A Letter from the Chair
Charles Bailey
University of Memphis

Dear Member and Friend of the ABO Section,

Thanks to Elizabeth Almer for bringing us this edition of the ABO Reporter, and to all of the members who have contributed to the ongoing success of the section. I will comment on a few key events and activities.

The San Francisco venue for the AAA Annual Meeting is one that many members look forward to, as I do—despite the downside of cost and travel time. This year the meeting, it has attracted high-quality ABO section papers. Jennifer Joe and a lot of reviewers have worked hard to assemble an excellent schedule of concurrent sessions and forum papers. Included in this issue of the Reporter is the schedule of ABO papers at the Annual Meeting.

Last year's ABO reception in Orlando was successful in bringing together members, potential members, and friends of the section. We plan to repeat the event in San Francisco, so watch for details.

A significant change on the horizon is that Behavioral Research in Accounting will become a semiannual publication rather than annual. Bryan Church has undertaken this project as the new editor. This move signals an intention to attract and publish more articles more promptly. It also makes BRIA a "periodical," which should enhance its inclusion in indexes.

The Nominations Committee, chaired by Stacey Whitecotton, secured four highly capable candidates. For Chair-elect, Sean Peffer (University of Kentucky) and Tim Louwers (James Madison University) ran, and Tim was elected. For Secretary-treasurer, Elizabeth Almer (Portland State University) and Frank Hodge (University of Washington) ran, and Elizabeth was elected. Thanks to all four of these members for supporting the section, and congratulations to Tim and Elizabeth.

The 2005 ABO conference will be held October 21-22, 2005 in the attractive Buckhead area of Atlanta, Georgia. Please note the deadline for submission, June 30th. Thanks to Lynn Hannan of Georgia State University for coordinating this event, which is so important to ABO researchers.

Finally, if anyone has a suggestion for improving the ABO Section's service to the membership, please let me know.

I wish you all a good summer and look forward to seeing you in San Francisco!