executive (NE) for their contributions to our beloved Union.  Under the leadership of Dr. Michael Tume, they spearheadedinitiatives such as the creation of Policies and Procedures, theNational Convention Committee, to name a few.  This task was in an effort to standardize BFU’s processes, activities and reporting practices.

By accepting the baton, our ten year vision is for BFU-USA to be a key influencer and advocate for our communities in Bui Division and the United States of America, specifically in the areas of the Health, Education and Culture. Our team commits to efficiently use these two years to implement sustainable initiatives and structures that significantly move our Uniontoward this vision. It is to this regard that it brings me great pleasure to introduce to you BFU-USA’s 2009-2011 National Executive (which I fondly refer to as “Team Power of One”). Team Power of One comprises of:

We are off to a marathon start. We held two conference calls to date, the objective of the first was to get acquainted with each other, and that of the second (with the Outgoing NE) was to ensure a seamless transition of office.  There are two clarifications I must make.  First, please note that we are yet tofill the Office of National Coordinator for Culture; an update will be provided once this task is complete.  Second, we recognized an immediate need for our Union to adopt a comprehensive approach to Information and Communications Management (I&C).  To this end, we created an Ad-hoc Office within the National Executive titled National Information and Communications Adviser. Mr. Shang agreed to serve in this position (and we are grateful). In this capacity, he will alsohead the Technology Committee and provide expertise/recommendations on the appropriate I&C channels for BFU-USA.  Please join me in congratulating Team Power of ONE; I am indebted to this team.

As promised during our campaign we will keep our lines of communication open.  We begin by sharing our immediate next steps. It is imperative that we accomplish the items below by August 31st, 2009.

Please look forward to our first in a series of Presidential Town Hall Teleconference meetings beginning September 2009.  We want to hear YOUR voices outside of E-mail – we know Washington D.C. sounds a little different from New Jersey; which sounds a tiny bit different from Georgia; which is a smidgen different from our Central time zone sisters in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Minnesota, and soon to be Ohio; which are a piano key different from our far (but near) brothers in Seattle and Northern California – WE MUST hear from YOU ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )!!!!

Lastly, I would like to specially THANK our Chapter Presidents, the leaders of the Union.  We will hold a conference call with all Chapter Presidents in the near future.

Family, we are confident that with YOU, and under the leadership of this results-oriented National Executive, our combined energies will excel BFU-USA in its focus and expand BFU-USA in its dimensions.

Best Regards,

Tarbinlam Lafon
National President, BFU-USA
For and On Behalf of the National Executive, BFU-USA