It's Wednesday, and by this time in a conference I have beengoing full-throttle for a few days, learning a ton and having ablast. But now I find my energy flagging, my attention wanderingand my feet aching. In fact, it's about the time in a conferencewhen typically many of us may hit the proverbial "wall," right?

Please note I said "typically" we have all hit the wall. Thisyear, in spite of my desire to trade my heels for sneakers and mywishing for a longer attention span, I am powering through torecognize all the great benefits this year's conference has brought— new perspectives from my colleagues in different disciplines,tips on easily incorporating social media into my business life,and insights into ways an ERM program might help evaluate andmitigate risk more effectively. I especially identified with the"notice, lead and disrupt" message from this morning's keynotespeaker, and I definitely understand why this year's IASA PresidentLouise Ziemann choose knowledge and innovation "@ work" for hertheme!

However, there is another reason I am feeling especiallyinspired on this particular Wednesday (I'll admit, for somewhatselfish reasons). As many of you may know, I am the incoming IASAPresident for the association's 2013-2014 fiscal year. What doesthat mean exactly? In the coming months, I have the opportunity toinfluence and direct the initiatives undertaken by IASA in an evengreater way than in my time as a volunteer over the past 15-plusyears.

In my view, it's time to give back. My time volunteering withIASA has provided me with a deep network of friends and colleagueson whom I can call for assistance or information. It has made me abetter manager and heightened my overall knowledge of insurance byenabling me to get a bird's eye view of other individuals' andcompanies' best practices, and bring that thought leadership backto my day job. It has made me a more well-rounded individual andemployee by allowing me to participate in and lead projects whichare not my typical professional fare. I mean seriously,how many CPAs get the opportunity to direct an entire marketingcampaign for an organization that will appear in mainstreamindustry trade publications?

The opportunity to extend your networks and learns new skillsare among the benefits that you can realize from volunteering forIASA. And while my voice was one among many, I truly value therespect with which my opinion has been considered and incorporatedon so many occasions. In the coming year, my goal is to try toenhance areas of the association which are already providingbenefits to members and associate members, and to grow those thatare just getting off the ground, such as e-Learning and our socialmedia strategies.

I am looking forward to taking you on a journey of discovery inthe coming year. The things you discover will be unique andpersonal depending on your perspective and professional discipline,but the collective lasting impression I want you to take is one ofpositive, forward motion…in your career, and in your personalrelationships. At the end of the day (or the year as the case maybe), I want you to be impressed with whoyou've met and what you've learned,inspired to continue your volunteerefforts for IASA, and ignited to achievethings you didn't think you could.

And that's exactly why I chose that as our theme for 2014:Impress. Inspire. Ignite. For me, it's more than the theme for nextyear's conference in Indianapolis, it's a mantra, and it's the wayI have always tried to approach challenges in my life and career.So, this Wednesday, I hope you will join me in taking awell-deserved few relaxing minutes to reflect on what has been afantastic conference experience here in Washington D.C., before weall head home with ideas about how to jump start another year.

If you have specific ideas about areas of the association youfeel are underserved, educational content that needs focus ordevelopment, or initiatives which IASA has yet to undertake, reachout to me ASAP. I am looking forward to collaborating with all ofyou in the coming year.

Beth Mercier is Vice President, Personal Lines, Travelers.She can be reached for further comment or information via emailat [email protected].