"Every year, a NERA friend gets elected to President-elect. My thanks to them and to all the wonderful people I have met and known through NERA. NERA friendships are awesome!" - Darlene Perner, Bloomsburg University
"I owe an enormous amount of gratitude to not just the NERA organization, but to the people who make up NERA. No one achieves their goals without the support and encouragement of the people surrounding them. NERA is an organization that is filled with leaders and mentors providing the fuel toward professional goal achievement. A special "thank you" goes to the NERA member who first introduced me to NERA -- Dr. Lisa Keller. Lisa inspired me as a new UMASS Amherst student to submit my first paper for presentation at NERA. I've enjoyed the the professional feedback, friends I've made, and opportunities to lead and give back ever since." - Tia Fechter, US Department of Defense/Defense Personnel Assessment Center
"I am so thankful that Liane Patsula brought a group of researchers of all levels of experience to our first NERA 20 years ago and opened the door to many friendships, collaborations, and service and leadership opportunities. I am also thankful to be part of a supportive organization with members who actively engage and encourage each other to develop and thrive and who contribute to the growth and development of the organization as well." - Elizabeth Stone, Educational Research Consultant
"Throughout my doctoral program in higher education, NERA has provided me with opportunities to connect to the education research community, share my research results, and meet other researchers for mentoring and professional development. I credit NERA with introducing me to the field and guiding me toward finding confidence as a researcher. Beyond NERA's conferences, mentoring, workshops, volunteer opportunities, and awards (which have brought me regional and national recognition), NERA folks have fun (!) and I have found NERA members to be incredibly supportive of new researchers. NERA has provided me with multiple avenues to learn and grow into what it means to produce high quality educational research that makes an impact." - Catherine Manly, University of Massachusetts Amherst
"I am extremely thankful to the NERA organization and its membership since 2007 for the opportunity to expand my professional network and contribute to the growth of the organization by chairing multiple committees, while also being able to pursue my own research interests and share these at our annual conference." - Jonathan Steinberg, Educational Testing Service
"Over the past forty years that I have been a member of NERA I have gained more than I can adequately express in a few sentences. I have had the honor of holding every office; an experience that gives as much back to the office holder as it does to the membership. It is such a great learning experience, not only about the work but also about yourself as a person. I have met amazing people. In addition to great friendships and learning, one helped me to get the instrument I developed for my dissertation published by Consulting Psychologists Press--we had a few nice luncheons on those royalties. Another offered me a job that led to other things. Another helped me get a Distinguished Research Fellowship with NIDRR. AERA and NCME and other national associations are great and I've learned a lot from them over the years, but at NERA, 'everybody knows your name.'" - Barbara Helms, Independent Consultant
"NERA has helped me in so many ways, both personally and professionally. Personally, the people of NERA are close. Even though we only see each other in person at the conference, we check in with each other and have become close on a personal level. Professionally, NERA has helped me to grow as a researcher and a mentor. I have learned so much through the many professional development workshops that I've attended and given. NERA has provided me with a place to mentor my students and allow them to showcase their work. I am forever grateful to NERA. Thank you!" - Jeanne Horst, James Madison University
"NERA has truly inspired me more than I could have ever had imagined. As a graduate student NERA brought me together with students and professionals that have helped mentor me and drastically improved my research. Today as a result of the NERA conferences, I have not only grown as a researcher but have made some very treasured friends. NERA has changed the course of my professional future, and am forever grateful." - Hank Johnson, New England Institute of Technology
"I am so thankful that I found NERA during my grad school years. I've developed so many friendships and connections that have helped me personally and professionally!" - Kate Nolan, Curriculum Associates
"NERA provides a wonderful community for educational researchers in all stages of their career. I have attended many conferences of various sizes, and the community-feel and networking opportunities that NERA provides is truly unique. I have met colleagues from so many institutions with a wide variety of expertise that I have been grateful to have been able to turn to for mentoring and guidance numerous times. NERA has also provided me with opportunities to take on a leadership role in the educational research community which I have found invaluable, and has allowed me to serve an organization that has helped me and so many others I know." - Steven Holtzman, Educational Testing Service
"I am thankful for the professional community and network that NERA provides. As a new faculty member at Rowan University back in 2016, NERA was the place where I found a new community of scholars in this region after moving across the country. The connections I have made through NERA continue to support my work and career goals as I move towards tenure next year!" - Sarah Ferguson, Rowan University
