From the president: AAA and ASHA presidents: A commitment to dialogue

This spring I attended my first American Academy of Audiology (AAA) AudiologyNOW! convention and had the opportunity to meet with many of my audiology associates. I was especially pleased to meet one of my heroes, Charles Berlin, a professor at the University of South Florida and a true leader in the profession; a new and trusted colleague, Eric Hagberg, president of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology; and fellow volunteer leaders Therese Walden, 2011-2012 AAA president, and Deborah (Deb) Carlson, then president-elect and now 2012-2013 AAA president. I enjoyed the exchange of ideas, information and insights, and Deb and I shared the mutual excitement we felt for our new roles in the year ahead. After this encounter, I invited Deb to co-author this column to continue the discourse between two volunteer leaders dedicated to working collaboratively and to keeping the lines of communication open.