A slew of thank-you's for jobs well done.

The exchange of endorsement stories that circulated through our listserv the first week of November was certainly a welcome diversion from the daily challenges elections pose for our pages.

But for a fair number of members it seems it was also a column that came in handy, indeed, when all other election-related ideas had been exhausted. Just another benefit of membership in this fine organization. And hardly surprising, I'd say, given the energy and excitement that followed our convention in Pittsburgh.

Our conversations about the future of opinion writing, driven by the results of five years of strategic planning by NCEW board members, engaged convention attendees in a way I've not seen in a while. We will follow up on those conversations in our upcoming board meetings and at our 2007 convention in Kansas City. And we'll make sure the results are shared with the entire membership through new strategies for talking with our publishers, maximizing our roles in our papers and our broadcast stations, new opportunities for regional conferences and professional development, and new growth for NCEW and its Foundation.

Sincere thanks are due a whole slew of folks, but especially past president J.R. Labbe and outgoing NCEW Foundation president Morgan McGinley for helping this organization establish a solid financial base to go with a clear vision for the future. Our challenge is to build on their work and move this organization forward. We have a lot to do.

We need to recognize a responsibility to support our own organization and make the financial commitment necessary to support our Foundation and its fundraising efforts. We need to make a personal commitment to increasing membership: We are individually the best recruiting tools NCEW'S got.

We need to help move forward our strategic plan, creating tool kits for new media innovations in the world of opinion writing, for expanded regional conferences, and for targeted outreach. But we've proven once again we've got the members to meet these goals. NCEW has a deep bench.

It was a joy for Vanessa Gallman and David Holwerk and me to welcome Tom Waseleski to the executive board. Convention attendees did us proud electing Shelley Epstein, Robyn Blumner, and Doug MacEachern to the board. And Doug, having preserved a long tradition of excellence in the role of editor of The Masthead, ensured the continuation of that tradition by recruiting Kate Riley to replace him at the helm of our valuable journal. And we'll not skip a beat in what is one of the most important periods in the history of the NCEW Foundation, as past president John Taylor takes over from Morgan to complete our initial $500,000 fundraising effort, and move us forward from there.

Savvy Masthead readers among you will note J.R. had one less crack at this space than other presidents. Members approved a bylaw change in Pittsburgh adjusting the terms of NCEW board members to begin Monday following the convention to the Monday following the next convention, rather than a calendar-year term of office. The change'll take a little getting used to. Some committee chairs remain open. And the president's "to do" list needs attention a little more quickly now. But in all, thanks to so many of you, we come out of 2006 a stronger, and more focused organization.

We will build on that in the year ahead and, as you will hear many times in the coming months, we will make a compelling case to help us continue our work by joining us in September, 2007 in Kansas City.

NCEW president Neil Heinen is editorial director at WISC-TV, Madison, Wisconson. E-mail nheinen@ wisctv.com