Greetings Gates!
I want to start by thanking everyone for the wonderful feedback I received after hosting my first meeting as your President. I can never say it enough, but I am immensely proud and excited that you have all given me the opportunity to lead and grow our club.
I certainly have big shoes to fill after Phuc’s 10-year presidency, but it is my continued hope that we can make Gates even better and bigger. Like all organizations, greatness comes from its membership! With that in mind, I whole-heartedly encourage more and more members to volunteer at meetings and events (especially our annual show and sale), participate with our speakers, and get out of your comfort zone and interact with your fellow self-proclaimed cactus and succulent “nerds.” One of my big 2024 goals is to not simply attend the shows and sales of our sister clubs, but also their meetings and events. My intention is to have the Gates Cactus and Succulent Society known by other clubs and organizations as a cohesive and important club which serves its community through education, conservation, and fellowship. Obviously, we can not accomplish this with just the Board… so lets get to volunteering by throwing your hat in the ring to help out, socialize with members, and be visible faces in the cactus and succulent community.
I also have exciting news! The Board unanimously voted to appoint Karen Roholt as Treasurer and Tom Perez as a Board member. Please give them a warm welcome. We are now only one Board member away from a full leadership team!
Finally, I look forward to introducing you all to our February speaker, Michiel Pillet. He will be speaking on cactus conservation. This will be Michiel’s first time speaking at Gates.
All my best,
Jeffrey Loew
Gates Cactus and Succulent Society 