We enjoyed meeting up with old friends for our outgoing CEO, Sally Hardy’s retirement lunch on Friday. Several ex-Chairs, Committee members and colleagues, including those from the EU institutions and the publishing industry, all joined us in London to celebrate Sally’s nearly 40 years with the Regional Studies Association.
Sally said:
“It has been my honour and my privilege to serve the Regional Studies Association for the past almost 40 years. The experience has been hugely personally rewarding and I’ve made some wonderful friends and met many new colleagues.
The Association’s development from a mainly English based organisation into a global force is particularly pleasing as is the enormous expansion in our activities, both published (now 6 journals) and conferences and events. Our work on equality, diversity and inclusion is another area where I think the Association has been creative and determined in its interventions and I know many ECRs who have been the beneficiaries of our early career grants, our ECR plenary slots and our editorships and who have been very grateful for the career enhancing assistance.
Of course, working anywhere is usually about the people that you work for and work with. I’ve been blessed with engaged and imaginative Board and Committee members and I’ve been oh, so lucky with the staff teams at the RSA. I would like to thank all those who have contributed to the RSA during my tenure for your work and your commitment to the field. Personally, I’ve enjoyed almost every day and now I’m ready to hand over the mantle to my successor and I wish him all the luck in the world, it is a wonderful community.”
Sally says that she is “looking forward, as sacked politicians say, to spending more time with my family and friends. I will also be cycling, playing golf, being a barmaid in a pub in Brighton and am hoping to keep myself out of too much mischief.”