I first attended the World Conference on Natural Resource Modeling at Utah State University, Logan, Utah, in 2001. At that time, I was a new assistant professor of agricultural economics at Louisiana State University in- terested in applying dynamic optimization to solve nat- ural resources management problems. Conferences of agricultural economists address several issues related to agriculture, but I was searching for an association that focused on solving natural resource management-re- lated problems using optimization problems. Resource Modeling Association was the ideal place to address my curiosity and meet like-minded people. WCNRM brings people from mathematics, economics, ecology, forestry, fisheries, and other areas who are interested in modeling natural resources using mathematical modeling. Since my first conference attendance in Logan, I have served the association and attended its conferences several times. Attending the conference has been the highlight of my annual activities – I look forward to attending the WCNRM. In addition to my personal journey, I am immensely proud to have contributed to the RMA’s global reach by playing a pivotal role in bringing the conference to Guangzhou, China in 2018. We have an excellent journal and an outstanding association. As in the past, we need continuous involvement from members to make the association vibrant. Our members and authors in the association’s Natural Resource Modeling journal can solve environmental resource problems such as climate change, land and water quality degradation, forest, fish, wild- life and biodiversity depletion. Our conference wild- life venues are always excellent, and the number of at- tendees is just right to grow our professional network. Assuming the role of president of this outstand- ing association is a profound honor. Frank van-Langevelde has done an outstanding job serving as association president for the last three years. He will continue to serve the association as past president and advise me about the association’s different functions. One of those significant functions is organizing an annual conference. The last conference in Amster- dam was a success, and we look forward to the 2024 conference in New Haven, Connecticut. The conference will be on June 10-13, 2024, and our local hosts are Professors Kamal P. Upadhyay and Patrick Gourley of the University of New Haven. Professors Upadhyay and Gourley have organized a fun-filled field trip you do not want to miss. I extend a warm and sincere invitation to all of you to actively participate in this con- ference by presenting your research papers and post- ers. The conference offers an exceptional opportunity to augment your professional network and to play an integral role in addressing global challenges related to natural resource management. I look forward to your presence in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, next year.
Sincerely,

Krishna P. Paudel
Deputy Director for Research and Communications Economic Research Service,
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE