To the Stars – and Beyond!

It’s hard to believe this is my last President’s Perception column. This year has flown by so quickly – but we’ve accomplished so much! Seems like just yesterday I was leading our Board Kickoff Retreat in June 2009 at the Schenectady Museum. We launched with a presentation in the Suits-Bueche Planetarium, appropriately tied to this year’s theme of “Reach for the Stars!”

And we’ve indeed done just that – with stellar programming throughout the year, improved communications and outreach, and several new initiatives that will enable us to provide even better services and benefits next year and for years to come.

We could not have done all this without a GREAT team! I’ve been inspired by the talent and dedication of my 2009-10 Board of Directors, and I want to thank each of them for helping to make this year a success.

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my fellow elected Officers. I’m happy to say that all of them will be continuing on the Board next year!

·     Alicia Deering, President-Elect, has provided unwavering support, generated great ideas, and spearheaded several efforts (including our database clean-up and upcoming surveys) to improve our operations.

·     Margherita Petti Krug, Secretary, has not only documented our Board meetings and kept activities and timelines on track, she’s also been a tremendous source of guidance and help in just about every area of our operations.

·     Kelly Nowakowski, Secretary-Elect, has done a great job as Finance Committee secretary, working on MOE and luncheon registrations, securing speakers and being a steady source of great ideas.

·     Michael Murray, Treasurer, has kept our finances up-to-date and healthy, secured a safe deposit box for our important documents, transitioned us to a new bookkeeper – and is co-chairing MOE 2010 this October.

·     David Lurie, Treasurer-Elect, has been invaluable on our Finance Committee, especially in managing our long-term investments, and stands ready to seamlessly take over Treasurer duties from Mike.

And Courtney Remington, Immediate Past President, has been a great resource for continuity and advice as I’ve navigated the President role this year.

I also extend heartfelt thanks to the hard-working appointed Vice Presidents who segued from last year’s Board to this year’s:

·     Christy Calicchia, VP Roundtables, and her committee transitioned us to a new venue and have organized outstanding breakfast roundtables all year.

·     Mary Hunt, VP Marketing, has done great work improving and managing the coordination of our communications activities.

·     Ann Mantha, VP Membership, aced AMA’s revamped reporting system and developed our Spring Membership drive and Group Membership Program promotion.

·     Stacey Nooney, VP Finance, has managed her committee’s long-range oversight and coordinated our successful combined events with the Albany Ad Club.

·     Miriam Paska, VP Internet, has ably handled our web and e-mail communications, and has applied fresh ideas and insight to make them work even better.

·     Teal Vivacqua, MOE 2009 Chair and MOE 2010 Co-Chair, delivered a fantastic MOE event last fall, and is leading her committee to outdo that for 2010.

Additional thanks to several talented folks who joined the Board during the year, and really took off in their roles:

·     Laura Lachell, VP Collegiate Relations, revitalized our connections with student chapters, recruited new members – and will be our President-Elect next year!

·     Stacey Siegel, VP Arrangements, quickly mastered our event registration and reporting, and has coordinated our MOE 2010 and July networking event venues.

·     Laurie Boyce, VP Newsletter, has sourced fresh new content, transitioned us to a new graphic designer, and is currently developing an e-newsletter.

·     Nigar Hale, VP Programming, is securing fantastic speakers and topics for our 2010-11 luncheon slate with her trademark energy and enthusiasm.

Also, I want to thank the following people – each of them made important contributions to the Board and to the chapter’s success this year:

·     Dan Reade, former VP Sponsorships

·     Allison Maloney, former VP Social Media

·     Jennifer Rogers, former VP Arrangements

·     Brianne Baggetta, former VP Database Management

·     Dylan Spencer, former VP Newsletter

·     David Vener, former VP Programming

·     Pete Chiarella, former VP Programming

·     Darden Reinowski, former VP Public Relations

·     Katharine Gould, former interim Public Relations

Lastly, I’d like to welcome incoming Board members Sarika Patel, VP Public Relations and Kim Hickok, VP Membership – I know they’ll do a great job.

I’m honored to have worked with each of you, and I confidently leave the chapter in the very capable hands of 2010-11 President Alicia Deering. Thank you all!

Cynthia Nagle

President, 2009-10