Convention is upon us!

I apologize for not blogging more this spring, but, between state organization visits and preparations for the convention, I've let my blog slip.

I had the pleasure to be Society representative at five annual meetings this spring--Estonia, Iceland, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Texas; assist with Utah's chapter presidents' training; and attend my own state organization convention--seven in all. I gave speeches, international updates, workshops, and Q&A sessions, plus had the opportunity to get to know many, many members. I saw much of Taillin (Estonia's capital), toured Iceland for several days with my husband prior to the meeting, saw the Kennedy compound on Cape Cod, and took a gondola ride on canals in the middle of Texas! What fun!

I'm in Austin now, meeting with the Leadership Management Seminar Class of 2012 several times during their two weeks here. I had dinner with them at the historic Littlefield House their first night, and on Tuesday they came to Headquarters for a tour of the building and a "fireside chat" with me in the Blanton Room. Today, Corlea and I are going to the campus to have lunch with them. It's supposed to be the whole professional staff, but Phyllis and Nita are taking vacation days and Linda is a participant in the LMS. Next Wednesday, I will participate in "DKG 101" with them, discussing the Society, and I will attend their graduation ceremony on Friday evening of next week.

In between all these LMS events, I am working on my convention to-do list. I still have many last-minute things to write, do, and prepare. I'll go home the day after the LMS graduation and be home three days to pack before flying to Washington, D.C. for the Seminar in Purposeful Living. From there, I'll go on to New York City, where the first event, dinner with the Administrative Board, is Sunday night, July 22.

The Administrative Board will meet all day Monday, then convention committees meet Monday evening, the Executive Board all day on Tuesday, and the convention begins on Tuesday night! So, we're off to the races!

People asked me all spring "how I feel now that my term is winding down." Does it sound as if it "winds down" at the end to you?!?!

What do you mean, my term is winding down???

Unbelievable!! In the past couple of weeks, I've had several people ask me, "How do you feel, now that your term is winding down?" or "What are you going to do after your term is up?"

I guess that's natural, but I am busier now than ever, and haven't had a single moment to think about what life will be like after the presidency, except that I hope to sleep for about a week after the convention!!

I went to Estonia three weeks ago, to their state organization meeting. It was outstanding. Twenty-four of thirty-four members were in attendance, as well as 30 young non-members, six of whom were inducted into the Society at the end of the day.

Estonia has received $4000 from the Educational Foundation to help ethnic Russian teachers who teach in Russian schools in Estonia to learn to speak Estonia. The national government has passed a law that certain subjects must be taught in Estonian. This is a wonderful way for DKG to make a difference and become recognized for impacting education.

Upon returning from Estonia, I spent nearly two weeks at home, but working on Society business every day. I did trim some bushes and start walking again, so I'm pleased with that, but I spent more time at my computer, working on the convention.

Reviewing all board actions in order to write the Administrative Board report took lots of time, and the report is five pages long! I have to "whittle" it down before it's put in the convention program. I am also working on my president's report, and am validated, in looking back on everything, in how busy this biennium has been and how much has been accomplished.

Nita Scott and her membership Department have been great in getting the breakout sessions for the convention scheduled. The letters of acceptance are going out today. I had expected to do all that myself, and their relieving me of that responsibility (after I determined which proposals would be accepted) has really helped my time line for other convention jobs I have to do.

As soon as I finish the two reports mentioned above, I'll get back to the convention agendas. I hope to have those completed by the end of next week, so when I go home April 1, I can breathe a sigh of relief (maybe)!

The World Fellowship Committee begins their meeting today and Educators Award Committee meets next weekend. In April, I'll be home except for traveling as Society representative to Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Iceland, but those trips are all on weekends, so I'll have my weekdays to spend with Jim (and work at home for the Society!). Yeah!!!

Winding dowm??? Not on your life!!!

Busy times in January-February bring progress!

