Texas Young Republican Federation Executive Board & Members,
What a great year! When you gave me the honor to serve you as Chair last August I identified core objectives for my chairmanship in leading this organization: 1) improved relationship with the Republican Party of Texas / SREC by attending quarterly meetings and presenting “deliverables” – a tangible TYRF work product; 2) creating a new TYRF website; 3) improving TYRF communications through Chairman Updates, press releases, policy statements, monthly conference calls, and agendas for board meetings sent out two weeks prior; 4) fundraising – to work with the finance director to insure that funds would be raised for leadership seminar and YRNF National Convention (funds were also raised for spring service project / Hispanic outreach); and 5) club development – to hold board meetings in areas of the state where we had never had board meetings to encourage clubs and to work in areas like south and southwest Texas to promote TYRF growth.
I want to say a very heartfelt and emotional “THANK YOU” to my Executive Board – elected officers, club presidents, and appointed officers, for helping to meet ALL of my objectives. I know many of you have already heard me say this, but please allow me the pleasure to say it again – my proudest moment as Chair this year was carrying a shovel and working alongside Texas Young Republicans from 7 Clubs across Texas on the morning of May 21 in Edcouch, Texas in Hidalgo County cleaning street curbs and drainage ditches. I asked you the Sunday after I became your Chair to look to the coming spring and plan a service project and Hispanic outreach to the Rio Grande Valley. Nine months later hearing the Hidalgo County Chair, Javier Villalobos, state, “The service project and outreach that the Texas Young Republicans did here on Saturday is what is needed in our county. Nobody does this. We need more people to come and invest their time and resources here. This was wonderful and was received well by our community” – SUCCESS! Thank you for following my leadership and sharing my vision. In my letter announcing my candidacy for Chair last summer I quoted Mark Twain, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” This year the Texas Young Republican Federation had the opportunity to explore, dream, and discover; and I will never regret one moment being your Chair nor am I disappointed by the things we did – on the contrary, I am so, so very proud!
I am not seeking re-election for the coming year, I feel I’ve completed the objectives I set out for my term. I look forward to another great year for TYRF and serving as your Chairman Emeritus and supporting a new Chair and Executive Board. I hope we continue to raise the bar and set the pace for the conservative cause in Texas and the Nation. Again, thank you for the honor to serve as Chair of the Texas Young Republican Federation.
Pleasure to serve,
Kristy