by Melissa Wray

Reflections on Where we have been and Where we are going!

Welcome to the New Year! (I’m glad you could make it.) This time of the year naturally lends itself to reflection: Where have we been? Where are we going?

As a chapter, where have we been?

I have been a member of the Charlotte Area Chapter of ASTD since 2003. In that time, extraordinary things have happened. The chapter’s membership jumped from 130 to nearly 220. World-class speakers like Thiagi, Jim and Dana Robinson, Allison Rossett, and Judith Hale have come to present, right here in Charlotte. Perhaps most importantly, this chapter has made the difficult journey back from the brink of financial collapse. Now, the Charlotte Area Chapter of ASTD is a strong chapter, a healthy chapter, and a chapter that other ASTD chapters look up to. This is a chapter of which we can all be proud.

Where are we going?

That is up to you. You see, the Executive Council may be in the driver’s seat, but you are the navigator. This is your chapter and the information you provide through surveys, meeting evaluations, and even casual conversation, is used by the Executive Council to constantly improve and customize our member benefits to fit your needs.

Here are some things we learned from the most recent membership survey:

• 31% of you are on the front lines, serving in a trainer capacity.
• 71% say that the member benefit of greatest interest to you is the monthly meeting.
• When asked about the topics that are of greatest interest to you, personal development and improving human performance ranked the highest, followed closely by instructional design and eLearning.
• 55% would like to be able to communicate with other chapter members through online groups or forums.

In response, you’ll see the following in the Charlotte Area Chapter of ASTD in 2008:

• A slate of monthly speakers that will address each of the four highly rated topics- performance improvement, personal development, instructional design, and eLearning.
• A fall workshop specifically designed for trainers and those who manage trainers.
• The debut of the new chapter website, and an initiative to introduce social networking software to the chapter’s online communications.

That’s just a sample of the great things in store for 2008.

I’d like to welcome the following new Executive Council members, who begin their first term in January, 2008:

• Bob Cestaro Co-VP of Programming
• Owen Davis Co-VP of Membership
• Tamara Myers Co-VP of Communications
• Matt Wells Co-VP of Finance
• Sherry Washington Co-VP of Finance

I’d also like to welcome back the following returning Council members:

• Dawn Adams-Miller Past President/ Marketing
• Kary Beaman President-Elect
• Sal Buffa Director
• Keith Devoe Co-VP of Operations
• Deborah Dixon Co-VP of Communications
• Ulinda Forehand Director
• Yaa Gyasi Co-VP of Operations
• Dick Handshaw Co-VP of Programming
• Amy Horne Administrator
• Jack Jackson Director
• Mike Perkins Co-VP of Technology
• Dawn Russ Co-VP of Membership
• D.J. Wanchick Co-VP of Technology
• Joanne Zukowski VP of Careers and Education

And there’s still plenty of room on the bus! If you’d like to get to know other chapter members, or perhaps add some new skills to your arsenal, I encourage you to get involved in the chapter this year. Volunteer for a committee, write an article for the newsletter, or just spread the word.

Here’s to another great year!

Melissa Wray

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