Day: September 10, 2011

SNAP! Era Closes

What an evening!

NFPW just finished celebrating its 2011 communications contest winners and swearing in a new board. Congratulations to Lori, Teri, Marsha, Ellen and Marianne! This also means my two-year term as president has drawn to a close.

It’s been an incredible two years.  My campaign was SNAP! I chose to focus on Sustainability, Networking And Professional development. The term ended with NFPW solidly in the black with respect to finances. We’ve identified conference locations for the next few years. We’ve sustained membership (and now it’s time to grow it). A leadership manual was created. A blog started. Posts to Facebook and LinkedIn were used to connect us between conferences. Agenda was chock full of member profiles and career advice. And we’re pursuing an online communications contest.

To do all of that required a time commitment on the part of each board member. Thank you for your commitment and service.

For me, it was a time to stretch and lead. To drive new initiatives and to shake-up the status quo. It was exhilarating, rewarding and, yes, at times, exhausting. So why do it? For years NFPW has provided me with networking and professional development opportunities. At conferences, I discovered others had the same issues and concerns I had, and we’d brainstorm solutions. Others
shared their successes and I learned from them. Throughout the years, members (really, they are friends) have encouraged me, commiserated with me and laughed with me. NFPW had given me so much; it was time for me to give back.

I sought out new members for my board. I knew that if they, too, could be involved with NFPW, they would develop an even stronger bond to the organization.

During my tenure I strived to share management and coaching ideas with the board. We all shared and grew. The most rewarding comment came from Linda Koehler, our Agenda editor. I knew I was asking her to stretch, and
I promised to sprinkle fairy dust to help her along the way.

Here’s what she told me: “I am grateful to you for so many things: like giving me the opportunity to grow, professionally and personally; to step outside my box; to have the opportunity to visit new places; and to meet some extremely wonderful people….

“So, thank you, Fairy Godmother, for the confidence you showed in me, where I saw none. This Cinderella enjoyed the ball.”

I enjoyed the ball, too. Thank you for inviting me.

Snapshots from 2011 NFPW Conference

The 2011 NFPW Conference is in full swing. Yesterday (Friday) was a busy day. We heard from not one, but two mayors. We learned about PolitiFact, heard from an expert on Afghanist and learned the basics of social media and getting our book published. We celebrated with beautiful music by the Hedgehog Fund and celebrated our COA, Beth Miller of Delaware Press Association.

Here are a few snapshots from the day:

Mayors of Council Bluffs, OmahaThe Honorable Jim Suttle, Mayor of Omaho, and the Honorable Tom Hanafan, Mayor of Council Bluffs welcomed NFPW members to the 2011 conference. The two towns are separated by the Missouri River.

No matter where NFPW members travel, they want to know the news. At this year’s conference, weahter has been a hot topic. Eva Marie Pearson of Arkansas, took a break from the seminars to catch up on the day’s news. Reading the newspaper

The Hedgehog FundThe Hedgehog Fund provided musical entertainment Friday before our COA banquet. The Hedgehog Fund is comprised of the husband and daughters of Nebraska Press Women member Stephanie Geery-Zink. They feature cover songs in the acoustic American genre.

Beth Miller is the 2011 COA.Beth Miller of Delaware Press Association was named  COA for 2011. She is a rporter for The News Journal Co., which publishes Delaware’s only statewide daily newspaper. Her work has included assignments to Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Haiti and the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. She is a past president of the Delaware Press Association.