Greetings to all Chesapeake Bay Division of the International Association for Identification members and associates. It is an honor and a privilege to serve as the 62nd President of this incredible division. I want to thank every one of you for your

participation, volunteer work, and contributions during this past conference at

National Harbor. Because of your hard work and dedication, the conference was a

huge success.

It is truly incredible to see just how far this division has come in a few short years. Serving as 3rd Vice President during the pandemic, it was difficult to envision our return to normalcy, let alone in-person conferences. However, through the dedication and innovations of those preceding me, our division came out stronger than I could have ever imagined.

My time with this division has been truly special. Since the beginning, I have always been encouraged to participate by the amazing members of this division. It is because of that support, that I am able to address you now as president. Whether it’s recruiting new members, volunteering on committees, or running for office, I would like to encourage every member and associate to participate in any way they are able. The strength of our division depends on its membership. After meeting so many of you over the years, I am confident when I say that we have the best membership of any

division.

Over the next year, I hope to continue to grow our division, both in membership and outreach. Our 2024 educational conference will be held May 13-15 in Ocean City, Maryland. It is my goal to make this one of the best conferences of 2024. I hope all of you will consider attending and/or presenting at this three-day conference. Until then, please feel free to reach out to me, my door is always open.

See you in Ocean City!

Cheers,

Cory Bartoe

CBD-IAI President