Before I talk about what IDPro has accomplished this year and where we are headed in 2018, I simply want to say, “Thank you.” Thank you for supporting each other through engaging discussions on the email list and in Slack. Thank you for meeting each other at events around the world and at your local meetups. Thank you for spreading the word about us. Thank you, for without your support there would be no home for the identity professional. Thank you.

I simply cannot believe that it’s only been 6 months since IDPro was launched. In that time we have:

• grown to over 250 members with 20 corporate members
• collaborated with one another on the listserv as well as in Slack. By the way, I am thrilled to see the number of Slack channels grow – we have nearly 20. I am also glad to see the good natured conversations we are having there: supportive, informative, and slightly irreverent – #random I’m looking at you 
• released our first newsletter and with that a huge thanks to Catherine for writing our first article and a huge thanks to the Editorial Committee for building the newsletter process
• identified over 50 identity-related Meetup groups around the world
• curated a list of identity-related conferences, meetups, and webinars to provide a one-stop shop for what’s happening in the industry

So what does 2018 have instore for us? Our Board met in December (in my dining room) to figure that out. Things that you can look forward to include:

• IDPro-related content at EIC and Identiverse and more. I’d love to see IDPro pre-conference workshops as well. (Let me know if you are interested in helping!.)
• More IDPro-content at meetups around the world
• Enterprise and group membership packages
• Starting the journey towards certifications

But the most important destination for us in 2018 is where you want to go. Where do you want see IDPro at the of 2018? What services are you most interested in? As Founding Members, you can participate in our Advisory Board. When we convene the Advisory Board in 2018 — likely around major identity and security events — we want to talk in more depth about what the organization is today and how you’d like to see it grow tomorrow. But don’t wait for those meetings! Please reach out to me or to any of the other board members with suggestions and feedback.

Lastly, on behalf of the Board, I wish you and your loved ones a very healthy and happy 2018!

Ian