Dear ACAP Members,
We begin 2023 on the heels of our most successful year thus far. Your steadfast support has allowed ACAP to grow from a small group of 35 dedicated volunteers prior to the conference in Washington, DC, in 2015 to today’s 2300 members. This tremendous growth reflects the appeal of ACAP in both the American and global Croatian communities.
2022 marked the return of our in-person conferences, this time in New York City with the spectacular success of over 300 participants (100 from Croatia) coming together to help advance Croatia’s global economy as one team without borders! The ACAP Foundation, in conjunction with OneCroatia, raised over $500,000 for aid to earthquake victims in several affected areas – see what you have made possible through your contributions at https://www.croampro.com/page/foundation. The Domovina Program is slated to return this summer, as well as a pilot program of the Medical Tourism Committee in wellness and healthy lifestyle travel. The advocacy efforts of our Double Taxation Task Force, which convened in 2016, ignited processes that came to fruition with the signing of the treaty between the United States and Croatia in Washington, DC, on December 7, 2022 (https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1148) The early career scientist webinar series continued with more than 300 participants, and the internship program has been established with great success. The first five ACAP interns have completed their programs.
Our efforts on all fronts will continue, with a particular focus on the 7th Annual (1st International) ACAP Conference in Zagreb on July 6-9, 2023, at the Sheraton Hotel. There will be exciting pre-conference events (look for updates and early bird registration on our website at croampro.com). We hope you will be able to join us in Zagreb. Expectations are high and we will need your support to make this conference a full success. We hope to highlight the excellence of Croatian professionals in Zagreb with a force like never before. To volunteer on the planning committee or to help on site, please contact info@croampro.com.
Our goals for 2023 are to further strengthen the ACAP organization by involving more and new members in governance and in our various committees, and to expand our professional administrative structure to create a strong and sustainable organization for the 21st century. Please join an ACAP committee or propose a new one by contacting us at info@croampro.com. We hope to build a new generation of leaders in all professions, and to do that, we need your support: your talents, your time, and your financial contributions. Our dues this year have increased to $100 (student membership remains the same) so that we may build our programs and bring those in development to completion. This is our first increase in dues since the inception of ACAP in 2014. Your generous support thus far has not gone unnoticed and we hope that you will find the increased membership fee worthy of ACAP’s achievements and plans for the future. The 2023 ACAP Conference in Zagreb will have special discounts for ACAP members. To consolidate and reduce administrative costs, we have merged ACAP and ACAP Foundation into one non-profit entity. Nothing will change in terms of the transparency of charitable donations earmarked for a particular cause.
We need everyone’s help. Donate what you can – a little from many becomes a lot. Help propel the ACAP mission to bring professionals together. Thank you for your continued support. We wish you and your families a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!
Dr. Steven Pavletic, MD, MS
President