Each year, the Board of Trustees (BOT) gathers for a three-day retreat to reflect on progress toward achieving the College's Mission and strategic goals. The retreat also provides dedicated time for longer-term planning and thoughtful discussion of opportunities, challenges and potential course corrections to ensure the College remains on track. This year the Board met in New Brunswick, Canada and dedicated specific time for in-depth exploration of two complementary areas: revenue expansion opportunities for the College; and reviewing the results of the 2025 program assessment for cost savings and margin improvement. The Board also discussed membership dues and received an update from the Member Sections Engagement Task Force. Below are three key highlights from the discussions and decisions that will guide ACC's work in the months ahead.

1. Revenue Security: The BOT Revenue Security Task Force, chaired by Public BOT Member Andreas Merkl, MBA, provided an update on the process and parameters being used to assess opportunities for new revenue-generating programs or products offered by the College. The Task Force, working with a team of ACC staff, have taken a comprehensive look at current business lines and assets and identified opportunities for profitable growth, including new customers, new products/services, new business models, new experiences or features, and mergers/acquisitions across four key areas of Data and AI, Clinical Registry Extensions, Education and Credentialing, and Consulting and Services.

   Our next step as the BOT was to build on this work by aligning around key strategic parameters – specifically, our appetite for risk, how new products support our Mission, and our preferred distribution of the product portfolio across customer segments and sectors. Coming out of the retreat, the Task Force plans to evaluate product concepts based on this guidance, with "low-hanging fruit" concepts presented at our October BOT meeting for potential inclusion in 2026 budget planning and a longer-term portfolio presented for BOT consideration in December.

2. Ensuring Member Value: Ensuring the ACC continues to serve as the indispensable professional home for the entire house of cardiology is a critical part of the BOT's role. To that end, the retreat provided an important opportunity to dive deeper into membership trends and analysis and discuss topics ranging from paid vs. unpaid membership, FIT and Early Career engagement, Section involvement and recognition, and more. Coming out of the retreat, teams have been charged with further analysis of conversion rates, member categories, and current recruitment and retention strategies. Continued efforts to grow the pipeline of future members and identify opportunities to engage FIT and Early Career members in the College's activities are also important to growing leadership skills and encouraging long-term involvement with the College and the profession more broadly.

   We will also be working to incorporate the thoughtful and comprehensive recommendations provided by the Member Sections Engagement Task Force collegewide. The goal: to enhance the value, structure and impact of ACC's Member Sections, ensuring continued growth, connection and collaboration. Sections are truly vital communities for fostering mentorship, leadership development, and professional advancement across all career stages, while also amplifying voices, shaping the future of cardiovascular care, and advancing the College's Mission through education, advocacy and innovation.

3. Program Assessment: The Board also reviewed the results of the 2025 Program Assessment performed by the Program Assessment Workgroup, which comprises members from the College's Finance Committee and other Major Operating Committees. The Workgroup reviewed 86 ACC programs and identified opportunities for sunsetting, reductions in costs, or program areas where the College should improve margin performance.

In addition to these three key areas of focus, BOT members engaged in a "blue sky" discussion around clinical guidance at the point of care, one of the College's major initiatives. Specifically, we focused on ACC's role in providing clinicians with information at the point of care and emerging strategies that could help address these needs. As an aside, the College recently released two new clinical guidance reports, including the much-awaited 2025 High Blood Pressure Guideline and a Concise Clinical Guidance statement on the evaluation and management of pericarditis.

We also approved our 45th International Chapter in Nepal and heard an update on potential paths forward following the American Board of Medical Specialties decision to deny the creation of the new "American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine (ABCVM)." The ABCVM, as a distinctly separate entity from the ACC and four other collaborating cardiovascular societies, continues to think through and engage in discussions around partner opportunities and other business models. In the meantime, the ACC continues to offer cardiologists the Collaborative Maintenance Pathway (CMP) as an option for maintaining certification through the American Board of Internal Medicine. The first of two Performance Assessment Windows for the CMP will take place starting the week of Sept. 13 for those using CathSAP, HFSAP and EPSAP. The first window for ACCSAP opens Oct. 11. (Learn more about the assessment dates.)

We also participated in a thought-provoking conversation led by Michael Eisner, former CEO of Walt Disney, that underscored the importance of transparency, strategy, diversity and risk-taking in leadership. As leaders entrusted with advancing the College's Strategic Plan while navigating a landscape of constant change and innovation, his message was both timely and resonant.

I'll close with this reminder from Eisner: "When you're trying to create things that are new, you have to be prepared to be on the edge of risk." Thank you all for your continued commitment to the College and to our profession.May we continue to lead with courage, clarity and a commitment to shaping a future that reflects our highest aspirations.