I am proud to say that I have survived my first International Convention!  The IAAP International Convention took place from July 27^th to the 31^st.  It was held in New Orleans, LA.  For me it was a combination of a great time and even greater learning opportunities.  I took plenty of pictures and will have them uploaded to our website so all of you can enjoy them.  I represented our chapter as the Alternate while Karen Schlechter went as our chapter Delegate.  This was done so I could see and learn the process, so next year I will be fully prepared to represent us as your Delegate!  I will ask Karen Schlechter to provide a summary of the proceedings at our first meeting in September. 

The main theme of convention was to promote one theme, one mission, one goal.  We as members of IAAP need to advertise ourselves under one brand name.  That brand name for 2008 is Excellence in Action.  For those of you who attended our PA Division meeting, held this past May in Wilkes Barre, PA, you will be very familiar with the new logo presented by our PA Division President, Jean Bohinski, CPS/CAP. 

It is very important that all chapters support this new theme. It is for this reason that I am officially announcing to all of you that I will be dropping our newly adopted theme and logo of “Driving Your Career”.  While I will always encourage you to take charge of your own career and forge your own pathways, we can not be successful as a chapter if we do not keep to one theme, one mission, one goal. 

                                       

 

Each of you will start to notice a theme in the communications coming from our new International President, Barb Horton, CAP.  The basis of these communications are from a published book titled “7 Measures of Success: What Remarkable Associations Do That Others Don’t” Published by: ASAE (American Society of Association Executives) & The Center for Association Leadership.  I am currently reading this book and have suggested to my board to read it too.  It will help give understanding and insight to the new direction of the International Board. 

Speaking of board meetings, I held my first summer board meeting with the newly elected officers of Montgomery County.  It was very successful and I will provide a detail summary at our first meeting in September.  On August 20, 2008, I will be hosting our very first Committee Chairperson Meeting.  I am very much looking forward to this meeting and can not wait to hear what each committee chairperson has planned for the 2008-2009 year. 

Our first meeting of the Montgomery County Chapter of IAAP, will be held at 6:00pm at The Fellowship House in Conshohocken, PA.  Our speaker for the evening will be Mr. Richard P. Hand from Valley Forge Wealth Management.  He will be addressing the current state of the economy and steps you can take to protect your financial future. 

I look forward to a very successful year! 

See you in September! 

Mary Anne Agnew, President Montgomery County Chapter