2010-2011 SMPS Wisconsin Board of Directors at May Strategic Planning session - (l-r) t Kary Beck (Mead & Hunt), Erin Stenum (PDC), Amber Burke (Symbiont), Leslie Blaize (MSA), Tony LaShay (independant contractor), Jamie Keehn (ACS), Justin Juley (HNTB), and Jill Holstine (J.P. Cullen)
Not pictured are Barbara Jahnke (Kahler Slater) and Denise Scardina (Daily Reporter Publishing)

Welcome the 2010-11 Board of Directors

by Justin Juley, Vice President
SMPS Wisconsin

Looking forward to enhanced strategies during our 20th year as a chapter

Building off of a successful 2009-10 year, SMPS Wisconsin is proud to announce that our Board of Directors has been formally elected for our next term! As I take over the reins of chapter leadership from Kary Beck as President on September 1st of this year, I’m truly excited to be bringing along the following Board Members:

• Immediate Past President – Kary Beck of Mead & Hunt*
• Vice President (President-Elect) – Amber Burke of Symbiont*
• Secretary/Treasurer – Tony LaShay *
• Membership – Jill Holstine of J.P. Cullen
• Programming – Leslie Blaize of MSA Professional Services*
• Logistics – Barbara Jahncke of Kahler Slater*
• Communications – Erin Stenum of PDC Midwest
• Awards – Jamie Keehn of ACS*
• Special Programs – Denise Scardina of The Daily Reporter Publishing

*Denotes those who also served on the Board during the 2009-10 term.

In addition to those mentioned, Jennifer Kraft of GRAEF will continue to lead the recently created Leadership Council. This council was initiated to facilitate

collaboration between senior and management level staff and share best practices to increase the skill sets and tools of this targeted group of professionals.

Call to action – Volunteers welcomed Progressing the chapter goes well beyond simply having a Board of Directors. Progress happens because of the support of many volunteers with the drive to excel. Whether you’re a member or not, one of the most beneficial ways of getting the most out of SMPS is by becoming engaged through volunteering on a committee. No matter what time commitment you have available – whether it’s 1 hour or 1 year – SMPS Wisconsin has a spot for you to help out. As you think about what you’d like to get out of SMPS, I encourage you to consider committee involvement and, if interested at any point, please feel free to contact me at jjuley@hntb.com. As I’ve been preparing over the past year as President-Elect to move into the President’s role, I can’t thank enough our 2009-10 Board of Directors’ efforts and especially Kary’s leadership, guidance and vision for the chapter. Kary’s continuity on the Board in the capacity of Immediate Past President will certainly continue to help support and drive the chapter. The accomplishments of past years have put SMPS Wisconsin in a unique opportunity to experience growth and success moving forward. I can’t think of a more exciting time to be taking on the challenge of leading the chapter with such a strong cast of Board Members, enthusiastic and passionate to make the next term extraordinary.

Continuing to serve

Notice above the number of Board Members who chose to run again and were successful at being elected for another term. Changes to our Bylaws approved and supported by Wisconsin membership facilitated this type of outcome, which will ultimately reduce learning curves, build on progress from the 2009-10 term and create time and cost efficiencies. This positions our chapter for exponential success in 2010 and into 2011 based off of momentum we currently have going. Our goal is to take this momentum and turn it into added value to our members.

Getting started early

Even though the new Board won’t officially take office until September 1st, we’ve already begun planning for the upcoming year. In mid-May the incoming Board conducted our annual strategic planning session. The outcome was energizing and led to a number of viable initiatives and concepts that will take the Wisconsin chapter to the next level. Some of these broadly include:

• Increased focus on membership recruitment and retention efforts, including incentives, to continually add value
• Development of forward-thinking programming topics and speakers that touch all levels of experience to grow professional skill sets
• Initiate community involvement and charitable causes to support our communities
• Deeper usage and integration of social media as an avenue to better communicate and connect
• Strategically collaborate and partner between sister organizations to provide win-win results
• Grow our Awards Program to enhance company and professional recognition

Staring our 20th year out right

So, now that our Board is in place and we’re hard at work preparing, how have we decided to kick-off the 2010-11 season? With a party! September 17th we’ll be choosing to celebrate the Wisconsin chapter’s 20th anniversary with an event that includes:

• Edelweiss boat cruise with cocktails and appetizers
• Gourmet dinner at the Pfister hotel
• Presentation by Roger Seip about how to improve your memory by 300%
• Remarks from SMPS CEO Ron Worth
• Networking after at the Pfister’s Blu Bar

Visit smpswisconsin.org/anniversary.html for more details.