2024 marked my first year as president for the Association for Nursing Professional Development. Reflecting back on the year, I'm struck by the strength of the ANPD community. Our association has grown, and together, we have learned from and supported one another. That has been truly special for me to witness. In my role, I participated in virtual affiliate meetings and engaged with our nursing professional development community. While attending gatherings within my home state of North Carolina and beyond, I have appreciated each and every ANPD member who has approached me for selfies or reflections—you have made me feel incredibly welcome. Connecting with members whether virtual or in-person has been a positive experience.

I would like to share several highlights that stand out from 2024. The first aligns with ANPD’s Strategic Goal 2: Membership. Witnessing our membership numbers surpass 8,000—and welcoming over 700 new members in 2024—was a testament to our action steps for growth. Already in 2025, we have hit our goal of reaching 8,500 members! To me, the increase isn’t just a number; it represents growing recognition of the vital role NPD practitioners play in healthcare and the value of connecting with a supportive network.

A second highlight of 2024 is the achievement of providing networking to our members. To nurture engagement and create a supportive network, the Board of Directors took strides to enhance our member experience. The Neighborhood, ANPD’s members-only community where NPD practitioners share ideas, seek advice, and promote the specialty practice, launched in spring 2024. Since its launch, it grew a life of its own by the contributions of engaged members. Daily, supportive conversations, resource sharing, and brainstorming happen—centered on topics such as managing staff, creating fun educational activities, seeking and sharing NPD resources, and so much more. Have you visited The Neighborhood recently? I encourage you to explore the opportunities it holds and become an active participant. It has been inspiring to read about the activities and interactions, and explore the posts from our members nationwide.

A third highlight of 2024 is related to Strategic Goal 1: High Quality Products and Services, with the launch of ANPD’s new learning management platform, the Continuing Education Center. This technological upgrade brought all learning resources into one easy-to-access platform. Our expert NPD team filled this repository with educational offerings and professional development created by content matter experts from our community—such as our 18 webinars, which I always make an effort to attend. This platform also hosted our second Virtual Symposium, a unique offering making programs and experiences accessible for the entire NPD community. It proved to be one of our most successful programs of the year, with over 1400 learners registered. In terms of content that shined at the Virtual Symposium, Theresa McGuire, DNP, MS, RN, NPD-BC, NE-BC, delivered an outstanding presentation titled Strategies to Engage an Asynchronous Audience—A Simple Approach, which I am still reflecting on. She provided a document that was useful during her presentation and could serve as a reference for NPD team members within their organizations. The review of the domains of learning (psychomotor, affective, and cognitive) along with the discussion on adult learning theory principles was highly beneficial. Her document, which complemented her presentation, was simple and could be a valuable tool for all NPD teams.

In addition to ANPD’s programs and webinars, new offerings like NPD Leadership: Superpower Loading, led by Mandi D. Walker DNP, RN, NPDA-BC, CCRN, NEA-BC, added to the fun and valuable resources available. All these educational opportunities provided NPD practitioners with a wealth of options for nursing continuing professional development contact hours. Plus, dozens of professionals achieved certification thanks to the many virtual, in-person, and asynchronous ANPD Certification Preparation programs and products offered. I give a warm congratulations to all of you!

The processes and hard work of our NPD team at ANPD earned us reaccreditation with distinction as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Commission on Accreditation We are also proud that the ANPD Provider Unit received the ANCC’s 2024 NCPD Premier Award.

This brings me to highlighting the growth related to Strategic Goal 3: Advocate for the NPD Role. One of the places I see ANPD elevating the specialty practice of nursing professional development is through our members—day to day, you are the ones creating proposals, calculating ROI, and speaking up in meetings to demonstrate the value of your NPD team. ANPD is honored to support you in these initiatives through opportunities, community, and our toolbox of continually updated resources. I want to thank those who contributed to the NPD specialty and advocated for the NPD role by authoring valuable articles in the Journal for Nurses in Professional Development and right here on NPD in Motion, and lent their expertise on the NPD Forecast Podcast.

In terms of our advocacy, the ANPD NPD team represented our specialty at conferences throughout the year, including the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses National Teaching Institute and Critical Care Exposition, the Nursing Organizations Alliance Fall Summit, and the ANCC National Magnet Conference. On a personal note, I had the pleasure to represent ANPD at the American Nurses Association Assembly in D.C., where I shared about the important work our members do. I encourage you to revisit the reflection questions I shared after that experience.

Everywhere you look there are opportunities to come together to learn and grow—building a more connected and mentally charged profession. I am excited about gathering with the NPD community at our upcoming Aspire Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, as registration numbers are exceptionally high this year. Additionally, I look forward to starting work on updating our Nursing Professional Development: Scope and Standards of Practice (4^th ed.) (Harper & Maloney, 2022) by recruiting members for the latest edition. I am also eager to collaborate more closely with the Board of Directors as we plan for the future. I'm excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. We have a strong foundation, a vibrant community, and a shared commitment to excellence. Let's continue to learn, grow, and advocate for our profession.