Greetings, Yvonne Byars 0467LVenne resized

Summer has come to a close and with it the end of 3rd quarter 2014. I am happy to share the accomplishments of the past few months with you!

Our volunteers are the engine that makes the Chapter run. This past quarter the Volunteer webpage was enhanced and the Volunteer Relationship Management System (VRMS) continues to allow professionals to search for volunteer opportunities. Planning for the Volunteer of the Month Recognition Program is complete with the launch scheduled early in the 4th quarter.

The Chapter maintained its rank as the 4th largest in the world and 3rd largest in the United States with 778 new members joining year-to-date. During the 3rd quarter, “Newcomers” events for approximately 45 new members were conducted and membership was promoted during the monthly Dinner Meetings via a committee promotional table and Table Networking activities.

The Chapter celebrated Career Month in July including the annual Recruiters Panel Dinner Meeting and the Quarterly Networking Social. These events, open to members and non-members, provided an opportunity to meet and interview with Atlanta metro area recruiters. “Speed Recruiting“ was the highlight of the event with 75 of the 126 attendees participating. The event was a great success and is in line with the Chapter’s goal to provide valuable networking opportunities to the membership.

Relationships with sponsors were maintained and new relationships were established including IT Metrics & Productivity Institute (ITMPI), BrainTrust, Velociteach, Academy Leadership, Proteon, Staffing Technologies, TenStep , International Institute of Learning, Inc., Project Management Leadership Group, Inc., Riverwood Associates, InComm, CCCi, Digital Intelligence Systems (DISYS) Prestige Staffing, TrueBridge Resources, Blytheco and HP.

 

Education of the community at large and development of students interested in the profession continued this quarter. Scholarships were awarded to 3 Education Program university students;

6 speaking presentations were delivered to local middle schools, high schools, and universities, and 3 workshops introducing Project Management were delivered to Georgia Junior Achievement Educators, the Johns Creek Leadership Board and Student Leadership Johns Creek. Fifteen courses earning 176 PDUs were delivered to date and additional partnerships with vendors Braintrust and Leadership Academy were established providing training opportunities that support certification maintenance.

The Opt-In Initiative was launched to encourage members to take advantage of the functionality of the new website and selectively subscribe to Chapter communications.

Finally, the Speakers Bureau was re-established with the goal of reaching out to other PMI components (locally, nationally and globally) and to provide pro bono speaking opportunities for educational institutions, corporations and other community organizations.

A new web page for the Speakers Bureau was implemented; mobile payment for walk-in registrations to accept via Credit Card/AMEX was deployed and ongoing technological support of Chapter initiatives was continued.

Thank you for your support in achieving our goals. I look forward to working with you during an exciting and successful 4th quarter.

Best Regards,

Yvonne Byars,
Chair, PMI Atlanta