E.E. Cummings wrote, "For whatever we lose (like a you or a me), it's always our self we find in the sea." As the curtain fell on a fantastic GMIS International Conference in Savannah this past August, I was really proud to have enjoyed a great event on the beautiful Savannah River with fantastic people. As we head to another waterfront destination for 2015, I can't help but feel the energy delivered by another beautiful surrounding. The water can make a difference.

 

 

As a positive addition to the upcoming Newport conference, I plan to ask my peers on the Executive Board and the Conference Planning Committee to consider donations to a choice of charitable foundations in lieu of speaker gifts. It is always gratifying to present our keynote speakers with a gift, and how many of us have been affected by the loss or sickness of a loved one? Donations do many things for many people, including those who give. With this I would ask that we support donations as gifts from GMIS. People can make a difference.

 

Outgoing President Janet Claggett, a person whose act as President of GMIS International will be a very tough one to follow, put forth the "4 for 4 Challenge" at the President's Luncheon in Savannah. As part of the GMIS Board annual planning and goal setting meeting, we set a goal of 500 agency members for 2015! In order to attain this goal, each Board member was asked to get 4 new members in 4 months. All Board members happily accepted the challenge. At the President’s Luncheon, State Chapter Presidents were also challenged to get 4 new members by February 2015. Those chapters in attendance agreed with the request.

I would ask all members to consider accepting this challenge in order to strengthen GMIS network, and expand our reach even further. If anyone has creative or innovative idea on how we do this – please share this with me. I look forward to the teamwork, and I take heart in representing our membership thoughtfully.  

 

The GMIS International Conference is critical to the success of the organization. Each year, your Executive Board chairs vital committee positions and works tirelessly on managing and producing through these committees. Committee members are inspired and willing to put in the extra volunteer time to make your experience with GMIS International even better. Conference-related committees work hard to become increasingly more efficient and start the planning a little sooner each year. Although each member of your Executive Board chairs a specific committee, we are a team and recognize the power of working together and supporting each other. The conference related committees are no different – it is all in.

 

GMIS International continues to innovate and reinvent itself which is pretty cool. The GMIS app, for example, is a great way to "be" the technology organization that we intend. Likewise, the knowledge garden or document repository continues to strengthen into a powerful catalog of useful documentation, containing everything from IT policy to valuable budget information on a per agency basis. The Chapter Affiliation Agreement, another big step, will protect our organization and solidify chapter membership constructively.

As we wrap up the year and head into 2015, be sure to utilize all that GMIS International has to offer. GMIS is successful because of its members, and I encourage you to stay actively engaged with our organization throughout the year. I look forward to seeing you all in Newport in 2015!