January was a whirlwind. After returning from our Christmas/New Year's cruise with our goddaughter and her family, I returned to Austin for meetings with the Golden Gift Fund and Eunah Temple Holden Leadership Fund Committees. Thirty-one women were selected for the 2012 International Leadership Management Seminar, representing every region of the Society. The ETH Committee chose to partially fund the pre-convention seminar in NYC this summer and to give the 2013 regionals money to invite non-Society speakers. The committee, which is the only Society committee to choose its own members, declared vacant the seat held by Malissa Cox of Georgia for so many years, due to her continuing illness and inability to participate. We chose Karen Crumley of New York State to be the new appointed member of the committee, with Executive Board approval to be requested this summer in NYC.

I came home the last week in January and went with Jim on his business trip to Savannah, GA--one of my favorite cities on earth. While he worked, I toured a museum and three historic houses and did a little shopping :) in the city market shops. We ate at our favorite restaurants and tried a new one, Vic's on the River, that has now become a new favorite! Then back to Austin!

Now, Valentine's Day has come and gone and I didn't even have time to buy a Valentine's card for those I usually send to, including my husband of 43 (as of our anniversary yesterday) years! Jim gave me a lovely card that said, "I may be an ordinary guy. But I'm married to one extraordinary woman. Beautiful, amazing you. Happy Anniversary." Are you crying? I am, still.

Except for this week at home, I will have been at Headquarters in Austin the entire month of February (Jim has been so patient, but he is counting the months, weeks, and days until my term of office is up!). So far, it's been very productive.

The month began with the annual meeting of the Educational Foundation. We agreed to award 34 renewal and 26 new educational project grants for a total of $134,910. Several projects are in such places as Kenya, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Zambia, Mexico, Germany, Estonia, and many states in the U.S.

Two and one-half days were dedicated to transitio training with the nominee for 2012-2014 international president. I remember well how I felt in that first training session just two years ago. How time flies. This time was followed by the Performance Appraisal Team's annual meeting to review the work of the four professional administrators at Headquarters. We discussed their biennial goals and achievements to meet those goals. These are four amazing and talented women and we were proud to give them excellent reviews, with only minor suggestions for the future.

This week, while I'm at home, I'll attend the orientation session for new members of my chapter. I am a sponsor for a young professional that I nominated for membership. I have been retired from educational work for 13 years, almost, and have nominated and sponsored six educators for membership, four for my chapter and two for chapters in Georgia and New York. I don't understand those members who say they are retired and don't know where to find members! I found one in my church choir, one from the system where I spent my years in education whom I have watched grow professionally over the years, one who was recommended by a friend in Georgia, one whom I have known for years but who was not ready to commit until her daughter went to college and whom I recommended to a chapter in Georgia, my goddaughter whom I recommended to a chapter in New York State--well, you get the idea.

Next week, I head back to Austin for meetings with the Leadership Development and Scholarship Committees. During all this time, I am still working on the organization of the convention. Yesterday was the deadline for breakout session proposals. There are about 110 proposals in the categories of Professional Practices, Cultureal/Personal Enrichment, DKG in the Future, and Educational Excellence (program and projects).

I love my work, and all the wonderful people with whom I work. We are making much progress in moving the Society forward. I am so happy that I am a part of making it happen!

Progress doesn't stop with the holidays!

Gray skies, leafless trees, mid-50's temperatures, and me with no voice--Yes, it's December in Tennessee! I have avoided laryngitis, my perennial malady, the last couple of years, but it struck with a vengeance last evening!

So what did I do this morning? Attended a Go To Meeting! That's a wonderful thing about this technology: I could type in my suggestions, opinions, and other comments for all committee members (Membership Committee) to read, and I never had to speak a word (couldn't have if I'd wanted to!). I was still in my nightgown, as I'd stayed in bed and tried to relax this morning, and it didn't make any difference! Members from New Jersey, Minnesota, Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee had an excellent meeting about the progress of our work, wished one another a Merry Christmas, and signed off to enjoy the holidays!

