Hi LMA Southwest friends,

I’m thrilled to welcome you to 2026 as the President of the LMA Southwest Region! It’s an honor to serve this community in this capacity, and I’m genuinely excited about what we have planned for the year ahead - we have a lot to look forward to!

We will continue hosting virtual town halls throughout the year to keep us connected, share ideas, and hear directly from you. Our first one will be in late January, the second one will follow the LMA26 International Conference, and the third will be in the fall. 

Our local groups are already hard at work planning programming and social events for each city throughout the year. Be sure to check the LMA Southwest Region's LinkedIn page and weekly email digest for upcoming local events. 

We’re also incredibly excited to host the LMA26 International Conference right here in our region this April. We hope y'all will be able to join us in New Orleans! This is a huge opportunity to spotlight our amazing Southwest region and the members who make it so great. Check out the conference website to see the schedule and additional details. 

Lastly, our board is already hard at work planning our regional conference, which will take place this fall. We will be sharing more updates at our virtual town hall in January! 

More than anything, this year is about connection, collaboration, and making sure LMA Southwest continues to be a valuable, welcoming space for everyone. My goal this year is to make sure our members feel heard, supported, and like they can rely on the LMASW community for anything. If you have questions, ideas, feedback, or even challenges you’d like to talk through, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly. I’d love to hear from you! 

Thank you for being part of LMA Southwest. I can’t wait for a great year ahead and hope to connect with many of you soon!

Best, 
Emy Cook
2026 President LMA Southwest Region