HISTORY OF THE GREATER INDIANA CHAPTER In 1982, a group of four Laboratory Managers started meeting once a month in the cafeteria at St. Francis Hospital in Beech Grove, Indiana to form what eventually became the Central Indiana Chapter of CLMA. The four founding fathers of this organization were Dan Follas President of Follas Laboratories, Indianapolis, Emily Robertson from St. Francis Hospital in Beech Grove, Alice McLaughlin from Community Hospitals of Indianapolis, and Fred Sager of La Fountain Medical Lab in Kokomo. A minimum of ten members was required to form a chapter. A Chapter Affiliation Agreement was initiated in 1983, and the original Articles of Organization were signed on January 12, 1984. Officers were elected with Emily Robertson serving as the first Chapter President. The first chapter meetings were usually held in a room in one of the local hospitals, and provided an educational agenda. At that time, the chapter had no budget and no money. There were no local dues, so money for expenses was provided by vendors with help from the local hospitals. The Lab Manager at the hospital where the meetings was held usually wound up groveling for a meeting room and some low budget food provided by the hospital cafeteria. The fledgling chapter received a major boost in 1984 when Bill O'Neill, President of International Clinical Labs and also the National President of CLMA, came to the auditorium at St. Francis Hospital one evening and spoke at a local chapter meeting. This meeting was very well attended and seemed to be a sigificant turning point in the success of the chapter. Eventually membership increased to the point where the chapter ventured out to the hotel arena to hold its meetings. At this point, booth space was sold to vendos for exhibits, and the chapter started banking some money for the first time. In 1990 the Central Indiana Chapter collaborated with six other chapters from Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia to hold the first Ohio River Valley Region CLMA meeting in Cincinnati. This affiliation continues to this day. As participation in the Central Indiana Chapter expanded to include members in other parts of the state, it was decided that the chapter should be renamed to better describe the area we served. In 1993 the Central Indiana Chapter was formallly renamed as the Greater Indiana Chapter of CLMA. Today, the chapter has members from all areas of Indiana with many of our most active members and officers coming from the Northern part of the state. Membership in the Greater Indiana Chapter currently stands at 189. The Board of Directors has expanded to 15 members. Those include a Chapter President, President-elect, Immediate Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, Program Chairperson, Healthcare Policy Liaison, Newsletter Editor, Membership Committee Chairperson, Education Subcommittee Chairperson, Annual Conference Subcommittee Chairperson,Communications Committee Chairperson, a Webmaster and two at-Large Directors. The chapter produces a quarterly newsletter, maintains a library of educational materials and has a website on the internet. The chapter sponsors at least two major educational meetings each year, and Small Group meetings are encouraged in various sectors of the state. The Greater Indiana Chapter was selected by National CLMA as the Chapter of the Year in 1995 and 1996. GICLMA Board Members meet to plan programs and events to support the membership with current information, education needs, and advocacy. GICLMA Board Meets 6 or 7 Times/Year taking a commitment of time and talent to better serve the membership. The board, representing members from around the state, seeks to supports lab managers and supervisors from hospitals, reference labs and POL's, educators,and promote the field of medical technology by supporting student scholarships.