A Message from the President
The unexpected end to our year continues. As financial leaders, I think we’d all agree that this is one for the record books. We’ve all had to learn to do things differently. We’ve had to approve spending of money for things we’ve never even thought about before – masks, face shields, plexiglass barriers, signs that read “My mask protects you. Your mask protects me”, and social distancing floor stickers. As we have been working through plans to bring students back to the Indiana Tech campus, we were reminiscing this week back to January, when we pulled the Pandemic Flu Crisis Plan off the shelf to update. We did not at all understand that this was real, and that coronavirus would change our lives, at least for the medium-term. The most positive thing I can say is that the pandemic has given us a chance to learn new things. Being a learner by nature, I’m trying to embrace that.
Welcome to our new members. Since the names are listed elsewhere in this newsletter, I won’t repeat. It’s great to have new members joining, especially in these strange times. You will not be disappointed, and we look forward to getting to know all of you.
It is exciting to be kicking off a new year. Our social event at Promenade Park was a huge success. I’m very happy that many of you chose to attend. The perfect weather, libations from Trubble Brewing, food catered by Club Soda, and a little Chris Worth music made for a perfect night. A big thanks to Megan Butler for leading a tour of the park as well. It was great to be with real people (as opposed to flat, virtual people) in an outdoor setting.
I’m sure it comes as no surprise to learn that our Board has determined that much of our fall programming will be held in a virtual format. Our normal monthly programs will be virtual. We are hoping to hold a few socially distant “Unity in the Community” events. Career Development planning is still in the works and may be a mixture of in person and virtual. We will determine our format for spring later in the year as we watch the development of the virus.
The Program Committee has been working tirelessly to line up a fantastic year of events. By the end of August, we intend to have the calendar for the year distributed. You will find the dates/times for the first few programs in this newsletter, so mark your calendars and join. We have two national speakers lined up and are working on a third. We have a keen focus on making the virtual meetings engaging and worth your time. Stay tuned for more info.
We are continuing the quest to add new members to our committees. The chairs of the following committees are looking for you:
Membership – John Minnich |
[email protected]
Career Management – Lisa Brown |
[email protected]
Programs/PD Sessions – Zach Sauder |
[email protected] and Shelly Musolf |
[email protected]
Member Retention – Matt Fortney |
[email protected]
Website – Jason Knothe |
[email protected]
Publicity – Gail Amstutz |
[email protected]
If you are interested in joining these committees, reach out to me or any of the chairs directly. More hands make less work!
Finally, the FEI Financial Leadership Summit, originally scheduled to be held in Chicago, has been rescheduled as virtual this year. It will be held on six days, October 6, 8, 13, 15, 20 and 22, The cost is a mere $149. While you may not be able to attend all of the sessions, even attending a handful, will be worth the price of admission. FEI does an amazing job in person and I’m confident the virtual experience will be incredible. Because of our donation to FERF, we have been given 5 free memberships. In addition, we’re funding 15 more. The first 20 people who email me (
[email protected]) will get a free registration. I urge you to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend a national FEI conference for such a small price.
Thanks for hanging in with me through this long letter. There’s a lot going on in the Fort Wayne Chapter of FEI. My hope for you is that you stay healthy and your families as well!
Judy Roy
President
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