A letter from the new chapter president

Hello friends,

Before anything else, I want to share a big thank you to Shawn Henry, our amazing outgoing President, who is generously stepping back into the role of Treasurer (again). That willingness to keep showing up is no small thing, and this organization benefits greatly from his commitment and institutional knowledge.

Now for my small announcement: I’m stepping back into the role of President of the Board.

Some of you may remember I served as president for two years during the pandemic when events were virtual, pants were optional, and “community” meant zoom trivia. It wasn’t easy, but it felt meaningful and showed me how much this organization matters, especially when things feel uncertain.

Fast forward to right now… the industry is shifting (again). The WORLD is shifting. Attention spans are short, algorithms are rage-inducing, and being a photographer can feel more isolating than ever. Right now, community feels non-negotiable.

And look at what the bigger ASMP community is doing. After ASMP National’s open letter to Adobe regarding their ‘skip the photo shoot’ ad promoting generative AI over photo shoots, Adobe has listened to ASMP, is leading the Content Authenticity Initiative (a consortium of companies and individuals who are leaders in this area of visual imagemaking) with a stated goal of “restoring trust and transparency in the age of AI,” and is providing a custom set of benefits exclusively for ASMP & NANPA Members. (Log in to your account and go to the Adobe page in the Member Benefits Hub). 

Back to our chapter….I’m especially grateful to be stepping into this year alongside an incredible board. Thank you to the current and amazing team: Angela Rowlings, Fred Levy, Duncan Wilder Johnson, Colgan Johnson, Chris Deheny, Elizabeth Friar, and of course Shawn Henry. 

And if you’ve been meaning to re-engage, get involved, or raise your hand in some small (or big) way, consider this your nudge. We want more voices, more perspectives, more hands helping shape what this organization can be. The goal isn’t just to exist, but to be active, welcoming, and worth showing up for while we focus on building strong, genuinely useful programming. 

This organization is only as good as the people who participate — and luckily, that’s always been our strength. 

Thanks for being here, for sticking around, and for caring about each other in a time when it matters more than ever. I’m really looking forward to what we build together this year.

Thank you!

Kelly Davidson