Dear chapter members and friends,
We have a busy 2011-12 program year ahead for us..making that 'Leap to Remarkable' !
Please check out our updated web site which includes our calendar and information on our certification study group!
Old Town Alexandria Chapter
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Notes from Business Session 1- Montreal 7/24
Dear chapter members:
Quick notes from Montreal before the Office Expo opens.
Here's the official count of eligible delegates to case votes:
Int'l Officers - 12
Division Officer Delegates - 34
Chapter Delegates 273
Chapter Alternates - 132
Members At Large - 1
Chapter At Large - 1
total number of registered attendess as of 8:30am was 1,018.
-----------
We have four chapter members in attendance at EFAM- which is pretty darn good considering we
have 32 members!
Int'l Board of Directors President Mary Ramsey-Drow focused her final report to the membership on the financial* standing of IAAP. You'll be happy to hear that IAAP is in better shape this year financially, going from a deficit of $465,000 (2009) to an approximate profit margin of $160,000. Membership retention has grown and that has helped reduce the percentage decline in membership.
I will file a complete report to the chapter before our August meeting.
One note of concern I will be raising at the candidates forum is that there are three candidates from the Southeast district for positions on the Int'l Board of Directors. It seems a bit unfair (?) that four of our leadership officers (not District Directors) would all be from the Southeast Division. I might be wrong on my take on this.. but it doesn't strike me as a fair representation of the membership.
More later on this from me.
Hope you are staying cool.. it is about 83 here today in Montreal.
Quick notes from Montreal before the Office Expo opens.
Here's the official count of eligible delegates to case votes:
Int'l Officers - 12
Division Officer Delegates - 34
Chapter Delegates 273
Chapter Alternates - 132
Members At Large - 1
Chapter At Large - 1
total number of registered attendess as of 8:30am was 1,018.
-----------
We have four chapter members in attendance at EFAM- which is pretty darn good considering we
have 32 members!
Int'l Board of Directors President Mary Ramsey-Drow focused her final report to the membership on the financial* standing of IAAP. You'll be happy to hear that IAAP is in better shape this year financially, going from a deficit of $465,000 (2009) to an approximate profit margin of $160,000. Membership retention has grown and that has helped reduce the percentage decline in membership.
I will file a complete report to the chapter before our August meeting.
One note of concern I will be raising at the candidates forum is that there are three candidates from the Southeast district for positions on the Int'l Board of Directors. It seems a bit unfair (?) that four of our leadership officers (not District Directors) would all be from the Southeast Division. I might be wrong on my take on this.. but it doesn't strike me as a fair representation of the membership.
More later on this from me.
Hope you are staying cool.. it is about 83 here today in Montreal.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Member Communications and Other Important Info! July 2011
I'm excited and thrilled at how our chapter has jumped into the 2011 program year. We have had three new members join in the last two weeks! There is so much information to share with you and most of it will be published in our August 2011 newsletter. If you are interested in submitting an article for the August newsletter, you must submit the article to Carla Thorpe, Communications Chair, no later than July 28.
In the meantime, I need to get this other important information out to your attention.
EFAM- Montreal July 24-27
I will be blogging from EFAM on behalf of IAAP. It will be posted on the IAAP Web Community website. If you have not activated your IAAP web community profile or need assistance doing so, please let me know. There will also be a Twitter feed (@OTACPresident) but depending on the international charges for my phone those may be far and few between. There are some very important bylaws being proposed at convention and I will be sure to communicate how those debates unfold.
CERTIFICATION Study Group
The CAP & CAP-OM certification study group will begin August 9 to be held at the IADR offices on Duke Street. An informational flyer will be sent out to members this weekend. It will also be posted on our chapter website. Meetings wll be free. Participants will be responsible for their own dinner and beverage. Class will take place starting at 6pm and end at 8pm.
Jan Szych, CPS/CAP is the chapter's certification chairperson for 2011-12. Please note that if you are planning on submitting an application for the November 2011 exam, the exam application and fee must be into (not postmarked by.. but received by) IAAP HQ on August 15.
PROGRAM CALENDAR for 2011-12
So where is our program calendar for the year? Want a specific topic covered? There is a members-only planning session being held on July 16, 2011 in Springfield. At that session, the program calendar will be finalized and the calendar will be published to the chapter members soon after. If you want in on the planning, email otac.iaap@gmail.com and I will forward the details for this important planning session.
NEW Member Orientation
New members! Three things you need to know about.
On behalf of the chapter leadership, Iwish you a safe and wonderful summertime and look forward to a very successful IAAP program year.
Kind regards,
Kemetia MK Foley, CPS/CAP
President
Liz Harris
Vice President
Carole Murray, CPS/CAP
Treasurer
In the meantime, I need to get this other important information out to your attention.
