As the incoming Diversity Section Chair, I felt it necessary to find out what I signed up for. I referenced the previous newsletter (April 2010) and was grateful for Shiriki's orientation to the brief history of the Section. She wrote "Diversity Committee and Section activities have overlapped as the Section evolves to become fully operational. Jose Fernandez, who had been serving as chair of the Task Force, provided leadership of the Committee and Section activities during the transition.  I agreed to assume the combined Committee/Section Chair role for 2008-2010, after which the Section will have its own officers...and begin to function independently of the Diversity Committee."

We are now moving into the next phase of evolution for the fledgling Diversity Section. As of the conclusion of the annual meeting, the Diversity Section will be on its own, so to speak. This is a tremendous opportunity to begin a new chapter in our brief history, continuing to make a significant impact on the Society, and as an extension, the issue that brings us together-obesity. The overall goal of the Section is to represent the interests of individuals of diverse backgrounds (including but not limited to: race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity) at all levels of The Obesity Society - from Council to representation at the annual meeting. As we work collectively to represent our interests throughout TOS, we will need to have a clear and compelling vision, communicate that effectively to all members of the society to create understanding and buy-in, and work consistently to reinforce the interests of the Diversity Section.

Our challenge in creating this clear and compelling vision is that we can dilute our own message if we are not focused in our efforts. Representing the interests of all types of individuals within a growing international organization could have endless possibilities; there are so many layers within research, education, patient care, and advocacy, not to mention the different backgrounds and perspectives we all represent. I believe that one of the ways to accomplish this type of goal is by building the capacity to have a clear and consistent voice at all levels of TOS. With any number of communication tools, we can create a flow of information that allows us to stay up to date with the latest events within TOS to ensure that the Diversity Section provides representation on behalf of our members. I hope that we can begin to explore ways to utilize social networking tools as a means of sharing important developments and rapidly identifying priorities for action. At this year's annual meeting, we will begin this discussion and continue to work on strengthening the network of the Diversity Section using these and other communication strategies. Each member, as a part of that network, will have the responsibility to be spokes in the web that shuttles information to and from the Diversity Section. Joining me in new leadership roles of the Diversity Section are Diane Berry as Chair Elect and Kathryn Kaiser as Secretary/Treasurer.

I look forward to sharing and developing this network with you all.