Drawing on the original effort that led to the creation of NEHA, the association today stands as a strong professional society with over 4,500 members across the nation. Clearly NEHA's mission, “to advance the environmental health and protection professional for the purpose of providing a healthful environment for all" is as relevant today as it was when the organization was founded.Advancement has been defined by NEHA in terms of both education and motivation. The basis for the association's activities is the belief that the professional who is educated and motivated is the professional who will make the greatest contribution to the healthful environmental goals which we all seek. Accordingly, great emphasis is placed on providing, through each of NEHA's programs, both an educational as well as a motivational opportunity. At NEHA's conferences, for example, tremendous attention is paid to developing a quality educational program that not only imparts knowledge to the attendee but, also, through the very quality of the presentations, inspires the attendee to do more upon returning to his or her job.