EFAM- Montreal July 24-27
I will be blogging from EFAM on behalf of IAAP. It will be posted on the IAAP Web Community website. If you have not activated your IAAP web community profile or need assistance doing so, please let me know. There will also be a Twitter feed (@OTACPresident) but depending on the international charges for my phone those may be far and few between. There are some very important bylaws being proposed at convention and I will be sure to communicate how those debates unfold.
CERTIFICATION Study Group
The CAP & CAP-OM certification study group will begin August 9 to be held at the IADR offices on Duke Street. An informational flyer will be sent out to members this weekend. It will also be posted on our chapter website. Meetings wll be free. Participants will be responsible for their own dinner and beverage. Class will take place starting at 6pm and end at 8pm.
Jan Szych, CPS/CAP is the chapter's certification chairperson for 2011-12. Please note that if you are planning on submitting an application for the November 2011 exam, the exam application and fee must be into (not postmarked by.. but received by) IAAP HQ on August 15.
PROGRAM CALENDAR for 2011-12
So where is our program calendar for the year? Want a specific topic covered? There is a members-only planning session being held on July 16, 2011 in Springfield. At that session, the program calendar will be finalized and the calendar will be published to the chapter members soon after. If you want in on the planning, email otac.iaap@gmail.com and I will forward the details for this important planning session.
NEW Member Orientation
New members! Three things you need to know about.
- Name badges- A chapter name badge will ordered for you. Be sure to send an email to Carole Murray and designate how you'd like your name to appear on your badge.
- Meet & Greet- We'll be hosting a very informal meet and greet for new chapter members on Thursday, July 14 at 6:30pm at the Chevys at Pentagon City (Blue/Yellow lines).
- The new member orientation session is scheduled for Wednesday, August 31 at 6pm. We are finalizing the location. Please mark the date. We'll probably host another one in late Fall, but please try to make this session if possible.
On behalf of the chapter leadership, Iwish you a safe and wonderful summertime and look forward to a very successful IAAP program year.
Kind regards,
Kemetia MK Foley, CPS/CAP
President
Liz Harris
Vice President
Carole Murray, CPS/CAP
Treasurer
Monday, May 16, 2011
So....What Now?
Believe it or not, our program year is almost done. We have the last educational program on Tuesday, 5/17 and our installation of new officers and awards ceremony on June 15.
The announcement of our election procedures went out on May 6 to chapter members on the official chapter roster, and elections will take place electronically per our newly ratified chapter bylaws, on June 7. Ballots will be tallied and results announced on June 10.
Having our chapter governance in place sets the guidance for leadership succession. It sets up the appropriate checks/balances and procedures to ensure that no one leader has undue authority and/or responsibility for the chapter.
There are other roles/responsibilities in chapter leadership that are not officer positions. Several emails from members requested info on these roles. These are some general responsbilities for each position. Like any other position, you may be asked to pitch in to help cover other stuff if needed.
1. Membership chair- Welcomes new members. Reaches out to potential members. Coordinates chapter leader visits to local companies to either introduce information about IAAP or present information on IAAP certification. Just depends on what the company executive requests.
2. Program chair- Coordinates the program year schedule along with the chapter executive committee. Confirms speaker, materials, A/V, speaker location for each program. Submits speaker materials and recertification point requests to IAAP HQ. Prepares recertification certificates for attendees and is responsible for verifying the attendance roster.
3. Communications chair - Gathers information and materials for chapter newsletter. Updates chapter member email and general email distribution lists
4. Certification chair- This person helps coordinate the study group and schedule for certification exams. Acts as a liasion between the division and the chapter, as well as responsible for relaying any information from IAAP Certification to the chapter membership.
Other volunteer roles that have not been finalized but generally exist within chapters are:
Retirement Trust Foundation (RTF) chair
Ways and Means (fundraising) chair
Parlimentary Advisor
Nominations committee chair
Financial review committee
Professional Member of the Year coordinator
------------
There are many options to contribute and participate. The key is to gauge approximately how much time you will be able to volunteer and try to match your interests and time available to that committee or committees.
Hope everyone is having a good week. Tomorrow (tues.) is the Full Moon! (smile)
Kemetia
The announcement of our election procedures went out on May 6 to chapter members on the official chapter roster, and elections will take place electronically per our newly ratified chapter bylaws, on June 7. Ballots will be tallied and results announced on June 10.
Having our chapter governance in place sets the guidance for leadership succession. It sets up the appropriate checks/balances and procedures to ensure that no one leader has undue authority and/or responsibility for the chapter.
