Letter from the President and CEO June 2024

Dear Reader,

June marks the end of the Institute’s fiscal year, which is cause for both reflection and a look ahead. As I think about the year behind us, I am proud that we experienced significant growth and progress, strengthening the Institute’s ability to advance its mission across our four Centers of Excellence. As we envision the future, our staff is filled with inspiration and conviction that our work is more important than ever before.

Notably, over the past 12 months, our Interfaith Spiritual Care Coalition volunteers made over 2000 support visits, our support groups reached over 500 people, and our educational classes served over 1000 individuals. Our annual conferences, including the 33rd Psychotherapy & Faith Conference, the 32nd Nursing Conference, the 12th Conference on Medicine and Religion, and the 13th Collective Soul Symposium, provided a platform for knowledge exchange and strengthened our network. We also confirmed new organizational leadership, two new staff members, and new institutional partnerships, further expanding our reach and impact.

Significantly, we recently welcomed Mary Katharine Roff, MD, as our new board chair. She follows in the footsteps of George Anderson, whose historic tenure as chair brought unparalleled growth to the Institute’s programs, most significantly to our Center for Faith and Public Health. We remain grateful for Mr. Anderson’s service and welcome Dr. Roff with enthusiasm.

Our last event of this fiscal year will be held on June 29, when we will host our third Heroic Self-Care Veteran’s Retreat in collaboration with Impact a Hero and Easter Seals. This is an opportunity for veterans of any military branch to learn life-long skills that can aid in building resilience and mitigating the effects of trauma. Please spread the word. We will kick our new year off in July by continuing our series on Near-Death Experiences in collaboration with Houston IANDS, and we encourage you to join us.

All in all, our incredible staff looks forward to engaging with you as we continue to enhance individual and collective well-being by exploring the deep, multifaceted relationship between spirituality and health. Thank you for being part of our community.

Warmly,
Stuart

Stuart Nelson
President and CEO