EBT Next Generation 2009--An Unqualified Success!

Having returned from EBT the Next Generation in New Orleans, I'm still riding high from all of the fun and excitement! How good to see everyone again and get together. I doubt many conferences have the same percentage of repeat attenders that we have.

The sessions were terrific. Top notch programming, especially on the WIC side. As usual they were timely, including Front Page Focus' take on the effect of the economy on human services operations, and the general session on eHealthcare and EBT.





Who will ever forget our trip to Rock 'N' Bowl where we rolled a 300--albeit every one's pins added together for all night! Dude, that was some bad bowling!

No matter the scores, there was plenty of food, spirits and networking, and I'll remember that as fondly as I remember our trip to the Dog Track in Jacksonville in 2004.


I'd be remiss if I didn't thank our sponsors, exhibitors and vendors for their financial support of the conference: ACS, FIS, J.P. Morgan, Maximus, Chaddsford Planning Associates, fiserv, Novo Dia Group, VeriFone, Bank of America, Oberthur, Visa, Mastercard, Visa and Burger, Carroll & Associates.








And how about our 2009 Award winners:

• Michigan WIC for its online EBT system statewide rollout
• Peter Relich, 20-year veteran of the eGovernment Payments Council, the Pioneer award winner--so richly deserved
• Ellen Vollinger of the Food Research and Action Center, our special achievement award for all of her assistance in spreading the good news about EBT to the nutrition and legislative communities

We're already looking ahead to next year in the Valley of the Sun, when we take the EBT The Next Generation traveling training show to Phoenix. NextGen13 is bound to be another success story for the ages.


Stan Bien, Michigan WIC Director, Ellen Vollinger, legal director of FRAC, and Peter Relich, SVP of MAXIMUS, show off their new hardware at EBT The Next Generation 2009.