Letter from IODA President

Only from the heart can you touch the sky

Jalaluddin Mevlana Rumi

 

Dear wonderful IODA members,

 

Let’s talk about all the wonderful ways IODA is connecting and engaging the global OD community!

First of all, we are all very excited about our upcoming conference September 13-15, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey, “Re-birth of Balance: Designing the Life and Work for the New World”. Led by the fabulous Gözde Berber and her team, the IODA Turkey group has been active for years, hosting seminars, dialogue and overall nurturing cutting edge thinking and warm connectivity via social media savviness. We are in for a treat in Istanbul this September! Early bird registration starts shortly so we’ll be back in touch with more information.

We are all still glowing from our conference in Stellenbosch, South Africa last September. We left the conference deeply moved, profoundly inspired and more closely connected. Thank you again to Lucille Greef, Michelle de Bruyn, Nomvula Dlamini, James Eckley and their incredibly talented team.

Our IODA News is now being led by the wonderful Astrid Emond, who has taken the reins from Alette Vonk. We are grateful to Alette for her valuable contribution and thank Astrid and her team for this first newsletter under her leadership!

IODA continues to blossom and grow as an organization thanks to you, its members.   Our vitality comes from each of you – your commitment to making the world a better place and your unique contribution to this vibrant community. Two of our newest members, Gopinath Bloch and Beth Allen have answered the call for how we can increase community engagement between conferences. They created IODA Tapestry which is a fabulous way to get to know members of the community and engage in stimulating dialogue. Read more about this exciting new way to connect in this issue of IODA News.

Finally, if you are already a paid member of IODA, thank you for your support. For those who are not, we invite you to renew your membership now. Your support for IODA is support for the important work being done by OD practitioners to create positive change around the world. We strive to create a truly welcoming, compassionate and diverse world where all voices matter and we can truly be present to one another.

Thank you for being a part of this dynamic global community.

 

– Suzanne Zaldivar