Letter from President
Ronwyn Anderson
2013-2014 Corporate President
Soft-Lite Windows, LLC, EWI of Nashville
My Dear Fellow EWI Members,
Happy New Year to each of you and I hope 2014 is filled with great new opportunities for you, as well as EWI.
During the holiday season I was once again reminded of the many benefits EWI has brought into my life, both personally and professionally. I had Christmas wishes from current and former EWI members, people I would not have had the opportunity to meet, friends I would not have made had it not been for EWI. I have had the opportunity to serve locally in my Chapter as well as at the Corporate level and this has all been possible because of the leadership benefits I received as a member of EWI. My firm has benefited as well, as I am able to take those leadership skills and bring them to what I do every day - Human Resources or the development of people today and for the future.
No one understands the benefits EWI provides better than people who work in the Human Resource field - do you know how much it costs your firm to train, mentor and develop an employee? Your firm receives this when you join EWI for you as the representative, and you receive the benefit of taking on a leadership role in a nurturing, safe environment. I am sure many of us can probably say that we have the positions we have in our firms today because of the learning opportunities provided by EWI. Each of us needs to "tell our story" often and whenever the opportunity arises.
I am hearing over and over again that members are having a difficult time "selling" their membership in EWI to their executive - why is this? Are we as members unwilling to commit or get involved? Why? Do we not see that if we commit, get involved, take on a leadership role that we are going to be able to go back to our executive or firm and say - this year as a Board Director or Committee Chair I was able to help my Chapter grow membership, raise funds, provide scholarships, mentor new members and provide reading opportunities to children in my community. He or she will know the effort and teamwork it takes to provide all of this - to say nothing of the commitment as a volunteer to something you truly believe in. No one can "sell" the value of EWI better than you yourself - what does EWI mean to you and how would you feel if you no longer had EWI in your life - I believe this is an "easy sell" but it does require your commitment and as the saying goes "You only get out what you put in".
I am sure you are wondering why I am bringing this up now - well it is renewal time of course but the Corporate Board has once again been advised that EWI of Indianapolis is returning their charter. During the just over 3 months that I have been your President we have now lost 43 member firms and 62 representatives - 1st, 2nd and sustaining. If EWI is going to continue for another 75 years we are going to have to give 110% and be open to new ideas, think outside the box, streamline and simplify processes and form strategic alliances with strong partners who share our values. Affiliations can strengthen our brand, open doors, market our organization and help us grow membership - something that is absolutely vital to our future survival.
I would like to take this opportunity to share some items the Corporate Board and Office are working on with you at this time:
- Katie Reeder - On November 26, 2013 Dennis Astill, legal counsel, attended a Deposition Hearing in this matter and I am pleased to announce that Ms. Reeder has pled guilty for the crime of Theft by Deception, a second-degree felony. A final Deposition Hearing has been scheduled for January 21, 2014 to determine amount of restitution.
- Bylaws - One of the challenges I presented to the Bylaws Subcommittee this year was to look at how we could simplify and make our Bylaws easier for our members. This committee has been actively working and looking into procedures and drafted a Memorandum which the Corporate Board approved and has been sent to the Chapter Presidents and Secretaries regarding What are Bylaws? and Why a Revision is Needed Now? I have asked that they share this information with their members so you are kept informed and are aware of the work of this important committee.
- Corporate Committees - During the Boards Strategic Planning Session in September we looked at the number of Corporate Committees and the resources required of Chapter members to fill those committees. We want as many of our members as possible involved but we do not want to take away from the important work that needs to be done at the Chapter level. Can some of these committees be Ad Hoc committees that serve for just a few weeks and not the entire year? Can some committees be combined and other eliminated? We continue to evaluate these and hope to be able to share with you a new format for next year.
- Collegiate Pilot Program - A special Corporate Board Committee has been formed to review and draft a formalized structure for our new pilot program. The Board looks forward to sharing this information with you after our in person Board meeting in March in Salt Lake City.
- Chapter President's Call - We hear over and over again how important a call or a visit by the Corporate Board or one of its members is, so the Corporate Board will host its second in person call with our Chapter Presidents on Tuesday, February 11, 2014 at 3pm EST.
