At the annual meeting in Indianapolis, the Member Affiliate council (MAC) had a table with information that discussed the function of the council, articles published by council members and duties of the members of AADE’s MAC co-facilitators. When members were approached with a request to consider and volunteer as a MAC co-facilitator, there was always one question that resonated: “What is MAC and what would I need to do?”

This question brings current MAC members back to the time when they were asked to get involved. Many current members of MAC have already been involved with local state Coordinating Body and the local chapter, and were interested to dip their toes on the national level. MAC co-facilitators contribute to the Leadership Forum on MY AADE Network.

MAC co-facilitators are assigned a week to write a post that stimulates discussion to encourage the leaders to share their experiences. The response is an effort to have leadership share their collective thoughts that may help another state with a challenge. Examples include how states present a continuing education program, how to address a challenge that local diabetes educators face, or how to handle a budget issue. This forum is not only state issues, but also for Federal and local issues. The council has so many experts as members of AADE in leadership positions, that MAC encourages everyone to share.

Participation in MAC allows members to feel the pulse of the diabetes education community. Through posting questions and participating in discussion, MAC members learn what is important for leaders of diabetes educator communities nationwide. In addition, you get a chance to learn how the leaders feel about different topics and to sink knee-deep in different issues that diabetes educators are challenged with on a local level.

MAC co-facilitator leaders may come from different backgrounds but everyone has a common goal. The goal is to advance the role of diabetes educators. As leaders or inspiring leaders in our local diabetes education community, participating in MAC is an opportunity to move our association forward share collective expertise and support the leaders of our organization. This is an opportunity each one of the current members of the council recommends for you not to miss. MAC co-facilitator is a chance to make a difference in a complex world of diabetes care.