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2006 Conference Photo Gallery
ERICSA’s 43rd Annual Training Conference
April 23 - 27, 2006
Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort, Florida
"Rays of Hope: Brightening the Lives of Children"
May 26, 2006
2006 Conference Wrap-up
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Wow! The 43rd Annual ERICSA Training Conference and Exposition ended last week in Clearwater Beach, Florida, and
what a wonderful conference it was. With an attendance of about 430, this conference was one of the best
attended in some time. Those who attended enjoyed a tremendous program, beginning with opening welcomes from
Lillie Bogan, IV-D director from Florida, Jim Zingale, executive director of the Florida Department of Revenue,
Frank Hibbard, the mayor of Clearwater, and federal OCSE Commissioner Margot Bean, and ending with an extremely
entertaining and educational mock paternity appellate level trial.
Between Monday morning and Thursday afternoon participants attended plenary sessions featuring Commissioner
Margot Bean who discussed federal initiatives, the ERICSA Interstate and Policy and Legislation committee’s
report on implementation of last year’s initiatives, including a great discussion on future initiatives, a
session on the impact of the recently passed Deficit Reduction Act, and a really excellent motivational session
given by Kathleen Hassan.
Participants also chose from forty-one individual workshops and roundtables on topics from UIFSA to customer
service and arrears management to a session on tapping into Social Security benefits. There was plenty of
opportunity for networking too during the breakfasts and breaks and also during two new Interstate Networking
sessions that provided the opportunity for informal networking in a great atmosphere of hospitality on the
hotel’s beautiful deck.
Topping off the conference, was a wonderful Beach Party on Tuesday, a delicious banquet and dance on Wednesday
and, for the first time, a Silent Auction which raised over $2100 for 'Feed The Children’s' relief program in
the hurricane affected areas of the gulf coast.
This conference could not have happened with out the hard work and dedication of so many people. I want to
especially thank my hard working and patient program committee that included workshop coordinators, session
coordinators and speakers from all over the country and Canada. Their willingness to step up and keep everything
organized and on deadline made my work much easier.
I also owe a big debt of gratitude to our vendor community, without whose generosity and good will, this
conference simply could not have happened.
Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank the Board, and the Executive committee for their many
contributions. To Jeff Ball, whose guidance was indispensable to me this year; to Diane Jordan, whose
diligent work with our vendors makes the conference great; to Coessa Kenny for all of the wonderful and
delicious food and hospitality events, to Anne Bailey, Rosemary O’Neill, Jarnice Johnson and Diane Jordan
for making this first Silent Auction such a success, and to so many others who are too numerous to name here,
for the support and dedication that it takes to plan and put on the high quality conferences for which ERICSA
is so well known.
Thanks for everything and I hope to see everyone next year in Norfolk.
Cyndy Lucas, President
ERICSA
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