And, except for my voice, I will be able to enjoy the holidays, having already read and approved the January/February NEWS for publishing and several other publications, made several decisions about the convention, etc. Our Headquarters staff members are absolute marvels, and we don't give them enough appreciation. Give them direction or suggestions, and they do fantastic things!

I'm really in the holiday spirit (attended a symphony holiday concert Saturday evening and participated in our community band's concert Sunday evening); I have all my packages wrapped and either delivered or ready to deliver. We've planned our Christmas Eve Eve (no mistake, we're doing it on the 23rd) menu for guests, and then packing for a 9-day cruise.

I'll be back in Austin in January for our Society's continuing progress. We still have much to do and I'm eager to work with our members and HQ personnel to make it happen. Excitement is building toward the NYC convention, with the Hotel reservation website open for business and registration and tour forms coming out in January. I hope you are planning to join us in New York City--to do the Society's business, hear wonderful speakers, attend terrific workshops, listen to talented performances, eat some outstanding meals, meet with old friends and make new ones--oh, yes, and see the sites of the city while we're at it!

I hope each of you has a wonderful holiday and new year. See you in New York in July!!

Jam-packed season keeps us all busy!

I didn't realize (until reminded) that it's been nearly two months since my last posting! I have really broken my own resolution to write at least once a month about what's going on in my life as international President! Sorry!

Five committee meetings, five electronic meetings, and one NYC site visit (to meet with hotel, CVB, tour, and steering committee personnel) later, I sit at my desk in Austin feeling a great deal of stress as I look over my "to do" list.  But, you don't want to hear about that! Let me tell you all the "good stuff" that's happened so far this fall:

1. The Communications and Publicity Committee rewrote the policy and procedures for Society website certification and recertification. They are so very clear now, that no webmaster need complian that she can't understand what is needed. Their monthly tip sheet, Broadcasting the Buzz, has a sharp new look and continues to provide information for chapters and state organizations to use in their communication efforts.
2. The Membership Committee, after writing both orientationand reorientation materials last year that have been universally praised, is tackling the revision of the Ceremonies book and the Guide for State Organization and Chapter Membership Chairs. The Membership Memo continues monthly and has a great new look, thanks to the Information Services Department here at Headquarters.
3. I attended a lovely luncheon in Chattanooga in my honor in late Septemebr, Shirley Smith of Gamma Theta Chapter, Georgia, organized it and invited members from Georgia, SE Tennessee, NE Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina. Seventy-seven members, including me, had a lovely visit. I talked (no speech!) about the job of president and answered questions about the apartment here in Austin and its cost-effectiveness, the upcoming convention in NYC, and a number of other things people wanted to know. It was a very nice two hours spent in the company of friends old and new, and I renewed acquaintance with Norma Carol Gault, whom I taught in our "salad" years in the late 60s-early 70s.
4. The meeting in New York City at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers was enlightening, to say the least. Steering Committee members were extremely well prepared with questions and progress reports. We chose the convention bag, heard about plans for New York Night, got a preview of possible tours for attendees (Yankees and Red Sox are in NYC on Friday night of the convention--better order your tickets NOW if you want to attend!!!), and learned of the many services the Convention and Visitors Bureau will provide. We were all "bowled over" by the food prices at the hotel, finding out that the largest part of the meal price is union contract labor costs, gratuity and taxes. It will be a BIG gulp for all of us, but I am reminded of how the cost of food has gone up everywhere, and that meals are expensive in every big city. They certainly were when we were in Germany and Switzerland this past summer. And, we have to remember that the hotel lodging room price is fantastically good for mid-town Manhattan, and this will help us be able to eat more expensively in this once-in-a-lifetime destination convention! I am still so excited!!
5. The Constitution Committee received only THREE proposals for amendments to the International Standing Rules! Can you believe it! I said there shouldln't be many since we just revised both governing documents in Spokane in 2010. The committee spent the majority of its times going over state organization bylaws changes and writing resources to help guide that process.
6. The Expansion Committee reviewed the staus of state organizations outside the U.S., particulary those to whom expansion funds had been provided in the last calendar year.  Members reviewed the progress report of the Japan study and will voted to make a recommendation on that study at the 2012 convention. Members discussed the possibility of recruiting members from the U.S. Department of Defense Schools, and took assignments to research those schools in both the U.S. and in countries where the Society has membership. The committee also planned their convention workshop and worked on their procedures manual.
7. Today and tomorrow (starting in about 30 minutes!) the Non-Dues Revenue Committee will begin its day-and-a-half meeting, discussing possible new Society partners and sponsors for the convention program and events.

