First, apologies that I have not updated my blog in so long! I resolve to do better in the new year!
As things calm down as the holidays move forward (what a switch! Things usually get incredibly hurried for me the closer Christmas comes!), and Jim and I re-assert that we are not giving each other presents (instead, giving to our favorite charities), I look back on the accomplishments of the past several months (when I've been too busy to update my blog!).
Every meeting this fall has seen each committee of which I am a member (all but Nominations) examine how its committee's role can focus on chapter strengthening, educational excellence, and membership diversity and, as a result, the amount of new initiatives and refocused efforts has been astounding! Finance: writing a quarterly newsletter for chapter finance chairs and treasurers to help ensure the financial soundness of chapters; Communications: Broadcasting the Buzz is including news and reminders to chapters from international committees as well as fresh ideas for marketing chapter efforts; Educational Excellence: implementing three major goals of 1) Schools for Africa project implementation, 2) focusing on early-career educator support, and 3) providing resources for five program goals; Constitution: Working to ensure that all state organizations and chapters have written and/or updated bylaws and rules (committee reps from Europe, Canada, and Latin America especially important in this area of chapter and state organization strengthening); Leadership Development: planning the entire new state organization presidents' training around their major role in strengthening chapters; Membership: focusing on retention of members through rewriting all orientation and reorientation materials and process as well as providing a modern/professional initiation ceremony in addition to the traditional one; International Speakers Fund: Working on increasing visibility and funding of ISF and having biannual application periods; Expansion: Refocusing on chapter strengtheing outside the US in efforts to reinstitute dissolved state organizations and strengthen others.
In addition, regional directors are providing professional foci at each conference that will be advertised and open to non-members, and scheduling SAP training for all state organizations, with the intent that this effort will be continued with chapters in those state organizations (SE did this in 2009, so will not do again).
I don't know of a better present to the president of an organization than to see its members working so enthusiastically and energetically toward a common goal that will ultimately strengthen the entire organization--design its future.
As we move forward into the new year, I am eager to see how the remaining international committees will add to this effort. I truly believe that we have turned a corner in our long-term productivity and vitality as an organization. I am tremendously encouraged. I hope you are, also. Happy Holidays.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Great Orientation/Planning Meetings Accomplished Much!
As I sat at each meeting last week in Little Rock (Regional Directors, Administrative Board, Committee Chairs and Board, Educational Foundation), I just kept pinching myself over the powerhouse group of women who are our 2010-2012 DKG Team. The attentiveness to detail, the ideas, the enthusiasm, the willingness to work for the Society--all palpably shown in every single minute of the meetings.
We are so fortunate to have these women as our leaders, and I look forward to the beginning of committee meetings next week in Austin. September meetings include Performance Appraisal Team, Finance Committee, and Editorial Board, with Communications and Publicity following close after the first of October. Every member of every committee is as eager to serve as their leaders. It's going to be a great biennium!
We are so fortunate to have these women as our leaders, and I look forward to the beginning of committee meetings next week in Austin. September meetings include Performance Appraisal Team, Finance Committee, and Editorial Board, with Communications and Publicity following close after the first of October. Every member of every committee is as eager to serve as their leaders. It's going to be a great biennium!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
First Month as International President
My first month as international president for The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International has been so busy! I would use the word "hectic," but that indicates frenzy and it hasn't been that. I came home from the international convention in Spokane and began contacting members to serve as committee chairs and members. The immediate, enthusiastic response was gratifying, and I feel as if, now that all members are in place, we have a "dream team" for 2010-2012.
I went to Headquarters in Austin for four days the first week in August to begin planning, with professional staff, the series of orientation and planning meetings that will occur in Little Rock, Arkansas, in early September. Agendas were discussed for 1) planning meeting with new regional directors, 2) orientation session with the new administrative board and professional staff, 3) a business meeting of the administrative board, and 4) a planning meeting with administrative board, professional staff, and international committee chairs.
I came home and continued to correspond with members about committee appointments. I contacted members about responsibilities on one or more of the planning meeting agendas, talked by phone nearly every day with one or more professional staff members and with International Parliamentarian Jean Gray, and began work on my first President to President newsletter for state presidents that will go out the end of this month.
I continue to work on the planning meetings, read and respond to 50-75 emails a day, have proofed the September/October edition of the DKG News, and am writing thank-you notes as a followup of the convention.
Oh, yes, and my husband and I spent time last week cleaning up the outside and inside of our house (a little weeding, watering of plants, pressure washing the house, killing spiders and tearing down webs, cleaning up the screened porch, dusting and vacuuming the inside of the house--that kind of "stuff"!) preparing for my chapter meeting on Saturday. We had 26 members in attendance and had a wonderful time with the theme of "Celebrate." We celebrated not only my election to the presidency (they presented me with a tiara!!), but also one of our own, Barbara Northcut, being the Tennessee recipient of the Star of the Southeast award at our Southeast Regional Breakfast. We celebrated that our chapter was recognized at state convention in June with a bronze-level Chapter Excellence Award, and that one of our young members is expecting her first child in November! It was a great meeting.
Now I sit here at the computer composing my first public blog, and I hope to update it as a means of keeping our members (and others interested in our educational organization) updated about what the work of an international president entails. I already know that it takes many people to help one person do this job, and I am grateful for all the support of everyone who wants our organization to continue to move forward in promoting the professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education. We are, indeed, Leading Women Educators Impacting Education Worldwide.
I went to Headquarters in Austin for four days the first week in August to begin planning, with professional staff, the series of orientation and planning meetings that will occur in Little Rock, Arkansas, in early September. Agendas were discussed for 1) planning meeting with new regional directors, 2) orientation session with the new administrative board and professional staff, 3) a business meeting of the administrative board, and 4) a planning meeting with administrative board, professional staff, and international committee chairs.
I came home and continued to correspond with members about committee appointments. I contacted members about responsibilities on one or more of the planning meeting agendas, talked by phone nearly every day with one or more professional staff members and with International Parliamentarian Jean Gray, and began work on my first President to President newsletter for state presidents that will go out the end of this month.
I continue to work on the planning meetings, read and respond to 50-75 emails a day, have proofed the September/October edition of the DKG News, and am writing thank-you notes as a followup of the convention.
Oh, yes, and my husband and I spent time last week cleaning up the outside and inside of our house (a little weeding, watering of plants, pressure washing the house, killing spiders and tearing down webs, cleaning up the screened porch, dusting and vacuuming the inside of the house--that kind of "stuff"!) preparing for my chapter meeting on Saturday. We had 26 members in attendance and had a wonderful time with the theme of "Celebrate." We celebrated not only my election to the presidency (they presented me with a tiara!!), but also one of our own, Barbara Northcut, being the Tennessee recipient of the Star of the Southeast award at our Southeast Regional Breakfast. We celebrated that our chapter was recognized at state convention in June with a bronze-level Chapter Excellence Award, and that one of our young members is expecting her first child in November! It was a great meeting.
Now I sit here at the computer composing my first public blog, and I hope to update it as a means of keeping our members (and others interested in our educational organization) updated about what the work of an international president entails. I already know that it takes many people to help one person do this job, and I am grateful for all the support of everyone who wants our organization to continue to move forward in promoting the professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education. We are, indeed, Leading Women Educators Impacting Education Worldwide.
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