I was informed this weekend that the SSAC has accepted Andrei Kolesnikov as a full Member of the SSAC. In December 2017, the ALAC decided by consensus to ratify Andrei Kolesnikov as the candidate for position of ALAC Liaison to the SSAC and, if he is accepted by the SSAC, to be appointed as the ALAC Liaison to the SSAC. Accordingly, it is with great pleasure that I can announce that Andrei is now the ALAC's new Liaison to the SSAC! I'm sure you will all join me in offering our congratulations. Technically Andrei still needs to be formally appointed to the SSAC by the Board, but he is already welcome to attend SSAC meetings. As Liaison, his SSAC responsibilities take precedence over his ALAC Member duties, but I am sure we will see him regularly throughout the week. It also with some regret that I note that Julie will no longer be acting as our Liaison. Given her new role as Vice-Chair of the SSAC, I suspect we may hear a sigh of relief if only because of time conflicts. I do not have the words to fully express my gratitude for how she has fulfilled the role of our SSAC Liaison. Visually considering Andrei and Julie, it is amusing that I say that Andrei has some very large shoes to fill! I note that with this message, in accordance with section 3.5.5 of our Rules of Procedure, I am inviting Julie to continue to participate in the ALT as an advisor, to the extent that she wishes and has the time to do so. As an aside, that also gives her an invitation to all of our social events. :-) Alan