There are other roles/responsibilities in chapter leadership that are not officer positions. Several emails from members requested info on these roles. These are some general responsbilities for each position. Like any other position, you may be asked to pitch in to help cover other stuff if needed.
1. Membership chair- Welcomes new members. Reaches out to potential members. Coordinates chapter leader visits to local companies to either introduce information about IAAP or present information on IAAP certification. Just depends on what the company executive requests.
2. Program chair- Coordinates the program year schedule along with the chapter executive committee. Confirms speaker, materials, A/V, speaker location for each program. Submits speaker materials and recertification point requests to IAAP HQ. Prepares recertification certificates for attendees and is responsible for verifying the attendance roster.
3. Communications chair - Gathers information and materials for chapter newsletter. Updates chapter member email and general email distribution lists
4. Certification chair- This person helps coordinate the study group and schedule for certification exams. Acts as a liasion between the division and the chapter, as well as responsible for relaying any information from IAAP Certification to the chapter membership.
Other volunteer roles that have not been finalized but generally exist within chapters are:
Retirement Trust Foundation (RTF) chair
Ways and Means (fundraising) chair
Parlimentary Advisor
Nominations committee chair
Financial review committee
Professional Member of the Year coordinator
------------
There are many options to contribute and participate. The key is to gauge approximately how much time you will be able to volunteer and try to match your interests and time available to that committee or committees.
Hope everyone is having a good week. Tomorrow (tues.) is the Full Moon! (smile)
Kemetia
Thursday, April 28, 2011
May/The Kentucky Derby/ #Winning/ and elections
May/The Kentucky Derby/ #Winning/ and elections
What do these things have in common? They're relevant to our very active chapter.
May!
Our next program is May 17-Best Practices: Making and Implementing International Travel Plans for Your Executive/Executive Team : ** note that the location has changed to the SHRM offices -1800 Duke Street. Our peers at SHRM have graciously offered to help out with our crunch for meeting space. See you there. Here's the link for info and registration.
The Kentucky Derby.. okay..so this is about a horse race.. and really? what does this have to do with our chapter events? Well, in a s-t-r-e-t-c-h of a tale... (Get it, Tail?. Horse?) Our program year is literally headed towards the finish line, we're about 3/4 of the way around the track.. and it's a speedy trip!
#Winning.. ahh..That beat to death joke related to Charlie Sheen. Well, actually that has several relevant meanings for our chapter.
1. We talked about digital media and business etiquette last evening at our Administrative Professionals Day program in the program presented by Ian Gainor, Division Director, OfficeTeam.
2. We talked about Twitter which uses # to basically act as a flag, or as it's called a hashtag, to pull key words from the TwitterVerse. So if you see #IAAP on a tweet, then search for #IAAP-- it should pull all the Tweets that have #IAAP in them!
3. Winners! We had lots of winners for fun door prizes. We won because the food was pretty delicious (Thanks, ZPizza) as was our cake.
4. AND we had winners today..because today was our chocolate tasting reception at Artfully Gifts and Chocolate - located on John Carlyle-just behind the SHRM offices and off Eisenhower Avenue. We tasted spicy chipotle chocolate, white chocolate with toffee bits, a honey chipotle chocolate and a cinnamon chocolate. All wonderful.. along with some very tasty hot chocolate drinks. Really.. I can't believe how anyone could pass on free chocolate.. Frankly.. I'm a little concerned about you.. :) Some folks even got in some shopping buying up gifts for friends and maybe one or two pieces of jewelry for themselves.
5. Winners? Could we be? Carla Thorpe, our fantastic newsletter editor and webmaster has submitted our entries to the VA-WV Division to be considered for Division Media Awards. We'll find out the result at the June Division meeting in Fredericksburg.. Hope to see you there.
And Elections?
Well, hopefully you 've elected to review the Bylaws and voted. Having the foundation of Bylaws ensures that no one member is president for life (Thank goodness) and that we have a written governance on how our chapter is lead. Very important.
Once we announce the vote outcome on the Bylaws- we can send out the notice for officer elections and the requirements for running.. hold our elections and close out our very, uber productive chapter year.
Oh,.. one more thing..re: elections.. Jan Szych, CPS/CAP and I have been hard at work visiting area companies to share the strength of our chapter and benefits of IAAP membership to their administrative team and leaders. We've gained three new members in the last two weeks. And we're anticipating gaining more members prior to the end of the program year. Let's hope they elect to join OTAC.. because we think we are a great chapter offering program content relevant to conquering some of the daily challenges of the admin world. And that, my friends.. is really #Winning. (smile).
Hope you had a superb Administrative Professionals Week®.
What do these things have in common? They're relevant to our very active chapter.
May!
