As we approach the end of the special series of guest blog posts by former EDEN Presidents who have kindly shared their visions and experiences, I’m honoured to introduce the contribution of our former President Ingeborg Boe. She led the Association from 2003 to 2007, making her term the longest so far, and prior to that she was also a Vice-President.
Ingeborg’s presidency had an impact on EDEN in many ways. Her progressive, optimistic and sensible approach represented at best a time of great expansion for the field in Europe and also for EDEN. She remained a most beloved and respected member of our professional community and a true symbol of EDEN. For me personally, Ingeborg represented from the first moment we’ve met a most kind and reliable friend who helped me and my University in a very important moment of our history. It was under Ingeborg’s presidency that EDEN took the decision to organise an event in Lisbon – this was our first conference in Portugal. More recently, during my time as President, she has also been a wonderful advisor.
Ingeborg’s account takes us on an exciting journey to the days of her presidency and beyond. In her very personal open style she highlights the fundamental mission of our Association – to foster collaboration, and also the importance of combing it with the human dimension of our academic and professional community. In fact, it was Ingeborg who first described the EDEN community as a family. This metaphor is still valid today.
I hope you’ll enjoy this excellent post by my dear friend, Ingeborg.
António
