I would like to welcome all of the members of the Board of Directors, honored past Supreme Presidents, and guests to our annual Supreme Chapter Board of Directors Meeting.

It has been my honor to serve the members of Xi Psi Phi as a board member for the past six to eight years. I thank you for the trust that you have placed in me to represent you in this capacity. I feel fortunate to be supported by the dedicated members of our current board of directors, as well as many of our past presidents who continue to devote much personal time to ensure that our close knit society remains healthy and vibrant.

Who would have thought that I would be standing in front of you today delivering the Supreme President's Address?! I remember when Drs. Lee Jameson and Tom Bonomo (as well as Keith Dickey and the rest of the nominating comittee) approached me (a few times) insisting that I would become Supreme President in the near future. Of course my response was, "yeah, right…I don't think so." Somehow they seem to have convinced me (over a few drinks?) to take the reigns to help our fraternity to continue to grow and to change with the times. I guess the future is now…thanks a lot guys! I sure have some big shoes to fill…

At this time, I would like to take the opportunity to thank those who have worked hard and given their time and talents to the fraternity. First, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Keith and Peg Dickey. I would be like "a deer -in- the -headlights" without the both of you! You are the "glue" that holds all of us together in our support of Xi Psi Phi. Also, many thanks to Dr. Tom Bonomo for reactivating and bringing life back to Beta (NYU) and Alpha Tau (Columbia) as well as trying to reconnect with Beta Zeta (New Jersey), Dr. Anne Lise Fink for her continuous efforts to reconnect with Beta Alpha (Seattle) and establish Beta Omicron (Las Vegas), all of the Province chairs, Committee chairs, Faculty Advisors, and all of our spouses/partners for their dedication and support. Also, my thanks to Dr. Carl Sebelius, Jr. for all of his hard work in producing our Quarterly and to Dr. Leighton Wier for all of his years of producing our beloved newsletter. To our hosts, Dr. Sue Zelazo Smith and Tom Smith, thank you for continuing to show us the meaning of hospitality. Most of all, much thanks to all of the past Supreme Presidents for persevering and paving the way for the next generation of dentists.

As President, I have chosen "family" as our password for the next biennium. This is a word I hold close to my heart not only because of my recent experience with motherhood, but because of what Xi Psi Phi means to me- my second family, my dental family- without whom my career would not be as fulfilling and fun!!! I couldn't have made it through dental school without the support and fraternalism of our beloved fraternity. During my term as Supreme President, I would like to continue to spread the feeling of community and family to all who come in contact with Xi Psi Phi--hospitality is the life of friendship. This starts, of course, with our students who are the leaves on the great oak of Xi Psi Phi. They blossom and grow from the strength of the branches and trunk (our alumni and the Supreme Chapter Board of Directors), which feed and nourish them- some drop off and blow away and some become part of the earth and serve to then nourish the roots of the great oak. Lately there is rumor that the great oak may be dying what with our diminishing funds and membership. This can not and will not happen! I again would like to thank all of those who have worked so hard to reactivate and establish new chapters (or try to), but there is still much work to be done. My goals are like so many before me: to increase student and alumni membership and also to replenish our funds in order to continue to guide and nurture our future dentists. We need to somehow find a way to "tug at the heart -strings" of alumni (and/or jog their memories of their time in dental school and how the fraternity helped them) for more donations. We need to continue with the Supreme Assemblies so that we can encourage student participation in order for them to become active alumni (our future) and to continue to feed the great oak of Xi Psi Phi.

Fraternally,

Dr. Penni Yip