Our next program is May 17-Best Practices: Making and Implementing International Travel Plans for Your Executive/Executive Team : ** note that the location has changed to the SHRM offices -1800 Duke Street. Our peers at SHRM have graciously offered to help out with our crunch for meeting space. See you there. Here's the link for info and registration.
The Kentucky Derby.. okay..so this is about a horse race.. and really? what does this have to do with our chapter events? Well, in a s-t-r-e-t-c-h of a tale... (Get it, Tail?. Horse?) Our program year is literally headed towards the finish line, we're about 3/4 of the way around the track.. and it's a speedy trip!
#Winning.. ahh..That beat to death joke related to Charlie Sheen. Well, actually that has several relevant meanings for our chapter.
1. We talked about digital media and business etiquette last evening at our Administrative Professionals Day program in the program presented by Ian Gainor, Division Director, OfficeTeam.
2. We talked about Twitter which uses # to basically act as a flag, or as it's called a hashtag, to pull key words from the TwitterVerse. So if you see #IAAP on a tweet, then search for #IAAP-- it should pull all the Tweets that have #IAAP in them!
3. Winners! We had lots of winners for fun door prizes. We won because the food was pretty delicious (Thanks, ZPizza) as was our cake.
4. AND we had winners today..because today was our chocolate tasting reception at Artfully Gifts and Chocolate - located on John Carlyle-just behind the SHRM offices and off Eisenhower Avenue. We tasted spicy chipotle chocolate, white chocolate with toffee bits, a honey chipotle chocolate and a cinnamon chocolate. All wonderful.. along with some very tasty hot chocolate drinks. Really.. I can't believe how anyone could pass on free chocolate.. Frankly.. I'm a little concerned about you.. :) Some folks even got in some shopping buying up gifts for friends and maybe one or two pieces of jewelry for themselves.
5. Winners? Could we be? Carla Thorpe, our fantastic newsletter editor and webmaster has submitted our entries to the VA-WV Division to be considered for Division Media Awards. We'll find out the result at the June Division meeting in Fredericksburg.. Hope to see you there.
And Elections?
Well, hopefully you 've elected to review the Bylaws and voted. Having the foundation of Bylaws ensures that no one member is president for life (Thank goodness) and that we have a written governance on how our chapter is lead. Very important.
Once we announce the vote outcome on the Bylaws- we can send out the notice for officer elections and the requirements for running.. hold our elections and close out our very, uber productive chapter year.
Oh,.. one more thing..re: elections.. Jan Szych, CPS/CAP and I have been hard at work visiting area companies to share the strength of our chapter and benefits of IAAP membership to their administrative team and leaders. We've gained three new members in the last two weeks. And we're anticipating gaining more members prior to the end of the program year. Let's hope they elect to join OTAC.. because we think we are a great chapter offering program content relevant to conquering some of the daily challenges of the admin world. And that, my friends.. is really #Winning. (smile).
Hope you had a superb Administrative Professionals Week®.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Why Recognize Admins and not other Staff?
I respectfully decline to agree with admins that don't believe we should have a day of recognition. It's a topic of conversation within our administrative community of peers..and quite the hot button topic if I do say so myself...
There are other professionals that have their day of recognition. There's Nurses Day and Teacher's Appreciation Day etc... and perhaps it is just recognition fatigue. Kind of like that fatigue that sets into parents about the fourth week of a new school year when their kid is coming home with enough forms to cover the DC Beltway. Enough. Right?!
Well, I see both points of view... and if my supervisor came to me and said we're not going to do anything special for the admin team this year for Administrative Professionals Day, I probably wouldn't like it but I wouldn't be surprised. Most executives and teams only think about the admin that supports THEM.
Then we have the administrative professionals that don't want to be known as administrative professionals. They insist on telling you that their title is -- Coordinator or Project Associate or Team Lead.... That's fine. But it's a disservice to the younger professionals coming up behind them AND it gives managerial/human resource staff more leeway to dismiss the importance of the volumed variety of administrative tasks we take on daily. You know what you cover in a day.. so if you want to sidestep because the title seems less than.. go right ahead.
So I say to you- to quote a fairly recent song.. Go ahead and hate on me haters.
I love being an administrative professional. I never have a dull day. I have to constantly learn new skills and pay attention to what is going on around me. I'm good at what I do. I get paid a decent salary and I see myself as a vital part of the success of my workplace. I can celebrate it all by myself..but I'd rather celebrate it with as many of my peers as possible. Why? Because we celebrate the amazing things we accomplish with less resources, less time and less guidance...and we pretty much get the job done right on time. Kudos my peers... This day is for you!
