Over two days in early May, the leadership from many concerned national organizations serving chiropractic came together in St. Louis for the second Summit on Leadership. Convened by the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations, the forum included representation of the profession's political, academic, research, and business communities.

According to project chairman and past COCSA President, Dr. Mario Spoto of Pennsylvania, "Attendance at this year's meeting represents some of the brightest and most divergent minds in this profession. The dynamics of bringing this diverse group of leaders together was overwhelming and certainly gave us cause for concern, but the results were worth every obstacle we were forced to overcome. The success of this meeting should give us all continued hope that the chiropractic leaders can work together for the common good of the profession."

In addition to the World Chiropractic Alliance, represented by President Terry A. Rondberg, D.C., and International Board of Governor Matthew McCoy, D.C., the meeting was attended by:

*** The Association of Chiropractic Colleges represented by Dr. Williams H. Dallas, Dr. Carl Cleveland, III, and Mr. David O'Bryon, CAE;

*** The American Chiropractic Association represented by Dr. Daryl D. Wills and Dr. James D. Edwards;

*** The Congress of Chiropractic State Associations represented by Dr. Mario A. Spoto, Dr. C. Kevin Donovan, and Ms. Janet Jordan;

*** The Council on Chiropractic Guidelines and Practice Parameters represented by Dr. Leonard Suiter and Dr. George B. McClelland;

*** The Federation of Straight Chiropractors and Organizations represented by Dr. Richard D. Plummer and Dr. Gary Horwin;

*** The Foundation on Chiropractic Education and Research represented by Ms. DeAnna Beck and Dr. Anthony Rosner, PhD;

*** The International Chiropractors' Association represented by Dr. Thomas M. Klapp and Dr. Elliot P. Foster; and

*** The National Board of Chiropractic Examiners represented by Dr. Peter D. Ferguson and Mr. Horace C. Elliott;.

Also present were representatives from allied companies such as Don M. Petersen, Jr. from Dynamic Chiropractic, Richard A. Flaherty from Leader/Leander Health Technologies, and D. Henry Leavitt from ChiroCode Institute. Mary W. Rowe of Canada facilitated the meeting with assistance provided by Dr. Ashley Cleveland.

During the two-day meeting, the group's primary focus was finding ways for all chiropractic organizations to work more closely together. Based on the results of the first Summit in April 2000, the three areas where it was determined that these efforts are most needed and, consequently, the areas of concentration for this group are:

*** fostering unity within the profession;

*** raising the public's awareness and utilization of chiropractic; and

*** significantly augmenting the amount of chiropractic-related research being conducted, and securing the funds necessary to do so.

Subgroups for each of these areas were formed and charged with identifying specific achievable and measurable goals, identifying internal strengths and external opportunities upon which the profession can capitalize in order to achieve these goals, analyzing internal weaknesses and external obstacles within (and outside of) the profession that will affect the realization of these goals, and developing a strategy built upon the assets of the profession and addressing the challenges.

In addition to subgroup workshops, the weekend included opportunities for the full group to receive subgroup reports, to provide input, and to openly discuss concerns facing the profession as a whole. Although these discussions were often spirited and blunt, they produced the following consensus regarding this effort:

*** We should bring the profession's internal conflicts into this open forum for resolution (and not air them in public).

*** We must adopt principled behavior and set an example to our members and to D.C.s in the field.

*** We should not be afraid to openly discuss, in this forum, our differences and our commonalities.

*** The quest for unity does not require sacrificing institutional autonomy.

*** We can respect and even value the breadth of chiropractic, and communicate it as a market/patient advantage.

To ensure a strong foundation from which to work, the group agreed to a more formal organizational structure for these meetings and accepted the ACC Paradigm as its founding principle. The new entity will continue to hold annual meetings convened by the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations and will become known as the National Chiropractic Leadership Forum (NCLF). In addition to an organizational structure, the NCLF adopted a code of conduct, conflict resolution protocols, a 'report card' system (to insure organizational follow through), a revised original vision statement, and a declaration of chiropractic responsibilities.

Specific actions and projects suggested by the working groups and approved as part of the final strategic plan include:

*** Redistributing the ACC Paradigm to each organization's members;

*** Convening a task force to address terminology and definitions;

*** Supporting a Chiropractic Postage Stamp, Boy Scout Merit Badge, and House Concurrent Resolution 46;

*** Establishing a library program;

*** Establishing an inventory of current research and analyzing the gaps; and

*** Reaching an annual investment of new money totaling $2.5 million for chiropractic research.