ARTICLE
Thanksgiving is just a few days away – the perfect time to count my blessings and give thanks to those in the Texas chiropractic community. Early November marked my fifth anniversary as Executive Director for the Texas Chiropractic Association, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve this magnificent profession, which is the best-kept secret in health care today. In my position as TCA’s chief executive, I feel I am always asking for something. “Please become a TCA member, contribute to the Chiropractic Development Initiative (CDI) and/or TCA Political Action Committee (TCA PAC), attend such-and-such conference, fundraiser or special event,” etc. This week I want to talk about what I’m thankful for. So, here I go: 1) TCA Executives, Past and Present: I’ve had the privilege of serving under six TCA Presidents – Drs. Jack Albracht, James Welch Jr., Tyce Hergert, Max Vige, Devin Pettiet and now Chad Carpenter – plus our current Vice President Dr. Mo Jahadi and Secretary/Treasurer Dr. Alayna Pagnani-Gendron. If you’ve ever spoken to any of these doctors, they’re all distinctly different, but they share two things: a love for chiropractic and unwavering commitment to TCA. In their service to the association, they give up precious time away from their families and practices. I say this not to dissuade the next generation of TCA execs from stepping up, but to acknowledge their predecessors’ sacrifice. The inside joke is the execs spend more time with the ED than their spouses; it’s only partially true… sorry about that! 2) TCA Board of Directors: TCA is a volunteer organization comprised of 12 districts across the state. Each district is run by a State Director elected by their peers. It’s the State Director’s responsibility to organize meetings, recruit and motivate members and volunteers, and represent their part of the state on the Board. We thank these devoted men and women, both current and past Board members, who cared enough to serve! 3) Chiropractic Colleges: If TCA is the guardian of Texas chiropractic, we are fortunate to have two other partners who are equally committed to the future of the profession. It starts with the two presidents of our Texas chiropractic colleges. A big thank you to Texas Chiropractic College’s Dr. Stephen Foster, who always answers the call when TCA needs him. And it’s impossible to ignore what Dr. Bill Morgan has achieved at Parker University since he arrived in Texas in 2016; he made a promise to make Parker “a TCA school” and he’s delivered in every way possible. Thank you to the leaders of both colleges and your amazing faculty, staff, students and alumni. 4) TCA Partners – The corporate community has rallied around TCA and provided unwavering support. The list of TCA Sponsors, Affinity Partners and Affiliate Members has grown every year, and we appreciate these companies for sponsoring and exhibiting at all of our conferences, events and district meetings. We could not do what we do without you! 5) TCA Members: In Texas chiropractic, a small portion of our community is shouldering the load – and we appreciate you. We thank you for being a member, encouraging your colleagues to join, donating when we ask, showing up in massive numbers at the capital on TCA Legislative Day, contacting your elected officials when prompted and so on. TCA members are the VERY best of our profession, no doubt. 6) TCA Staff: As the leader of TCA, I get far too much credit when things go well. I am only as effective as the team surrounding me. A warm thank you to our impeccable staff – Janet Asghar, Andrea Howard and Tyler Pointer. And the same applies to our “unofficial” staff – our lobbyists, Josh Massingill and Kaden Norton of StateCraft – who represent all of us with passion and professionalism every day in Austin. Of course, there are many others to acknowledge and I truly apologize if you aren’t mentioned by name in this space. TCA is an army of chiropractic warriors, all of us pulling together to make chiropractic stronger in the Lone Star State. We’re just getting started! Enjoy Thanksgiving with your family and friends! Jeff Jenkins, CAE TCA Executive Director