Message from the President
First, thank you to those that nominated me to become the 47th President of UCOWF. I am honored for the opportunity and hope to continue the growth that UCOWF has seen over the last few years. We have made great strides toward increasing our membership, creating a more user-friendly website and member portal, testifying in front of Congress, and continuing our motto of “Let’s Get Talking.” Often it is portrayed that we are attacking the program, but it is the opposite; we want to ensure the integrity of it and make sure it is effectively and efficiently serving those that benefit from it.
To all UCOWF members that attended our most recent Las Vegas National Training, thank you! It was a wonderful turn-out and the feedback for our guests and speakers was remarkable. We had a variety of trainings, coming from Counties, States, and our Federal Government partners, involving everything from case studies to emerging trends to new technology, such as AI and comprehensive case management systems. We have our next two Conference locations planned and hope to see everyone in Tulsa next year, and Pittsburgh the following!
During the Conference, our Board of Directors voted on a few motions that should add value to UCOWF as a whole. While it was decided to remove our Long-Range Planning committee, it was approved to create a President’s Advisory Board. This new board would consist of current and past (but active) Presidents and the Vice President. The mission of this Board is to provide support and ideas to the active President. The President’s Advisory Board will have an annual in-person meeting to discuss the goals of UCOWF and provide guidance to the committees on how we can successfully meet those goals. It will be a meeting of the minds that should result in some great ideas and strategies.
In addition, the Board voted to create a Training Committee. With our new tiered membership, our goal is to promote training even more than we have in the past. This new committee will identify trainings to post for our member portal, as well as facilitate the creation of trainings for members. As UCOWF continues to grow and expand into new areas, we will create and flex committees around to meet those opportunities and challenges.
As President, there are a few goals I hope to accomplish. The highest priority goal is to strengthen our voice by increasing our numbers. Our new Affiliate program (Contributor tier) will align us with other State organizations that have the same goals and vision as us; to educate those in power and make changes toward the betterment of these programs we work with every day. Our Membership Committee will be communicating with those organizations so that we can be one front, united against fraud, waste, and abuse in our safety net programs.
In addition, I will continue supporting our Intergovernmental Committee in the great work that they do. On top of submitting outstanding comments and correspondence that provide UCOWF’s opinion on changes that need to be made toward program integrity, they continue to educate Congress as subject matter experts in the area of welfare fraud. They have worked extremely hard to promote UCOWF and our goals and initiatives, and I could not thank them more for the work they do and will continue to do.
With the new by-laws change to extend presidential terms to two-years, I am excited to see what myself, the Board of Directors, and the Executive Committee can get done for UCOWF during that time. We are all united towards one goal and I welcome ideas, input, and support towards our efforts to defend the integrity of public assistance programs and ensure the responsible use of taxpayer dollars.
Thank you again, and I look forward to working hard with the Board of Directors to continue promoting UCOWF’s message.
Sincerely,