I stopped over at NCFR headquarters in Minneapolis in late August to meet with staff about the November conference. Allison Wickler announced that it was only three months before the conference ... how exciting! Baltimore with its beautiful harbor promises to be an interesting city to explore.

The conference is shaping up to be stellar! I have had the privilege of working this past year with amazing section chairs who have embraced the theme with enthusiasm, Families at the Nexus of Global Change. I encourage you to explore the conference program to see the results of their efforts. You will find amazing sessions that explore research, theory, and practice related to families around the world — India, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Kenya, Tanzania, China, Taiwan, Afghanistan, and more.

In addition, there are excellent sessions planned that reflect the multi-faceted nature of family science scholarship focusing on topics including parenting, gender, couple relationships, adoption, health, adolescent development, economics, etc.

l look forward to hearing our plenary speakers challenge us as fam ily scientists to think beyond geographic, cultural, economic, politi cal, and disciplinary borders to consider families across the globe.

l also look forward to marking the 20th anniversary of the United Nations' International Year of the Family at the 2014 conference.

Plan to join in the Friday night global gala, the World Family Festival, with dessert and enter­tainment immediately following the University Receptions. I hope to see many of you in ethnic dress as we celebrate the rich cultural diversity of family expressed around the world. Look soon for an announcement of an international family photo contest!