Crowne Plaza Hotel, Springfield, Illinois

Greetings and welcome to the 16th Annual Illinois Emergency Management Conference. Your presence and participation this week demonstrates your continued commitment to the service of others and for that I extend my sincere gratitude. With a record conference registration of nearly 1,300 in 2011, Illinois continues to make strides as the premier state in the country for multi-disciplinary and multi-jurisdictional cooperation. The credit for this incredible accomplishment lies in your hands, as you are the ones who make the daily effort to work together, no matter the circumstances, to keep the people of your communities safe. The past twelve months have certainly been a busy and challenging time for everyone, from the tragic tornado in Harrisburg and Ridgway to the unprecedented NATO summit in Chicago. These events have tested our resolve but you have all demonstrated once again why you are worthy of the responsibilities that have been bestowed upon you. Abraham Lincoln once said, "If you give me six hours to chop down a tree, I will spend the first four sharpening the ax." This embodies what our professions are all about; it is the time we spend preparing for the worst that makes us so effective when the time comes. I ask that you take advantage of the opportunity to meet and talk to your peers and colleagues. Take the time to share the lessons you have learned and listen to others as we work to improve our best practices to ensure that we are even more ready to serve tomorrow than we are today. Many people have worked hard to bring the best and most informative speakers to talk to you about issues that are timely, relevant and give you something tangible to implement in your communities. Their experiences are born of the most extreme circumstances and I have no doubt that you will be as intrigued by their stories as I am. However, the most valuable exchange comes from the time you spend sharing ideas with one another. The combined knowledge of the attendees at this conference cannot be quantified, and for this reason I encourage you to share what you have learned for the betterment of all of us. Additionally, help us by providing the feedback we need to make the conference better. After all, this conference is for you. Thank you again for everything you have done and most importantly everything we hope you never have to do. Stay safe. Sincerely, Jonathon E. Monken, Director