Hello Members!
Below is your March Member Message. It is quite lengthy, but full of great information so I would please urge you to read it! As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me!
MESSAGE FOR ARKANSAS-OKLAHOMA DIVISION MEMBERS
MARCH 2010
Note: Throughout this message, we refer to information that is available in the IAAP Web Community and provide links to specific areas and documents. You should login to the International Website at http://community.iaap-hq.org/ and to the Division Website at http://www.iaap-ao.org/ for access to all the information. Thank you.
“If we did all the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves.”
-- Thomas Edison
IS IT SPRING YET?
- Division President Marsha Bryan CPS/CAP says, “I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to spring. It's been an unusual winter, to say the least! Spring brings the busiest time of the year for our Chapters and Division. We have APD/APW activities. We are making final preparations to get those Member of Excellence, Chapter of Excellence, and Division of Excellence forms finalized and submitted. We are focusing on Membership Recruitment activities. We have the calls for Nominations for Chapter and Division leaders for the 2010-2011 year. We are making final preparations for our A-O Division Annual Meeting. This is just to mention a few! “
- We hope each of you are dedicated to closing out this Power of Commitment year with a bang and plan to attend the A-O Division Annual Meeting in June to help us celebrate the successes of the year! Look again at the quote above. What things are you capable of doing that will astound yourself, your Chapter, our Division?
WE NEED YOUR INPUT!
- We need you to respond to our Annual Member Satisfaction Survey. Please follow this link and take the survey right now. It will be open for responses until March 24. Receiving your feedback will help us determine if and how we are meeting your needs. This is also an opportunity for you to state your intentions and willingness to serve as a Division Officer or Division Committee Chair/Member for the coming year. Thank you.
2010 A-O DIVISION ANNUAL MEETING
- The Oklahoma City Chapter will host the 2010 A-O Division Annual Meeting at the Skirvin Hilton in downtown Oklahoma City on June 25-27, 2010. We hope you are making plans to attend.
- Our block of guest rooms at the Skirvin Hilton is filling fast, and the hotel is nearly sold out already for Friday and Saturday nights. If you plan to attend Annual Meeting and want to stay at the host hotel with our negotiated room rate of $149 per night, it is imperative that you reserve your room as soon as possible. Room reservations opened on July 1, 2009, and the conference rate is $149 per night with the Reservation Code of IAA, which the Skirvin will offer for three nights before and three nights after the scheduled meeting date. Call 405.272.3040 or go online at www.hilton.com to book your guest room reservation. The cut-off date for reservations in our block is May 26. If any rooms are available after that date, they can be reserved at the current rack rate, but the hotel will likely be sold out. We will not book an overflow hotel, so you would be on your own to find another place to stay in Oklahoma City. Other hotels in the downtown area are the Renaissance by Marriott, the Courtyard by Marriott, the Residence Inn by Marriott, the Hampton Inn, and the Sheraton.
- These preliminary plans are in the works right now for our 2010 Annual Meeting:
§ For an additional fee to benefit the Host Chapter, plans are being finalized to provide you with the opportunity to visit one or two Oklahoma City tourist attractions on Friday morning on a comfortable bus and end with lunch in Bricktown.
§ For an additional fee to benefit the Host Chapter, you will have the opportunity to attend a seminar on Friday afternoon. Fran Greenwood will present, “Generations in the Workplace.” Fran is an Organizational Learning Specialist at OGE Energy Corp, and we are proposing four (4) recertification points for attendees.
§ Our Annual Meeting will begin with a Vendor Fair and Reception on Friday evening after which you can enjoy the sights of the Bricktown Entertainment District with your IAAP friends.
§ We will take care of A-O business on Saturday and introduce you to our visiting International Officer, Northeast District Director Judith Yannarelli CPS/CAP, who will be with us for the weekend.
§ Lunch on Saturday will be a special treat as we have obtained OU Women’s Basketball Coach Sherri Coale as our keynote speaker.
§ We will have an early Awards Dinner/Banquet on Saturday so that you can get back out again and enjoy the attractions of Oklahoma City.
§ It doesn’t end there. On Sunday morning, Robin Marsh from Oklahoma City’s NEWS 9 will provide our inspiration hour for the weekend, and we will honor our members who have joined the Omega Chapter this past year. Director Yannarelli will provide a one-hour educational seminar that will qualify for one (1) recertification point before our Annual Meeting weekend concludes.
- You can expect to receive registration information in April, and we will continue to post information as it becomes available on the A-O Division website under the Annual Meetings link in the Members Section. Contact Meeting Coordinator Teresa Flurry with any specific questions in the meantime.
MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
- A-O Division had 311 members on February 28, which is down from 322 members when the fiscal year began. Congratulations to the Razorback Chapter for experiencing net growth since June 30. The Bartlesville, Benton County, and Land Run Professionals Chapters have stayed the course with their membership numbers. For detailed membership information, please refer to the A-O Division Membership Scorecard posted on our website (Members-Division Documents).
- We appreciate the 11 new members shown below who have joined since November 30. Welcome to A-O Division! Please contact any one of your Division Officers (names and email addresses shown at the end of this message) with any questions or comments. We look forward to meeting each one of you.
« Michelle M. Clayton, CAP - Tulsa Chapter – No Recruiter Shown
« Melanie B. Thunder – DMAL, Tupelo, OK – Recruited by Janet Griebel CPS CTM
« Krystal A. Kinsey – Central Arkansas Chapter – Recruited by Teresa Tidwell CAP
« Allison A. Ellison - Razorback Chapter – No Recruiter Shown
« Alene L. Yowell - Tulsa Chapter – Recruited by Jolene Yowell CPS
« Linda S. George - Razorback Chapter – Recruited by Linda Dizney CAP
« Dara N. McGahan - DMAL, Ardmore, OK – Recruited by Sandra Blehm CPS/CAP
« Mrs. Charlotte R. Pool, DMAL, Ardmore, OK – Recruited by Sandra Blehm CPS/CAP
« Donna M. Bowman – Land Run Professionals Chapter – No Recruiter Shown
« Anita Jackson – Central Arkansas Chapter – Recruited by Wanda Perry CPS/CAP
« Mrs. Susan A. Boyett – Oklahoma City Chapter – Recruited by Cheryl Cook CPS/CAP
- As a reminder, any time you hand a membership application to a prospect or instruct someone how to join IAAP online, please be sure to complete the Recruiter Section with your name and IAAP ID Number.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEWLY CERTIFIED MEMBERS!
- These IAAP members earned the CPS designation in November 2009:
« Beverly Blanton CPS – Oklahoma City Chapter
« Nova Hartsook CPS – Oklahoma City Chapter
« Rachel Kingsley CPS – Will Rogers Chapter
« Crystal Brannon CPS – Will Rogers Chapter
- These IAAP members earned the CAP designation in November 2009:
« Shirley Grimmett CPS/CAP – Bartlesville Chapter
« Daphne Navesky CPS/CAP – Tulsa Chapter
ARE YOU STUDYING FOR THE MAY 2010 CPS AND/OR CAP EXAMS?
- A-O Division Certification Chair Jodi McMillin CPS/CAP began a 16-week Certification Study Session on January 11, and participation is available via a toll-free call-in number. Sessions run from 4 PM to 5:30 PM (CST) every Monday until April 26. Please contact her if you wish to be included. She will provide the call-in number and advise you about the study materials and the preparation expectations.
CALLING ALL ASPIRING WRITERS
- Did you see the article written by one of our own in the January/February 2010 edition of OfficePRO magazine? Janet Griebel CPS CTM of the Tulsa Chapter submitted an article you can read on the last page. Check it out online (http://officepro.iaap-hq.org/IAAPHQ/OfficePro/OfficeProHome/Default.aspx) or in the printed copy.
- We have set up a special section in the A-O Division Website to publish articles written by our members (Members-News-Articles by Members). Check it out. Several of our members have already submitted articles. This is another way to meet the criteria for becoming a Member of Excellence. If you are writing Blogs for the International Website, you might consider also submitting them to the Division President in article form so that we can also post them on our website.
IAAP’s RETIREMENT TRUST FOUNDATION
- The Retirement Trust Foundation (also known as The Trust or the RTF) has rolled out a new website to inform IAAP members about its mission. Check it out at http://www.iaap-rtf.org/. The Trust is also seeking the financial support of IAAP members for this important activity.
- We want to remind you that March is also RTF Month. The RTF Committee Representative for Southwest District has issued a challenge to our seven Divisions, hoping it will assist Southwest in meeting its contribution goals. Attached to this Member Message is a flyer about the Family of Givers (FOG) program and explaining the challenge. They will recognize the Division with the highest donation per capita (based on membership numbers) at the Southwest District Caucus at EFAM in Boston. We can meet our goal for A-O Division if each member donates $2.50. We encourage you to do this. Let's make the Southwest District and Arkansas-Oklahoma Division proud!
PATHWAYS TO EXCELLENCE
- If you are committed to becoming a Member of Excellence at the International level this year, you can download the Member of Excellence Commitment Form from the Web Community, sign it, and keep it in your file. You will find it at http://www.community.iaap-hq.org/ under Member Resources-Pathways to Excellence-Member of Excellence.
- If you were an International Member of Excellence for 2008-2009, you should have received by now the official Member of Excellence logo for your personal use. Anyone who has not yet received the logo should contact Amy House in the Membership Department at IAAP Headquarters.
- If you are committed to becoming a Member of Excellence at the Division level this year, we hope you are answering our Question of the Month that is available on the A-O Division Website. That’s one way to earn a checkmark. Go to Members-Question of the Month.
- As a reminder, submissions for the Division’s Pathways to Excellence Programs (Member of Excellence and Chapter of Excellence) are due to your Division Board Contact by May 31. (Your Division Board Contact is the Division Officer who emails this message to you.) Submissions for International’s Programs are not due to IAAP Headquarters until June 30.
- Remember…we have issued the challenge to see whether Arkansas OR Oklahoma can achieve the greatest percentage of participation in the Division’s Member of Excellence Program. Bragging rights at Annual Meeting are on the line. Who will get to toot their horn that weekend in Oklahoma City?
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
- We hope you make regular visits to the International Web Community at http://community.iaap-hq.org/. You will find links there to the latest publications and messages from your International Officers.
- Your International Officers want your feedback if you have a complaint, suggestion, or compliment for them. Please go to Member Resources-Feedback to submit.
- The International Bylaws and Standing Rules Committee revised the Model Bylaws for Chapters and Divisions effective March 2010. They are available in the Document Library on the International website, but we have also posted them under Members-Division Documents on the A-O Division website. This would be a good time for the Chapter Bylaws Committees to review and compare to see if their members need to consider amendments in accordance with the Model.
- The Home Page of the International site has featured several of our Arkansas-Oklahoma members in recent weeks, and we hope you saw them. This is a new way to spotlight an IAAP member for a week. A link is now available on that Home Page to nominate yourself or another member for this opportunity.
- The International Nominations Committee has posted the list of nominated candidates for International Office for 2010-2011 on the Home Page of the International Site.
- One of the new sponsors on IAAP’s International Website with a rotating ad is Online Labels. They are offering 10 FREE sheets of labels to IAAP members so that we can try out their product. When you go to their link, you can choose from five different sizes you might utilize in your office. All you have to do is provide them with your IAAP membership number for verification and tell them where to ship them. When they mail the labels, they also include an offer for an additional discount to use for future purchases! Use this special IAAP link to their website offer: https://secure.onlinelabels.com/general/IAAPpromotion.aspx?utm_source=IAAP&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=IAAP
SOUTHWEST DISTRICT NEWS
- Southwest District Director Toni Smith has posted recaps of her January Conference Call and February Conference Call with Division Presidents. You might find it interesting to see what is going on with other chapters and divisions in the Great Southwest.
