Message from the RAA President

The past few months have been stressful, scary, and sad. To say this is a challenging time is an understatement. But in the midst of the distress and disruption I've seen signs of hope. I've seen our RAND community come together to support one another and to use our expertise to help others respond to the COVID-19 crisis.

This is not our first rodeo at RAND. RAND has helped communities prepare for and respond to many crises and disasters throughout our history. And we have our own incident team, which has done an excellent job of communicating with employees and coordinating response efforts. We are grateful for their leadership, including the foresight of the late Melinda Moore, a RAND alumna who helped shape our internal preparedness. Thanks to our planning, RAND was able to donate N95 masks from our own supply to hospitals and frontline health care workers in our communities.

I would expect nothing less from RAND, where a commitment to community is part of our culture.

During this time of physical distancing, our staff, students, and alumni have found creative ways to stay connected. From virtual happy hours to online forums for sharing photos and conversations like the RAND Remote event series, we can stay engaged with RAND and with each other. I know we still have a while to go before we can be together in person. In the meantime, stay tuned for more information about a remote summer reunion. I hope you'll join me for this new experience.

I miss my friends. I miss seeing all of you, but I know that we can get through this by staying strong, staying safe, and staying united as a RAND family.

Natalie Crawford
President
RAND Alumni Association