It is with great honor that I have been elected as your 38^th American Venous Forum President. I reflect back to when I first attended the AVF meeting in Dana Point, CA in 1999 and presented my basic science work. I was immediately impressed by the people representing the AVF, the organizers of the meeting, the scientific content, the diverse knowledge base from the experts, and the welcoming and kindness by new and senior members. I met wonderful and great mentors and I remember meeting Professor Villavicencio who told me in my early career that the AVF has great potential and the potential will come from its membership. He was a wonderful mentor and person and his message resonates in my welcome message to the AVF membership.

A society is defined by its membership, the leadership, the administrative support, its core values, the mission, the accomplishments, and the dedication to future goals and achievements. The AVF has become a recognized world leader in scientific distribution and providing clinical practice guidelines for clinicians of all backgrounds providing care for patients with chronic venous and lymphatic disorders. I have seen incredible positive change through the quarter century as a member of the AVF and continue to see the excitement, passion, and drive to increasing education, community outreach, partnerships, research, policy, international community engagement, and industry relationships. Each area has a foundation and purpose to provide continued and improved patient care. Our meetings have become integrated with Advanced Practice Professionals, Physicians in Training, Early Career Clinical Practitioners, Medical and Nursing Students, and our Senior Members. Each has a role and is recognized for their contributions, accomplishments, and mentorship. Together we bring a wealth of knowledge that is shared during our plenary sessions, poster session, special sessions, our discussions, and during networking. Our leadership, committees, and administration are the framework to our yearly society operations and direct excellence in our activities through webinars, special meetings for our early career practitioners, newsletter updates, and dedicated sessions to enhance the benefit of educating our membership. As our membership grows so does our commitment to excellence and our future leaders.

A strength in the AVF mission is to provide opportunities to our membership. There are many functions and committees that a member can participate within the AVF. Our leadership stands by for anyone interested to inform and gain insight on committee functions, outreach programs, participation in webinars, and annual meeting opportunities. We encourage your participation and bringing ideas to enhance the AVF Core Values and become engaged in the AVF as we all have unique qualities and experiences that collectively enhance the quality of continued education and patient care. Our AVF Annual Meeting in 2026 will be in Denver Colorado. Our committees and leadership are working diligently to make the AVF 2026 program meet the expectations and educational needs for all members and guests. The program will provide comprehensive plenary sessions for all to gain knowledge and learn from the presentations, group discussions, and audience participation. We encourage every member and non-member to submit their work for abstract submission. Our Education Committee has a number of journal club, special topic sessions, and ask the experts that will be announced throughout the year for all to participate virtually. Our International Committee is working towards having a year of activities with webinars and specialty session which will also be announced, and wonderful International Session planned for our annual meeting. There are many highlights at the AVF 2026 meeting and we invite all to share their knowledge, gain knowledge, ask questions, and learn from each other as there are always differences in how we practice but our goal remains unity as a profession and the best care that we all strive to provide our patients. We are a family and our strength is through the many collaborations and partnership we develop and see to fruition. We look forward to your yearly participation and to attend our AVF 2026 Annual Meeting in Denver Colorado to enjoy the meeting and the beautiful Rocky Mountains and views from the Denver of Pikes Peak, Mount Evans, and Longs Peak.

I am genuinely grateful for your commitment and investment in the AVF and I look forward to meeting as many if not all during the year and next.