When I return home Thursday, I will pick up my new prescription glasses, get a hair cut, go with my husband to a dinner in Murfressboro, TN, in honor of our college band director. The next day I'll go to West Tennessee to a luncheon, again in my honor, to talk with my fellow Tennessee members who have forgiven me (I hope) for my lack of attendance at many state events the last 18 months! Next week, I have a dentist appointment (must start flossing more!!) and I actually get to attend my own chapter's meeting this month!! I'll go to Scottsboro, Alabama, to meet with Rho Chapter on November 5 before returning to Austin for meetings with the Administrative Board, the International Speakers Fund Committee, the regional directors, and the first meeting of our new Support Corporation board of trustees. Then, it's off to Florida for Thanksgiving!

I hope each of you celebrates Halloween and Thanksgiving (if you do) safely and joyously. I'm not one for dressing up in a witch's costume, but I enjoy giving out candy! I don't have much experience with roasting turkeys (I tend to leave the giblets in the neck when I'm not supposed to!) but I'm very good at dressing and sweet potato and spinach casseroles (two dishes, not one!). So, I hope we all are healthy and safe until I get reminded to write my next blog!!!

What a G-g-g-r-r-r-r-e-e-e-a-a-a-t-t-t-t summer!!

Five regional conferences in six weeks--Whew! I was exhausted by the end of the Baden Baden conference in Germany, but exhausted from so much exhilaration and adrenalin flow! Such a wealth of talent, knowledge, and enthusiasm from members; such fantastic, and different, speakers; and such wonderful organization on the part of regional directors and their conference steering committees. Thanks one and all, for moving our Society forward through your efforts.

My cats were very aloof when I returned home after six weeks on the road. Thankfully, my husband wasn't! He had joined me in Germany and we and two friends took an 8-day cruise on the Rhine River from Amsterdam to Basel and then spent five days in Switzerland. I have some incredibly beautiful pictures, and the cruise was so relaxing that I "unwound" from the conferences and "de-stressed" during the cruise.

Now, committees begin for the second year. The Finance Committee met last week, reviewing the 2011-2012 budget and making proposed changes based on last year's actual expenditures. They also planned this year's editions of Focus on Finance and have a new, very professional look to that publication.

The Educational Excellence Committee begins tomorrow; and September has the Communications and Publicity, Membership, and Expansion Committees coming to Austin for their 2nd-year meeting. I'll get to spend the second half of September at home, but that just means I'll work from home instead of from here (Austin)!

I have spent over a week trying to catch up on email that came while I was in Europe with no internet access on my phone. It's been hard to wade through and answer more than 300 emails, but I appreciate everyone's understanding why, in this instance, I have not replied as quickly as I usually do.

I am now working on the international convention schedule and speakers, and have a meeting with the New York convention steering committee the first of October in NYC. The report forms for chapter and state organization presidents have to be revised and I've already started a list for the next board meeting agenda.

Stay tuned! Life continues to be interesting. Never a dull moment!

