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.
