News—Past, Present and Future
From the State Chapter Foundation
 

Annual Conference
I have a different perspective on the annual conference when it’s in my backyard. Trying to be objective, the location was gorgeous and but for the typical Florida summer showers, we have a perfect view of the beach and access to much of the SOBE (South Beach) scene. Being mindful of the economic challenges of the time, I think there was an appropriate balance of cost containment without compromising our purpose. I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to meet with our colleagues at the IBA to discuss the process of aligning our chapters to reach more of the members of both organizations. Thank you to Gary Fodor and Howard Lewis, and everyone who worked behind the scenes, for arranging the meeting. Gary and I have been talking since early this year; this was my first opportunity to meet the rest of his committee. We all realize that working together is a process of discovery and the dialogue is ongoing. Our keynote speaker, Joseph Grano, and his message on leadership in the financial sector were timely and engaging, and it was a nice touch to give us all a copy of his new book!

Bravo to our headquarters staff and all the presenters. Every year many of us must make difficult choices on which session to attend, so I am pleased to see more are available in recorded content. Now you can find over 30 sessions “on demand” to enjoy at your convenience. Visit www.nacva.com.

Some of the chapter leadership of NACVA and a few IBA members met after hours to enjoy dinner and conversation at YUCA Restaurant on Lincoln Road Mall. I think this could become a regular part of the annual conference; as we gain more participants perhaps we’ll add a second location to keep the setting conducive to networking and collaboration.

Tri-Annual Meetings and New Chapters
The first state chapter meetings of the year are being held this week in many locations. For those who do the work to keep these events a valuable benefit, thank you for your leadership and commitment to the members of NACVA and IBA. The meetings at the local level offer so much beyond affordable CPE. Several state chapters are expanding the length and/or content of their meetings beyond the Tri-Annual Agenda programs provided by the national office. Texas is moving the meetings around the state, with the first of the year being in San Antonio. Look for the meetings in your location and support them. You can find the most recent list, which changes frequently as new locations are added, at www.nacva.com. Massachusetts is bringing in James Lurie at the next meeting, Maryland/Washington, DC had Bob Cimasi, and New Jersey/New York brought in Mike Kaplan and others for another banner conference with over 100 professionals in attendance. Thank you to IBA for adding both content and presenters to some of the chapter events. Mississippi, Oregon, and Washington are restarting chapter activity and certainly the leaders will welcome your participation. We are looking at California and Florida for interested volunteers. We will have another “new leaders” phone call soon for those interested in getting involved either at the chapter or state chapter committee level. Drop me a note at simoneh1@nacva.com if you want to join in.

Thank You and Communication
If you have a chance to do so, tell your chapter leadership that their efforts are appreciated. All our leaders are volunteers with busy schedules just like yours. They take pride in the meetings and ask that you take advantage of the opportunity to attend as well as keep them aware of what you would like to see at the local level. Most important, keep your e-mail addresses up-to-date at NACVA and communicate. We distribute updated member lists four times a year. If you get their messages, please respond on a timely basis so they can plan for your needs. If you are not getting e-mail messages from your chapter leaders, let them know or send me an e-mail so that we can resolve any breakdown. Spam filters keep getting more powerful, and currently I am seeing more unusual activity than before. Our next move is to embrace social media in a slow and purposeful way. It looks like Texas will have the first “LinkedIn Group”; if you don’t have a profile, join me in activating one for yourself and learn how this works. Then you’ll be ready to join your state chapter group when it comes online. We’ll keep you posted on our progress.

For those who remain social media skeptics, this is no fad. There are fascinating studies being done on how useful a tool it is in getting customers to “buy.” Based on social economics, there is some real value to the “relationships” created among social media members. There are some who say it is equal to a face-to-face contact in its ability to persuade the parties to exchange value. Interested in knowing more? Join us in the adventure as I start this project. I am fully prepared to make a few missteps. If you are ahead of me, give me your suggestions and ideas of how to make it better, smoother, and more useful to our state chapter experience. We’ll need more help at the state chapter committee to keep all our projects moving forward. We’re always happy for another set of hands.

Cutting Edge Education
I am often amazed at how this organization can respond so quickly to what is happening in the environment surrounding this membership. Don’t these people in Utah ever sleep? A riddle for you: how is NACVA serving those suffering from the impact of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? Visit our latest online learning catalog to see. Hint: it is about determining the losses from the spill.

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