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ASHA Executive Director updates are provided throughout the year to give ASHA members a more in-depth view of various National Office units. We also include regularly information about staff changes and ASHA National Office recognitions/awards.
Many thanks to those of you who have provided feedback regarding the previous updates or suggestions for future ED updates.
This update focuses on Federal and Political Advocacy.
ASHA's Federal and Political Advocacy team is part of the Government Relations and Public Policy Cluster. The Federal and Political Advocacy team operates out of ASHA's Capitol Hill office and represents ASHA's interests before the United States Congress and federal agencies, except for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). They serve an active role in advancing ASHA's public policy agenda at the federal level.
Congressional Advocacy
Advocacy has been identified as a strategic theme within ASHA's Strategic Pathway to Excellence with a strategic result of organizational and grassroots efforts leading to meaningful progress in the promotion and advancement of the interests of the professionals in human communication and those we serve. To meet this objective, the Federal Team is actively engaging Congress and Federal Agencies on a variety of issues related to both education and health care.
Federal Agency Involvement
The Federal team also actively engages with many federal agencies, including the Department of Education. As a result of this involvement, ASHA is able to provide its members with valuable information on various regulations and policies developed by the agency, especially those related to IDEA. A dedicated IDEA Web site has been developed to assist members with their IDEA questions.
Grassroots
It is important for every member of the association to engage in grassroots advocacy efforts on behalf of the professions. Imagine the impact ASHA could have on Capitol Hill if all of its 135,000 members contacted their Members of Congress. The Federal Team has made it easy for every ASHA member to be a grassroots advocate. ASHA's Take Action site, gives ASHA members the opportunity to use a prepared draft message and email it directly to their Members of Congress. The whole process takes less than 5 minutes.
In addition to the Take Action site, the Federal Team has also initiated a new program this year, called "Grassroots-in-a-Box." Grassroots-in-a-Box is a toolbox of materials that members can use to lobby their Members of Congress locally. Developing personal relationships with Congressional leaders is an important component of advocacy. This resource provides issues briefs, lobbying tips and leave behind materials to assist members in developing crucial relationships with your elected officials. The new initiative makes it easy and fun to educate elected officials about ASHA professions. For more information on campaigning, contact grassroots@asha.org.
Political Action
ASHA's Federal Team also supports the activities of the ASHA-PAC. ASHA's Political Action Committee is an essential component of ASHA's advocacy efforts. The ASHA-PAC allows the organization to make political contributions to Members of Congress that support our public policy agenda. For additional information on the ASHA-PAC, contact Stefanie Reeves at sreeves@asha.org.
ASHA's Federal and Political Advocacy Team
National Office Staff Updates
The following individuals are new to the ASHA staff since February 28, 2009:
- Brad Hankinson, Software Developer
The following individuals have left ASHA to pursue other opportunities:
- Latoya Martin, Administrative Assistant
- Agatha Tomasik, Editoral/Administrative Assistant
- Geoffrey Wessel, Manager, CE Provider Services
The Next Executive Director Update: Health Care Economics Team
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