Letter re: 2022 NACAC Conference in Houston

This message was shared with the IACAC Presidents from the TACAC Presidents.

Dear APC Colleagues,

As we witnessed with our 2021 national conference in Seattle, it takes courage to return to in-person events in the wake of the pandemic and our disruptive political environment. We write to share with you an op-ed that NACAC CEO Angel B. Pérez wrote for the American Society of Association Executives. It addresses why NACAC remains committed to hosting its 2022 national conference in Houston, Texas:

Please click here to view the full article. 

NACAC, along with TACAC, has received requests that we move the event out of Texas, with members voicing concern regarding the state’s political leadership that causes harm to marginalized communities. We have been in touch with Angel, and we too share some of these concerns, along with growing frustration about how politics continues to divide the United States. However, NACAC’s mission—to empower college admission and counseling professionals and support them as they try to secure access to higher education for their students—means no less in Houston, Texas than it does in California, Washington D.C., or the United Kingdom.

We extend a special “thank you” to our Houston Local Advisory Council and Texas ACAC colleagues for working closely with NACAC staff to ensure the national conference is truly special. We are grateful for your work!

We encourage you to share this message and op-ed—with your networks and colleagues, and on social media. Further, we also encourage you to save this article.  At some point, as association leaders, you too may be pressured to cancel events, and you may be able to use this as a framework for why “staying the course” is often the right thing to do.  Thank you for all you do to lead your respective affiliates.  Our association members can always count on us to raise our voices and fight for what is right. Our mission will always lead the way.

Best,

Demetra Durham, Texas ACAC President
Marisol M. Scheer, Texas ACAC Past President
Ramon Blakley, Texas ACAC President-elect