Reflections on State Organization Meetings Attended

Since November (after Thanksgiving), I have attended five of our state organization annual meetings/conventions: Panama (November), Alabama (February), Michigan and Maine (April), and Norway (May). Each Administrative Board member who attends such a meeting brings members in that state organization the latest news and "doings" at the international level: committee/board/Foundation work, and how members of those groups are working to move the Society forward successfully. We also fulfill assignments as requested: keynote speeches, workshops, closing remarks, holding installations/initiations, etc. We are not "visitors" or "guests," but Society representatives sent to work and help the state organization president mak the meeting as successful as possible.

However, as Society representatives to those meetings, it is also part of our responsibility to meet members and listen to their concerns and successes and to bring those concerns/successes back to international. All members everywhere are concerned with gaining and retaining members, and are eager to find ways to improve leadership and participation in their chapters.

Panama members were holding their very first state organization meeting, having only been installed the year before. Thirteen initiates nearly doubled the size of Alpha Chapter, and I enjoyed the energy and positive electricity that every single member exhibited. Four seminars for members and non-members were held prior to the initiation and were extremely well attended by younger educators. I worked on my Spanish pronunciation and gave my entire speech in Spanish, even though I do not speak Spanish!

Alabama members were still reeling from the unexpected death of Elizabeth Garner the month before, and her presence was palpable everywhere. New SE Regional Director Libby Watson, however, was making all members extremely proud of the way she was quietly beginning to fulfill Elizabeth's plans for the regional conference in Louisville. I think that, more than anything, Elizabeth's death pulled those members closer together than ever before, and they enveloped me in their cocoon of grieving and remembering, yet optimistically moving forward. It was a weekend of the best of "genuine spiritual fellowship."

President Jackie Smart made overhauling state organization bylaws appear easy and fun in Michigan. Her easy leadership and sense of humor engendered a sense of ease and fun throughout the weekend.  The current Michigan Teacher of the Year was an outstanding speaker and seemed very impressed with DKG, along with interest in becoming a member. Incoming State Organization President Olive Horning stated that her project for the biennium would be "Ten Women of Distinction," a novel idea for chapters. Over the course of each of the next two years, identify ten women of distinction in the community and invite them to a meeting to speak, meet and greet, participate in a panel, etc. They need not be educators, but having them come to the chapter is a fresh way to market the Soceity while helping members learn about their community, and, if they are an educator, meet potential new members!

Maine had the highest attendance at a state organization annual meeting in history, and members were excited and having fun! The site of the meeting in Auburn, Maine, was a hotel on the edge of a gorgeous waterfall. The main meeting room (and my room) looked out on the falls, and the sight and sounds of that falls was music to the soul! The first meeting of the 2013 regional conference steering committee was held, and the meeting room was filled with ideas bouncing in the air from person to person. Conference Chair Rena Kearney kept everything under control (most of the time!). I enjoyed being asked to sit in on the meeting.

Norway's annual meeting was held in Granavollen, about two hours outside of Oslo, in a lovely small hotel with a family feel. A speaker from the University of Norway in Oslo and one who was the mayor of Granavollen (both women) both made visual presentations and were excellent (I had translators whispering in my ears the whole time). Forty six of 77 total members were in attendance, and the business meeting was conducted efficiently, but with great participation and interst by members. Nearly all members speak English fluently, having studied it since first grade, and they were most gracious and hospitable to always switch to English whenever I joined a group. They all understood me when I presented (in English, as I do not speak Norwegian, either)  my international update, my presentation/workshop on the Educational Excellence Committee (that I did in three of the five meetings I attended) and gave remarks at the Saturday evening dinner.

Along the way, the terrible tornadoes and flooding from rain anad snow melt caused Manitoba and Indiana to postpone their meetings. Many of our members have had tornado, storm, and flood damage, and the Emergency Fund checks are being sent as quickly as we learn of their distress.

The winter and spring have been both wonderful and tragic, and I look forward to seeing those I met in their states again at their regional conferences this summer. We are truly a group of leading women educators whos projects and programs are impacting education worldwide. I am proud to call myself one of us.