There are other professionals that have their day of recognition. There's Nurses Day and Teacher's Appreciation Day etc... and perhaps it is just recognition fatigue. Kind of like that fatigue that sets into parents about the fourth week of a new school year when their kid is coming home with enough forms to cover the DC Beltway. Enough. Right?!
Well, I see both points of view... and if my supervisor came to me and said we're not going to do anything special for the admin team this year for Administrative Professionals Day, I probably wouldn't like it but I wouldn't be surprised. Most executives and teams only think about the admin that supports THEM.
Then we have the administrative professionals that don't want to be known as administrative professionals. They insist on telling you that their title is -- Coordinator or Project Associate or Team Lead.... That's fine. But it's a disservice to the younger professionals coming up behind them AND it gives managerial/human resource staff more leeway to dismiss the importance of the volumed variety of administrative tasks we take on daily. You know what you cover in a day.. so if you want to sidestep because the title seems less than.. go right ahead.
So I say to you- to quote a fairly recent song.. Go ahead and hate on me haters.
I love being an administrative professional. I never have a dull day. I have to constantly learn new skills and pay attention to what is going on around me. I'm good at what I do. I get paid a decent salary and I see myself as a vital part of the success of my workplace. I can celebrate it all by myself..but I'd rather celebrate it with as many of my peers as possible. Why? Because we celebrate the amazing things we accomplish with less resources, less time and less guidance...and we pretty much get the job done right on time. Kudos my peers... This day is for you!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Sending Your Boss to DC on Travel? Heads UP!
If you've lived in our area for more than a year anywhere near our beltway system or downtown- then you have already lived through one tourist season and lived to tell the story.
But for those admins not from our area - but maybe you will have bosses, friends or family headed this way. Be aware that travel in our region takes much longer than anticipated. We have oodles and oodles of tourists ...[That translates to about 25,000 per oodle- Cherry Blossom viewing, school tours for Spring Break, major time for Capitol Hill visits etc..] In Alexandria, it's the same. Lots of visitors to Mount Vernon, Old Town etc.
And, I have not even mentioned our roads/beltway/tollroads/HOVlanes etc.... that's another blog for another day.
Here are a few local links to help you navigate our tricky region.
1. WashingtonPost : Dr. Gridlock and the Traffic and Commute pages. [Twitter: DrGridlock]
2. WashingtonPost: District Taxi Fare Estimator
3. WTOP.com : Follow Adam Tuss' Sprawl and Crawl [Twitter: atuss]
4. All About our Metro System: http://www.wmata.com/ [Twitter: wmata]
Busiest times on our Metro system are between 6:00am and 9:00am; 4:00pm and 7:30pm
** Note*** Since our Capitals (Washington's NHL team) has made the playoffs- you may want to check the playoff schedule if you have plans near GalleryPlace/Chinatown***
Of course, this applies to any major city you are visiting or sending executives to visit. Check the city schedule for major events and ANTICIPATE and plan for potential travel delays.
But for those admins not from our area - but maybe you will have bosses, friends or family headed this way. Be aware that travel in our region takes much longer than anticipated. We have oodles and oodles of tourists ...[That translates to about 25,000 per oodle- Cherry Blossom viewing, school tours for Spring Break, major time for Capitol Hill visits etc..] In Alexandria, it's the same. Lots of visitors to Mount Vernon, Old Town etc.
And, I have not even mentioned our roads/beltway/tollroads/HOVlanes etc.... that's another blog for another day.
Here are a few local links to help you navigate our tricky region.
1. WashingtonPost : Dr. Gridlock and the Traffic and Commute pages. [Twitter: DrGridlock]
2. WashingtonPost: District Taxi Fare Estimator
3. WTOP.com : Follow Adam Tuss' Sprawl and Crawl [Twitter: atuss]
4. All About our Metro System: http://www.wmata.com/ [Twitter: wmata]
Busiest times on our Metro system are between 6:00am and 9:00am; 4:00pm and 7:30pm
** Note*** Since our Capitals (Washington's NHL team) has made the playoffs- you may want to check the playoff schedule if you have plans near GalleryPlace/Chinatown***
Of course, this applies to any major city you are visiting or sending executives to visit. Check the city schedule for major events and ANTICIPATE and plan for potential travel delays.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Coffee,Webinar, Chocolate, Social Media Etiquette & Happy Hour (oh yeah, and IAAP)
Dear chapter members and friends,
Just a quick sneak preview of what will unfold in April 2011 for the Old Town Alexandria Chapter. But..before I go into all that - We welcome our two newest members! Pamela Vaughn and Liz Harris! Good stuff and we're glad to have you with us.
So.. what can you look forward to in April?
