North Carolina Division
Incoming President’s Speech
June 12, 2010
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Hickory, NC
George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegl, an 18th century German philosopher and inventor, once said: “nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion.” This is the beginning of a new IAAP® year – new goals, new realities, new opportunities. I am excited about the coming year and what it will bring to us as individuals and as an association. I look forward to serving one more year as your president and to serving with the officers you have elected, and I promise that we will strive to do what is best for our division.
Last year during my acceptance speech, I asked all of us to become individually committed to IAAP, our chapters and our division. And I asked for your help in our quest to turn the North Carolina Division into a remarkable division. Our theme of Power of Commitment was the guiding force as we worked together to do this. And as I mentioned earlier today during our business session, our division has made a lot of progress with our quest this past year. I believe that our progress, in two areas in particular, are worth mentioning again: those of updating our strategic plan and establishing the past division presidents’ leadership. Both of these accomplishments will have a lasting positive effect on our division because they both have a purpose: that of providing the knowledge, the leadership and experience that our division and its members need to continue to be successful. And that’s important because without purpose, there is no meaning.
But, we still have much work to do. Our membership numbers are down; chapters are struggling and although this is partially due to our economy, it’s also because we are not actively recruiting and retaining members. All of our chapters – not just a few - need to be providing relevant, certifiable educational programs at every chapter meeting, and we need to promote certification and encourage more of our members to take that important step. In other words, we need to find a way to keep our members passionate about this amazing organization we call IAAP.
It is your board of directors’ goal this year to find ways to do just that: re-ignite the passion for IAAP in the North Carolina Division. Our division is here for a purpose, and that purpose is to grow into a mountain – not to shrink to a grain of sand. So, passion and purpose will be our theme this year to guide us along the path we have chosen.
But, your leaders will need your help if we are to succeed: please give us your ideas and suggestions; let us know what you want and need from your division. Communication from our members is just as important as your board’s communication is to you.
To get us started, plans are already underway to hold a Chapter Officers’ Retreat on Saturday, August 21, in Winston-Salem at Targacept, Incorporated. Our Southeast District Director, Virginia Boyd, CPS/CAP will be the leader for this retreat so mark your calendars now. This is an important event for all our chapter officers. We are also finalizing details for three fall meetings – in the western, central and eastern parts of the state. Announcements will be coming out about these soon.
Membership Director Judy Cox and I will be expanding on a plan that we started a few months ago to reduce the number of members at large in our division. Where there are concentrated numbers, we are working to see if we can get new chapters started in those areas or if we can get these members in contact with chapters already in existence. Your board is also going to be evaluating our current award system to see if we need to make some changes there – a little bit of healthy competition between chapters and members might be just the match we need to light the fire of passion again!
I’d like to recognize the members that have agreed to help your board of directors this year, our special appointees for 2010-2011. Please stand as I call your name and remain standing until all have been introduced.
Archivist: Janie Annas, CPS – Hickory Chapter
Audit Committee: Janice Cornett, CPS – Division Member at Large (Committee Chair) and Trudy McSwain – Hickory Chapter
Bylaws & Standing Rules Committee: David Cannon, CPS – Metrolina Chapter
Education/Certification Committee: Connie Coleman, CAP – Charlotte Center City Chapter and Pam Rose, CPS/CAP – Wilson Chapter
Membership Committee: Christine Barrier – Cabarrus Chapter
New Chapter Builder Committee: Melissa Mincey, CPS/CAP – Wilson Chapter
Committee on Nominations: James Edgar, CPS/CAP – Charlotte Center City Chapter (Chair); Elizabeth Hall – Hickory Chapter and Angela Simmons, CPS –Raleigh Chapter.
North Carolina Division Parliamentarian: Jo A. Peay – Winston-Salem Chapter
and
2011 North Carolina Division Annual Meeting Coordinator: Robin Shamel – Winston- Salem Chapter.
Thank you all for your willingness to serve your division in the coming year.
To you, the North Carolina members, who believed in me enough to elect me not only once, but twice to be your president, thank you. I will try my best to live up to the confidence you have placed in me.
Together, we have a lot to accomplish this year. Your Board of Directors are ready to get to work and I know we can count on all of you to do the same.
In closing, I’d like to leave you with this thought: “When work, commitment, and pleasure all become one and you reach that deep well where passion lives, nothing is impossible.”