Thank you to everyone who attended the 2008 Winter Conference in Grapevine, Texas, Jan. 11 – 16. The attendees heard from speakers such as Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., who keynoted the General Session I on Monday, Jan. 14, and Bob Beckel and Cal Thomas who keynoted the General Session II – Luncheon on Tuesday, Jan. 15. More than 90 workshops and sessions, covering a variety of issues and topics, were planned for attendees.

Both exhibitors and conference attendees enjoyed several events in the exhibit hall. Winners of the Grand Prize Giveaway Game were announced on Tuesday morning, sending Donald Raymond, director of Lansing (Kansas) Correctional Facility’s InnerChange Freedom Initiative, home with a Caribbean cruise for two. The runner-ups were Thomas Torrey, a jail administrator at St. Clair County Jail in Port Huron, Mich., who won a three-day, two-night stay at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Fla., and Robert Ewing, a major at Avoyelles Correctional Center in Cottonport, La., who won two airplane tickets to a future Congress of Correction.

Congratulations again to all the ACA Award winners who were presented awards at the 2008 Winter Conference. Latoya Simmons of Maryland received the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Award, and Anthony Morris of Connecticut received the Medal of Valor Award at Monday’s General Session I. Allen J. Beck, Ph.D., of Washington, D.C., received the Peter P. Lejins Research Award, and the Bill Johnson Correctional Center’s Regimented Treatment Program received the Exemplary Offender Program Award during the General Session II – Luncheon.

Also at this conference, more than 220 agencies and programs received accreditation awards. Again, we thank you for being with us, and we thank the Texas Host Committee for its assistance in ensuring a successful conference.

Now that the 2008 Winter Conference is behind us, we turn our thoughts to the 138th Congress of Correction in New Orleans. Congratulations to Rev. Anthony Bruno of Connecticut and Art Leonardo of New York for being chosen to receive the coveted 2008 E.R. Cass Correctional Achievement Award. This prestigious award will be presented to these deserving individuals at the congress during the E.R. Cass Awards Banquet.

Many of our chapters and affiliates are also holding their annual conferences this spring. We wish them much success.

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