Wednesday, 4/27- Our main event- 6pm at Intelligent Office with our presentation from Ian Gainor, OfficeTeam on Business Etiquette: The New Rules in a Digital Age . Here's the registration link:
http://otac-apw2011.eventbrite.com/
Thursday, 4/28 for IAAP members and invited guests at Artfully Gifts and Chocolate in Old Town Alexandria (not the Del Ray locale). The invitation to this event will be sent in the next week and YES! We do get to have chocolate and peruse and shop this amazing boutique store with so many cool items, jewelry, candles, paper goods, artworks and of course, wonderful ACKC chocolates.
We will collect tickets at this event as space is limited.
Friday, 4/29 * Will you come celebrate the end of APW and unwind with admin peers at Union Street Pub?
As a bonus, I'll also be celebrating my birthday and I can't think of a better way to celebrate than chilling with good friends at the end of a busy,busy week!
More soon! [And was I right or WHAT about how fast March went!?!]
Kemetia MK Foley, CPS/CAP
President
OTAC-IAAP
Just a quick sneak preview of what will unfold in April 2011 for the Old Town Alexandria Chapter. But..before I go into all that - We welcome our two newest members! Pamela Vaughn and Liz Harris! Good stuff and we're glad to have you with us.
So.. what can you look forward to in April?
- A joint webinar program with Tidewater Chapter - How to setup and deliver a great webinar. No fee, but donations to help defray costs for pizza and sodas are being accepted.
Wednesday, 4/27- Our main event- 6pm at Intelligent Office with our presentation from Ian Gainor, OfficeTeam on Business Etiquette: The New Rules in a Digital Age . Here's the registration link:
http://otac-apw2011.eventbrite.com/
Thursday, 4/28 for IAAP members and invited guests at Artfully Gifts and Chocolate in Old Town Alexandria (not the Del Ray locale). The invitation to this event will be sent in the next week and YES! We do get to have chocolate and peruse and shop this amazing boutique store with so many cool items, jewelry, candles, paper goods, artworks and of course, wonderful ACKC chocolates.
We will collect tickets at this event as space is limited.
Friday, 4/29 * Will you come celebrate the end of APW and unwind with admin peers at Union Street Pub?
As a bonus, I'll also be celebrating my birthday and I can't think of a better way to celebrate than chilling with good friends at the end of a busy,busy week!
More soon! [And was I right or WHAT about how fast March went!?!]
Kemetia MK Foley, CPS/CAP
President
OTAC-IAAP
Monday, February 28, 2011
In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb? Spring Update - OTAC 2011
Good evening, chapter members and friends.
Tomorrow is the first day of March. Minds are already turning to Spring and of course, March Madness. [Shoutout to Mason Chapter- IAAP!]
For Old Town Alexandria Chapter, I'm pleased to report that we had 50 attendees on our teleconference on the 22nd of February with Julie Perrine, CPS/CAP. It was a superb program focusing on professionalism. If you are an OTAC member and registered for this event, you should have received an email today from Julie with a follow up document and info. Let me know if you did not receive it. This event was so successful that the chapter leadership hopes to offer more webinar/teleconference type programs for our uber-busy members and friends.
I'll be able to provide a financial breakdown on the teleconference later this week and will include it with the President's report and newsletter coming out around 3/8.
In other news.. our chapter is joining the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce. This becomes official at the end of the week, so be on the lookout for the announcement. After several lengthy board calls/discussions, we voted to spend the money as an investment to help get the word out to our area companies about the great programs and opportunities the chapter provides. We'll definitely keep you posted on how this effort unfolds.
On March 16, HelmsBriscoe will be presenting an informative program on the benefits of utilizing third party companies to help locate hotel and meeting space, as well as answer questions during a Q&A session about contracts and clauses. The Westin Alexandria is the location for this great event and the Westin will be providing dinner for pre-registered attendees. We are charging a nominal fee at the door $5.00 for members and $10.00 for non-members. Really? Where can you go in our area for an educational program AND dinner for under $10? Here's the registration link. [ PLEASE note that the Eventbrite lists the registration as free, but that is because we do not have a chapter PayPal account.] Our hosts at the Westin can set up a tour of the property after the program if you are interested.
On March 19, area IAAP chapter leaders and those folks that are interested in becoming more involved as leaders- will meet at the BoozAllenHamilton campus from 1-3pm in McLean to discuss membership, membership retention and all things about members! If you are interested in learning more about this meeting, contact me at otac.iaap@gmail.com.
Now! We must get ready for APW. And, I'll provide you with a small teaser to tell you what's on the agenda for Administrative Professionals Week. Your chapter leaders have great stuff planned to help you celebrate the entire week. And one of the events involves CHOCOLATE!.. that's all I'll say for now.
So, YES! The chapter will be roaring into March. Look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event.