- We have attached to this Member Message email an article written by SW District Director Smith. Toni asked us to share this with you. It is titled, “The Power of Commitment During These Tough Economic Times.”
A-O DIVISION NEWS
- We were saddened to learn that long-time IAAP member Nancy Giles CPS passed away on March 1, 2010 at the age of 79 at Grace Living Center in Stillwater, OK after a lengthy illness. Nancy was a member of the Stillwater Chapter many years ago. She served as an Arkansas-Oklahoma Division Officer for four terms from 1981 to 1985. After her chapter disbanded in the late 1980s, she was a very active Arkansas-Oklahoma Division Member at Large and served as DMAL Liaison for many years. She was a true professional. Her enthusiasm and dedication to our association was evident in everything she did. She will be missed.
- The A-O Division Nominations Committee has issued the Call for Nominations for candidates to run for 2010-2011 Division Office. Nominations are due by April 26, 2010. If you are interested in running for a Division Office, please review the officer qualifications outlined in the A-O Division Bylaws and the responsibilities defined in the A-O Division Leadership Guidelines. Both of those documents are available in the Division Website under Members-Division Documents. Your chapter must submit your nomination to Nominations Committee Chair Brenda Dietzfeld by the due date of April 26. If you have questions about the nominations process, please contact Brenda for answers.
- Are you a leader? Are you looking for great development objectives at your place of employment? Are you willing to develop yourself, both personally and professionally? Have you ever considered running for a Division Office? Well, now is the time to be thinking about all of that. We are currently seeking candidates to fill the positions of President-Elect, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary for the A-O Division for 2010-2011. President Elect Cheryl Cook CPS/CAP is looking forward to becoming your Division President in June, but she knows she is going to need a good team working with her as we go about the business of IAAP at the Division level. If you're interested in learning more about the responsibilities of each office, please check out the A-O Division Leadership Guidelines and feel free to speak to any one of the incumbent officers in that position. If you don't think you're ready to accept an officer position, there are other opportunities for you! Cheryl would love to visit with you about chairing or serving on a Division Committee instead, so email her at cookcj@oge.com or call her at 405.553.3893 to discuss.
- The A-O Division Bylaws Committee has issued the Call for Amendments to the A-O Division Bylaws and Standing Rules that we will consider at the 2010 Annual Meeting. They are due to Bylaws Chair Christine Hilderbrand CPS/CAP by March 27, 2010.
- We want to hear from members in A-O as to why you joined IAAP and why you continue to renew your membership. We have created a Response Form on the Division website to allow you do to just that. Just go to the Members link on the Division Website. We are posting your responses in the Member Testimonial section of the Members link.
2010 INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION FORUM AND ANNUAL MEETING
- Check out the latest registration information for the 2010 EFAM in Boston, MA next July.
IN CLOSING -- We hope this Member Message has been informative and useful to you. We are here to serve YOU and welcome your feedback. Please go back up to the opening paragraph and take our survey…if you haven’t already done so. Thank you.
FROM YOUR A-O DIVISION OFFICERS
President Marsha Bryan CPS/CAP, American Fidelity Chapter
President-Elect Cheryl Cook CPS/CAP, Oklahoma City Chapter
Vice President Sandy Tabio, Tulsa Chapter
Secretary Teresa Tidwell CAP, Central Arkansas Chapter
Treasurer Donna Nerio, Will Rogers Chapter
Marsha Bryan
Paralegal
American Fidelity Corporation Law Dept.
2000 Classen Blvd. - 7 North
P.O. Box 25523
Oklahoma City, OK 73125
(405) 523-5036
(405) 416-7879 (Fax)
marsha.bryan@af-group.com
Boomer Sooner!
A-O Division President/IAAP