ARTICLE
It’s hard to believe, but Chiro Texpo ’25 is just a few days away, and with that, it will conclude my year as your TCA President. I will deliver my President’s Address at the President’s Gala, but for those of you who aren’t attending our state convention next weekend in Frisco, this is my final opportunity to communicate with you. I only have one ask. If you’re not signed up for Chiro Texpo ’25, I want to personally invite you to attend. There are so many reasons to join us in Frisco – world-class speakers, sessions to help you revamp your marketing and build a stronger practice, and exciting vendors in the Texpo Exhibit Hall and Partners Plaza. If you are a new DC or a chiropractic student, you don’t want to miss the Next Gen Summit and Career Fair. For me, Chiro Texpo feels like a reunion, allowing me to reconnect with longtime friends and make new ones. That is what makes Chiro Texpo so special, and you can’t experience that feeling from a virtual seminar or a Zoom meeting! One other thing to contemplate: by attending Chiro Texpo, you directly help TCA get the resources it needs to protect, promote and preserve chiropractic in Texas. Register today! The rest of my message is about gratitude, singling out those who have helped me during my journey as a TCA Executive Officer and leader in the profession and who made my year as TCA President so enjoyable. My thank you list includes: My fellow TCA Executive Officers – A big thank you to Dr. Don White and Dr. Andrew Oteo, who served next to me as TCA Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer, respectively. You are my chiropractic brothers, and I will cherish the time we spent together. TCA Board of Directors and leadership team – Of the nearly 7,300 licensed Texas chiropractors, only a small percentage are TCA members. Beyond that, less than 50 DCs are leaders at the district and state levels. As usual, a handful of DCs carry the load for an entire profession. I want to acknowledge our State Directors who represent our 12 districts on the TCA Board of Directors; you represent your peers so well and do a fine job providing the vision and oversight to keep TCA running smoothly. Additionally, I want to acknowledge our Department Coordinators and Committee Chairs, who put in the hard work behind the scenes to advance our association’s strategic goals. Our incredible legislative team – The 89th Texas Legislative Session is in the books, and our Legislative Affairs Committee, chaired by Dr. Korey Rose (our incoming TCA Secretary/Treasurer), collaborated well with our lobby team from Statecraft. We started the process for this session in early 2024 and this group was relentless in pushing TCA’s offensive-minded legislative agenda. There were many ups and downs, but we got two bills passed through the Senate and House and, more importantly, helped kill SB 30, which would have gutted personal injury in Texas as we know it. Awesome job, everyone! Our friends in Texas and outside the state – TCA is blessed to have the support of both Texas chiropractic colleges – Parker University and Texas Chiropractic College. A big thank you to Parker President Dr. Bill Morgan, TCC President Dr. Sandra Hughes, and the awesome teams at both institutions. We also have dozens of companies that consistently support our association as TCA Official Partners and Affiliate Members, in addition to exhibitors and sponsors at our conferences and events. We could not do it without you! I also want to single out Johnathan Silva with TCA Platinum Partner J.D. Silva & Associates, which sponsored our TCA Tour of Texas across the state as well as other events throughout the year. We appreciate you! The entire TCA community – Thank you to our members, contributors to the Chiropractic Development Initiative (CDI) and TCA Political Action Committee (TCA-PAC), and everyone who attended TCA Legislative Day or a TCA state or district event over the past year! I want to conclude my message by thanking my wonderful family, especially my wife, Gerri, and our three sons, Ryan, Raegan and Reed. You have sacrificed so much during my decades as a TCA leader and the past three years as a TCA Executive Officer. I would not have tackled this challenge without you in my corner. And thank you to my long-time associates, Dr. Jon Blackwell and Dr. Jeremy Raef, and our team at Precision Chiropractic in Amarillo. You held down the fort, allowing me to serve in this important role. If I missed anyone, I promise to thank you in person at Chiro Texpo ’25. Look forward to seeing you and celebrating a memorable year for chiropractic in Texas! Sincerely, J. Todd Whitehead, DC TCA President