Kind regards,
Kemetia MK Foley, CPS/CAP
President
OTAC-IAAP
Tomorrow is the first day of March. Minds are already turning to Spring and of course, March Madness. [Shoutout to Mason Chapter- IAAP!]
For Old Town Alexandria Chapter, I'm pleased to report that we had 50 attendees on our teleconference on the 22nd of February with Julie Perrine, CPS/CAP. It was a superb program focusing on professionalism. If you are an OTAC member and registered for this event, you should have received an email today from Julie with a follow up document and info. Let me know if you did not receive it. This event was so successful that the chapter leadership hopes to offer more webinar/teleconference type programs for our uber-busy members and friends.
I'll be able to provide a financial breakdown on the teleconference later this week and will include it with the President's report and newsletter coming out around 3/8.
In other news.. our chapter is joining the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce. This becomes official at the end of the week, so be on the lookout for the announcement. After several lengthy board calls/discussions, we voted to spend the money as an investment to help get the word out to our area companies about the great programs and opportunities the chapter provides. We'll definitely keep you posted on how this effort unfolds.
On March 16, HelmsBriscoe will be presenting an informative program on the benefits of utilizing third party companies to help locate hotel and meeting space, as well as answer questions during a Q&A session about contracts and clauses. The Westin Alexandria is the location for this great event and the Westin will be providing dinner for pre-registered attendees. We are charging a nominal fee at the door $5.00 for members and $10.00 for non-members. Really? Where can you go in our area for an educational program AND dinner for under $10? Here's the registration link. [ PLEASE note that the Eventbrite lists the registration as free, but that is because we do not have a chapter PayPal account.] Our hosts at the Westin can set up a tour of the property after the program if you are interested.
On March 19, area IAAP chapter leaders and those folks that are interested in becoming more involved as leaders- will meet at the BoozAllenHamilton campus from 1-3pm in McLean to discuss membership, membership retention and all things about members! If you are interested in learning more about this meeting, contact me at otac.iaap@gmail.com.
Now! We must get ready for APW. And, I'll provide you with a small teaser to tell you what's on the agenda for Administrative Professionals Week. Your chapter leaders have great stuff planned to help you celebrate the entire week. And one of the events involves CHOCOLATE!.. that's all I'll say for now.
So, YES! The chapter will be roaring into March. Look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event.
Kind regards,
Kemetia MK Foley, CPS/CAP
President
OTAC-IAAP
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Are You Quick to Give Out Advice?
Welcome (almost) to February....
Are you quick to give out advice? Unasked for advice? I'm certainly guilty of this habit...just ask my husband and/or daughter...and friends.. and chapter leaders...
Recently though, a very good friend of mine sat me down, as only REAL friends will do and gave it to me (painfully direct) and honestly.
Her comments were -
Before you open your mouth... Think through these three sentences.
1. Does it need to be said?
2. Does it need to be said aloud?
3. Does it need to be said, aloud, by me?
Now, I am still struggling with this habit to offer up my opinion on just about everything. The reality is that her advice doesn't really bother me. What tends to get under my skin is that the (Unasked for!) advice is usually something I should be doing. You know, that old theory that it is so much easier to run everyone else's life than our own.. not only applies to family..but that thought that we could run everything and everyone's business at work so much better, too!
Well.. perhaps this really doesn't apply to you, the reader. For me, to lead.. is to be genuine about my strengths and weaknesses. And ask for the advice and help, I need.
So... It dovetails nicely that our February 22 teleseminar with Julie Perrine will be titled, "The Power of Professionalism". No matter how long I've been in the admin field-- I can always improve and learn more on this topic. Details on registering for this program should be available in the next few days. Chapter members will be the first to receive notification once the registration is available, then out to general distribution.
Kind regards,
Kemetia MK Foley, CPS/CAP
President
Old Town Alexandria Chapter- IAAP
Are you quick to give out advice? Unasked for advice? I'm certainly guilty of this habit...just ask my husband and/or daughter...and friends.. and chapter leaders...
Recently though, a very good friend of mine sat me down, as only REAL friends will do and gave it to me (painfully direct) and honestly.
Her comments were -
Before you open your mouth... Think through these three sentences.
1. Does it need to be said?
2. Does it need to be said aloud?
3. Does it need to be said, aloud, by me?
Now, I am still struggling with this habit to offer up my opinion on just about everything. The reality is that her advice doesn't really bother me. What tends to get under my skin is that the (Unasked for!) advice is usually something I should be doing. You know, that old theory that it is so much easier to run everyone else's life than our own.. not only applies to family..but that thought that we could run everything and everyone's business at work so much better, too!
Well.. perhaps this really doesn't apply to you, the reader. For me, to lead.. is to be genuine about my strengths and weaknesses. And ask for the advice and help, I need.
