Greetings and Happy 2024! In this inaugural “President’s Corner,” I would like to introduce you to the 2024/2025 LAI International leadership team and highlight some important initiatives. A new slate of officers, directors, trustees and Board members was ushered in during our business meetings in Barcelona in the Fall. (Click here for a brief roster of the leadership team — bios and head shots). I am honored to continue working with the incredibly talented and dedicated thought-leaders and professionals who make up our LAI International Board of Directors and Land Economics Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Kudos to the out-going board members whose engagement and contribution have lifted the organization to new levels of service. And cheers to the incoming executive team members who have hit the ground running!
With the new year, we also welcome, with gratitude, new chapter presidents who are stepping into top leadership roles in many of our 29 chapters. (https://www.lai.org/chapters). Collectively, the chapter presidents and their boards deliver hundreds of programs annually that keep members connected to real estate trends, cutting edge sustainability practices, and local development projects. The LAI website—lai.org--Calendar (https://www.lai.org/events/upcoming) tracks and posts upcoming programs that are offered through global initiatives and chapter-level. Many are offered virtually and free of cost to all members.
In 2024, the Board of Governors is advancing an exciting array of initiatives that will lead to a greater sense of professional enrichment by members through thought-provoking and practical programming, cross-chapter connections and regional market resources, and an accessible platform for sharing professional achievements and insights. Many of these initiatives are driven by LAI’s adopted new Strategic Plan and action items which may be viewed here (https://www.lai.org/sites/default/files/docs/2023-27_lai_strategic_plan.pdf). In the next “President’s Corner,” I will share a closer look at our progress on the priority action items. Cheers to my predecessors Dr. Sheila Harris and Gary Leach for updating LAI’s Strategic Plan with input from across the organization and chapters.
One of my personal goals is to elevate awareness and dissemination of published work by our members across the globe. There is a plethora of information authored by our members, and we are discussing possible new ways to amplify that information and make it available to members. I would like to hear from you if you have recently published work, e-mail me at kingkathline@outlook.com.
In the meantime, you can go to - https://www.lai.org/resources/members-publishing to review our current listings.
As I step into my new role as International President, I would like to take this opportunity to share a little bit about my perspective on LAI. I am a proud member of the Los Angeles chapter since 2007, although I was first initiated into LAI in the Ely (now Chicago Region) chapter about ten years prior. My sponsor, Richard Rauch, a local developer, recognized my work as an urban planner leading the comprehensive planning effort for the redevelopment of the Fort Sheridan Army Base in the Chicagoland area. Mr. Rauch had served LAI as International President in the 1970’s, and I am honored to be able to follow in his footsteps. Our land economics society stands out among other professional associations for the integrity, closeness and respect among colleagues in a wide range of professions. I understood the uniqueness of LAI immediately when the oath I gave included a pledge to civic service—giving back is a fundamental element of our role as members.
Thank you for your membership!
Kathline King
International President
