WELCOME TO MAC DISPATCH

Welcome to MAC Dispatch.

Nearly ten months ago I joined MAC as its first Executive Director. Soon after that, COVID-19 changed lives the world over. Plans and goals first imagined at the start of the year took a back seat to ensure we were ready to be adaptive to a rapidly changing environment and an uncertain future.

2020 provided MAC with an opportunity that we are committed not to squander. We questioned everything in the context of furthering MAC’s mission and meeting the needs of our members. We re-evaluated our systems, our policies, our practices, and the value we deliver. We created a new plan of action aligned to our mission and designed to both tackle our deficiencies and leverage our greatest strengths. This month, we had the opportunity to highlight some of what is coming as we shift toward implementing the first part of that plan.

Last week, many of you participated in the Virtual Regional—our first virtual event, which was phenomenally successful across many measures. The success was made possible by you, your colleagues, and industry supporters who all believe in the MAC community, its mission, and the importance of all its members. We plan to further kick things up a notch with upcoming events in March and July of 2021, and we invite you to watch our website (www.macmember.org) for more information about those events and other coming member benefits.

Today, we are excited to deliver to you our first issue of MAC Dispatch. This is a cultivated news source designed to help you keep up to date with topics related to your daily jobs and MAC's broader mission to protect the payments ecosystem. This publication will come to you every Wednesday, and we will maintain past issues for access on the MAC Website. We want this resource to evolve to your needs. We will be monitoring what stories members find interesting. Are we missing a topic? Please let us know. Too much of one subject, or not enough of another? Please let us know that also. We have established a partner and a process to ensure that the value of MAC Dispatch grows with time. Please share your feedback with us at info@macmember.org.

During World War II, Admiral Halsey said, "There are no great [individuals], only great challenges that ordinary [individuals] are forced by circumstances to meet." Today, there are great challenges in front of our industry, our profession, and society with more to come in the years ahead. And yet, there is also a great cause for hope amidst the chaos. MAC accomplished many things this year thanks to the generous donation of time and expertise by members. Ordinary individuals are coming together as volunteer leaders to face great challenges to benefit the whole community. If you would like to make a difference and volunteer for MAC, please email us at volunteer@macmember.org and watch for our new volunteer engagement center coming soon.

I look forward to the year ahead and working with many of you to face our collective challenges and ensure MAC fulfills its broader mission while continuing to meet the diverse needs of our members.

Kind regards,

Mark

Mark R. Nelson, Ph.D., MBA, CAE
Executive Director