Hello and welcome to the 2021-22 TEMPO Racine membership year! As I assume the role of president of the TEMPO Racine Board of Directors, I would like to share my excitement, joy, optimism, and sincere appreciation for this role. Over the coming months, I plan to share information on the organization, upcoming speakers, and more through this monthly column. 

I'd like to begin by asking for your grace and patience as our community continues to navigate the pandemic. The current plan will be to host meetings in-person and inside. When possible, we will host meetings outside and share that information in advance. 

It is my pleasure to welcome our newest members to the Board of Directors. Jessica Safransky-Schacht, communications chair, and Beth Bender, programming chair, have hit the ground running and are off to a great start. I'd like to extend my thanks to Stacy Tapp and Jackie Zach for their years of service to the organization.

Our newest member, Lisa Just, joined TEMPO Racine in September. Ms. Just is the president of South Wisconsin Patient Service Area and president of Aurora Medical Center - Mt. Pleasant for Advocate Aurora Health. She is a long-time community member and has served several community organizations, including as Campaign Cabinet Chair for the United Way of Racine County. Please join me in welcoming Lisa Just! 

This is a friendly reminder that we are always accepting membership nominations from current TEMPO Racine members. The process is simple and begins with a letter from the current member that outlines the nominee's professional accomplishments, educational attainment, community service and leadership through service, and professional or service-related achievements and awards. The letter should be emailed to temporacine@gmail.com. For more information on the process, please visit our Join Us page. 

Our next meeting will be on Thursday, October 14th at Meadowbrook Country Club. A formal invitation will be coming soon. Liz Hanson-Will, Outpatient Mental Health Therapist and Owner at Therapy Solutions, will speak about mental and emotional health coping strategies for the ongoing pandemic life. 

I'd like to end this by saying we'd like to hear from you! Do you have questions about TEMPO Racine or information that you'd like us to share on our social media accounts? Please send it to temporacine@gmail.com. 

Let's get out there and advocate, elevate, and accelerate!

Carolynn Friesch

President, TEMPO Racine