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Dear ARS Network,
 2004 has been a great year for ARS. Our network has doubled over the past year; we currently have stewards representing over 200 regions. We have been fortunate enough to meet many of you through our Forums, Gardner Academies, and other events around the country.
We held two exciting forums this year; May saw us in Austin, Texas, where the theme was Propelling the Regional Agenda: The Role of CEOs; we met in Salt Lake City in November to discuss Selling the Vision, Creating the Reality.
We engaged in a number of Gardner Academies this year. In Long Island, we have been working with the Rauch Foundation to complete the second year of the Long Island Index. In Oklahoma City, we assisted the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce in developing a plan to grow and develop regional talent. In New Orleans, we are working to develop strategies to improve the region's performance in key issue areas, to be identified through an indicator analysis.
We released two monographs this year, both highlighted in November's newsletter. Monograph #8, Toward a Vision of the Livable Community and Monograph #9, Regional Business Civic Organizations: Creating New Agendas for Metropolitan Competitiveness can both be found on the ARS website at regionalstewardship.org/publications.html.
As we look forward towards 2005, we are very excited about a number of new initiatives. In January, we will officially roll out RegionLink, our new resource for regional practitioners. A blend of a database, a community of practice, a listserv, and the affinity group model, RegionLink will provide individuals and organizations with the opportunity to network and share relevant, meaningful information on issues of mutual interest.
We are also working with communities on our R.S.V.P. project-Regional Stewardship Visitors Program-an exchange among regional stewards to obtain first hand insight on successful multi-sector regional collaboration. The R.S.V.P. program makes use of ARS's extensive leadership/practitioner network to provide intimate knowledge for leaders facing critical problems by matching them with regions that have successfully encountered similar challenges. ARS custom designs the R.S.V.P. trips to provide relevant and useful insights to the visiting leaders.
In May 2005, our National Forum will take place in Washington, D.C. This Forum will address the theme The Next Generation in Collaboration-Linking Economic and Social Issues, and will focus on how collaboration, once reached, can address economic and social conditions of the region. The Fall 2005 Forum will take place in Louisville, Kentucky, November 9-11. The focus of this forum will be on how public services can be improved or made more efficient through service sharing, consolidation, and mergers.
2005 promises to be an exciting year for ARS, and we are looking forward to working with you and learning from you. More importantly, we are also here to serve. If we can be of any assistance to you as you pursue your own regional initiatives, I hope you will not hesitate to let us know.
It has been a true pleasure to serve as the ARS Board chair. I would like to thank the ARS staff and Board of Directors for their remarkable dedication and vision over the past two years. I am delighted that George Vradenburg has agreed to serve as the new Board Chair, and I look forward to continuing on the Board and learning how to grow our movement.
Wishing you all a very Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. See you in 2005!
Cheers,
Chris Chadwick
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