12 233 Broadway, 12th Floor New York, NY 10279 Tel 212-334-1300 Fax 212-941-9407 http://www.vera.org Board of Trustees Frederick A.O. Schwarz, Jr. Chair of the Board Michael P. Jacobson President Karen S. Burstein Zachary W. Carter William P. Dickey Richard G. Dudley, Jr. Daniel J. Freed Robert H. Henry Sally T. Hillsman Lowell Johnston Barbara S. Jones Eric Lane Susan Powers Lodge Joseph F. McDonald Laurie O. Robinson Orlando Rodriguez John F. Savarese Honorary Trustees R. Palmer Baker, Jr. Norborne Berkeley, Jr Nicholas de B. Katzenbach Morris E. Lasker Barbara Margolis Michael E. Smith Christopher E. Stone Herbert Sturz Patricia M. Wald Vice President Karen Goldstein Treasurer Russell Pomeranz Secretary Susan S. Rai A Founding Member of Altus August 5, 2005 Dear Associate, Thanks again for agreeing to become an associate for the Accessing Safety Initiative (ASI) of the Vera Institute of Justice. I am writing to formally invite you to attend the New Associates Orientation Meeting. The meeting is scheduled to take place at the New Orleans Marriott at the Convention Center beginning Wednesday, September 21 at 8:00 a.m. and concluding Thursday, September 22 at 5:00 p.m. The goal of this meeting is for new associates to learn how the national associates model of technical assistance works, in both practice and theory. On the first day, we will provide you with more information on the ASI, the national associates model, and the principles of peer-to-peer consulting. On the second day, we will focus on honing the skills that are useful to associates in their role as advisors and consultants. An overview of the meeting and a preliminary agenda will be sent to you in the coming weeks. The Vera Institute of Justice will compensate you for your participation in this meeting at $450 per day attended unless other arrangements have been made. In addition, we will cover any travel costs related to your attendance. Enclosed you will find a Registration Form and a Travel, Lodging, & Meals Information Sheet that explains how to make reservations and travel plans. Please complete the Registration Form as the instructions indicate and fax it to the attention of Justine Sullivan at (212) 941-9407. This will be the first time that we bring together all of the people who have agreed to be associates on this initiative. Thus, it is an opportunity to lay a strong foundation for the work that lies ahead. I hope that you can join us. Feel free to call me if you have any questions or concerns. I can be reached at (212) 376-3145 or by e-mail at nsmith@vera.org. Sincerely, Nancy Smith Project Director