As we round the home stretch of a glorious summer in TMA Nation, all eyes turn to fall and a TMA Annual to be held in Boston, November 1-4, that will dazzle and delight.

Our theme this year, “It Starts with One Connection,” highlights the beginning of a journey that speaks to what it means to be a member of TMA. While that one connection starts with you, from you, the connections you make are the building blocks that create the rewarding experiences that comprise a professional journey through TMA.

Like the one connection that is Marius Dobren, who I met at a Florida Chapter conference in August 2021, when he was not yet a TMA member. Taking me up on my offer of a free 90-day trial membership, Marius today is a TMA member who in less than a year has become a TMA Florida board member, spearheading growth efforts in northern Florida. He is also involved with the Southeast Regional Conference and participated in the TMA Global Strategic Planning workshop we held in Austin, Texas, earlier this year.

Or the one connection that is Daniel Miggins, a new member who I met a year ago in Santa Barbra at the TMA NorCal-SoCal pure networking event and who I challenged to make five connections within a year. Recently, he reached out to remind me of that challenge and to share that he’d made connections up and down the California coast and in New York City, too.

There’s the one connection that is Liz Aboulafia. In the blink of an eye, she joined TMA, rose to become the Long Island TMA Chapter president, and is now on a global trajectory with her nomination to the TMA Global Board of Trustees.

And then there’s the one connection that makes further connections possible, like TMA Philadelphia/Wilmington member Monique DiSabatino, who connected her colleague Katarina Earle with TMA Europe President and TMA Germany Chapter member Eva Ringlespacher. Those two recently had the opportunity to connect in person over lunch at the Old Opera House in Frankfurt, Germany, bridging the gap of many miles and showing the global reach of what connection through TMA means.

These priceless stories are just a few of many thousands that define our organization, the breadth and depth of the power of global connectivity, and how wherever you are in the world, TMA and its members are right there with you, sharing a collective journey of trust, support, friendship, and comprador, TMA bold.

As we journey toward the TMA Annual, we hope to hear your story of how your one connection has made a difference for you.

This year’s TMA Annual offers education, networking, our very special keynote speaker, and the time to be with old friends and new as we connect and celebrate better together in what will undoubtedly be a defining three days of TMA magic.

It starts with one connection, and that one connection starts with you. My one connection started at TMA Long Island so many years ago and took me on a journey through five TMA chapters and on my TMA global volunteer journey too.

Now, four years into my role as CEO of TMA, my one connection made so many years ago affords me the privilege of being connected to a world of amazing professionals 10,000 members strong.

I look forward to celebrating the connections you’ve made with each other and with me as we journey forward and continue to show what it means to be Better Together and TMA Proud.

Scott Y. Stuart, Esq.
TMA Global CEO
sstuart@turnaround.org
@TMA_CEO