So... It dovetails nicely that our February 22 teleseminar with Julie Perrine will be titled, "The Power of Professionalism". No matter how long I've been in the admin field-- I can always improve and learn more on this topic. Details on registering for this program should be available in the next few days. Chapter members will be the first to receive notification once the registration is available, then out to general distribution.
Kind regards,
Kemetia MK Foley, CPS/CAP
President
Old Town Alexandria Chapter- IAAP
Thursday, January 20, 2011
A Change Will Do You Good.. - Thanks, Sheryl Crow
Good evening, chapter members and friends!
I hope everyone has had a good start to the new year in January. As the weather is so unpredictable- January and February will feature teleconferences instead of face-to-face meetings. This means that even if you are stuck at home due to the weather.. you can still participate!
Just a few quick (ha ha!) updates to what's new and what you need to know about OTAC.
January 26, 2011 at 1pm ET, not Jan 20- is our teleconference titled: IAAP Certification: Changes and Updates. You must register to receive the dial in code and documents. There are some really cool and interesting changes coming up in the certification program. And, personally-- I think this change is very good for IAAP. I believe the new certification and specialty designations will reflect a more current and genuine test of our daily skills and knowledge base.
Speaking of certification, I'll be attending the DE-MD-DC Division certification conference in White Marsh, Maryland this weekend. More info on that conference when I return.
2. February 22, 2011 will feature a teleconference at 1pm ET with Julie Perrine,CPS/CAP, MBTI Certified on "The Power of Professionalism."
To learn more about Julie, you can check out her blog here. I met Julie through Twitter and LinkedIn. She is an amazing admin and when you visit her site, you will realize just how much time she has invested into the administrative career field!
Did you receive the invitation to the February 9 special event? This is just for admins at The Hard Rock Cafe in DC! You'll have to email me directly to get the info if you did not receive the invitation.
Change!!! If you change jobs or emails- we need to know about the change of information. Be sure to email the change to membership@iaap-hq.org and to otac.iaap@gmail.com so we can keep our contact records current.
Lastly, check out the cool new changes on the IAAP HQ web site. You know the part I like best? Our chapter is represented on the Chapter Locator Map! Hooray! So now when an admin moves to our area, they can find us AND the other Northern Virginia chapters.. (smile). IAAP is also on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
There is always tons of info to share..but I'm thinking... this is probably just enough for now. As always, please contact me or any of the chapter board members if you have any questions.
Kind regards- Kemetia
PS. My apologies for the typo (*gasp!*) on the front page of our newsletter for January. There are some days I rush to get things out.. and didn't catch that error before distribution.
I hope everyone has had a good start to the new year in January. As the weather is so unpredictable- January and February will feature teleconferences instead of face-to-face meetings. This means that even if you are stuck at home due to the weather.. you can still participate!
Just a few quick (ha ha!) updates to what's new and what you need to know about OTAC.
January 26, 2011 at 1pm ET, not Jan 20- is our teleconference titled: IAAP Certification: Changes and Updates. You must register to receive the dial in code and documents. There are some really cool and interesting changes coming up in the certification program. And, personally-- I think this change is very good for IAAP. I believe the new certification and specialty designations will reflect a more current and genuine test of our daily skills and knowledge base.
Speaking of certification, I'll be attending the DE-MD-DC Division certification conference in White Marsh, Maryland this weekend. More info on that conference when I return.
2. February 22, 2011 will feature a teleconference at 1pm ET with Julie Perrine,CPS/CAP, MBTI Certified on "The Power of Professionalism."
To learn more about Julie, you can check out her blog here. I met Julie through Twitter and LinkedIn. She is an amazing admin and when you visit her site, you will realize just how much time she has invested into the administrative career field!
Did you receive the invitation to the February 9 special event? This is just for admins at The Hard Rock Cafe in DC! You'll have to email me directly to get the info if you did not receive the invitation.
Change!!! If you change jobs or emails- we need to know about the change of information. Be sure to email the change to membership@iaap-hq.org and to otac.iaap@gmail.com so we can keep our contact records current.
Lastly, check out the cool new changes on the IAAP HQ web site. You know the part I like best? Our chapter is represented on the Chapter Locator Map! Hooray! So now when an admin moves to our area, they can find us AND the other Northern Virginia chapters.. (smile). IAAP is also on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
There is always tons of info to share..but I'm thinking... this is probably just enough for now. As always, please contact me or any of the chapter board members if you have any questions.
Kind regards- Kemetia
PS. My apologies for the typo (*gasp!*) on the front page of our newsletter for January. There are some days I rush to get things out.. and didn't catch that error before distribution.
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