This year has seen continued success of the Appraisal Institute and the Long Island chapter

This year has seen continued success of the Appraisal Institute and the Long Island Chapter. The chapter has provided qualifying education to interested appraisers and has offered continuing education programs to members and non members, including 2 seminars on the new Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) requirements. The chapter mentoring program continues. On September 22 we held a Social Networking Meeting to encourage associate members to mix and mingle and encourage one another on the path to designation. Chapter leaders and mentors were in attendance to answer questions. The golf outing, at our new venue of Rock Hill Golf Course in Manorville, was quite a success. Plans for next year are already being made. The golf outing is run as a social event, so that both golfers and non golfers will enjoy the day and feel welcome. The Appraisal Institute held its first annual meeting in several years at the new Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas in July. The meeting was very well attended. The opening session began early Sunday, with "State of the AI" statements by AI National president Joe Magdziarz, MAI, president-elect Sara Stephens, MAI and others. Appraisal Institute government relations leaders reviewed bills before Congress that could affect appraisers, which included requiring a qualified appraiser for tax deduction valuation, public pension plans to report fair market value, liabilities and costs for RE appraisers, establishing AMCs as viable compliance path, establishing review standards for mortgage-backed securities, SEC proposals, business value with going concern to include allocation by RE appraisers, defining qualified appraiser with AI designations, and IVS revisions. Education sessions were held on Monday through Wednesday, including "Introduction to Green Buildings," "Loss prevention for liability insurance," and "Ways to Expand your Appraisal Business," among others. The AI Annual Meeting for Year 2012 is scheduled for July 31 through August 2 in San Diego, Calif. The Long Island Chapter is very active within the appraisal community and will continue to be a leader in our industry. Visit our website at: www.liappraisal.com for a listing of all Chapter programs and events. We encourage membership in our chapter. There are many benefits, including discounts on Appraisal Institute programs and special events, access to AI National Members only section, the Lum Library, and program and product discounts. Membership applications can be found at the Appraisal Institute National website at: www.appraisalinstitute.com. Matthew Guzowski, MAI, is the 2011 Long Island Chapter Appraisal Institute president.