- Standards of Excellence - Approved revisions have been made to the Standards of Excellence and we hope to see many of our wonderful Chapters receive a Chapter of Excellence designation at LCAM. Click here to view the updated Standards of Excellence.
- 2014 Spring Conference - EWI of Spokane is excited to host the members of Executive Women International in their beautiful city April 24-26, 2014 at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino. Mark your calendars for this amazing event and stay tuned for more details.
Once all renewals are completed in January and the financial impact has been determined the Board will spend time in February reviewing the budget and looking at ways to cut costs so we can stay on target.
I thank each of you who have renewed your membership for your commitment to EWI and encourage our remaining members to share the value of EWI with your firms. Each of us brings unique value and collectively we make EWI the powerful organization that it is.
Please remember Our Vision: "To be a global women's organization with 5,000 engaged members who empower others for positive change". In order to meet this vision I would ask each of you to continue on the 20 Mile March that was started by Karen Skirten last year as your Corporate President. Together I know we can achieve this goal!
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Corporate Office Update
I am pleased to announce that Kristine Pepin has joined the Corporate Office Team. Kristine will be responsible for professional development programming, overseeing the scholarship programs, our corporate literacy initiatives, and fundraising. Kristine has over 30 years of nonprofit experience including the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Salt Lake, and most recently, as the State Director for Best Buddies Utah. I am confident that with Kristine's experience and leadership skills, we will see great improvements in our professional development and philanthropic initiatives.
We continue to be "all hands on deck" for the traditional dues renewals process. We have been sending bimonthly renewal reminders to member representatives as well as reports of outstanding invoices to Chapter leaders.
Through December, we have received renewals for 53 percent of the membership with the traditional renewal cycle and we continue to receive payment daily.
A few members have experienced log-on issues due to an update to the website configuration. If this happens to you, clearing your browser history (cache) typically resolves the problem.
Thank you to all who have renewed their membership. If you haven't yet, I want to add my personal encouragement for you to continue your association with EWI. We look forward to another great year of serving you and your Chapters.
Wendy H. Cowley
Executive Director, COO
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Professional Development
The Importance of Managing Your Personal Brand
By Roxanne Hori
You may think that managing your image at work is a no-brainer, but my experience is that people do not take this as seriously as they should. How people perceive you and how you choose to leverage your personal capital (i.e., your advantages at work) are important to your success, but also to your ability to get the right experiences-all of which impact your career progression.
Recently the Kellogg School of Management's Black Management Association held its annual conference. This year's event focused on cross-cultural influences in the global economy, and one of the panels focused on managing and developing your brand.
There were seven themes covered by the panelists that are important for MBA students to keep in mind when they return to the workforce.
- Be yourself. This requires you to be true to yourself, which is helpful as you figure out where you'll be most likely to succeed. This also means you shouldn't try to be someone else, as it leads to pursuits that will be more difficult, less successful, and ultimately unsustainable. Students will often follow the herd vs. being themselves.
- Share yourself. Work at sharing your knowledge and gifts with others. This is a great way to burnish your image in the workplace and for others to be able to articulate who you are and your personal assets.
- Value your capital/expertise. We all bring different skills, knowledge, and expertise to every situation. Don't diminish the importance of what you have in your portfolio. Your expertise may play to a niche space, but it is still important. Also realize that just because your attributes don't seem special to you doesn't mean they aren't valuable to others.
- Value the capital of others. On a team, differences are strengths. Value what others bring to the table, help them contribute and develop their skills and expertise, and listen to their point of view. Your work and perspective can only benefit from this approach.
- Cultivate your brand. Always be mindful of your personal brand. Pay attention to how others perceive you and gather input as to how you can improve it. Do you need to spend more time developing a deeper knowledge/expertise in a particular area? Are you leveraging opportunities to showcase your knowledge and its value to your employer?
- Empower others to do the same. If you haven't figured it out yet, this isn't all about you. Many people who are held in high regard and have a strong image and brand have done so in part because they have supported so many others along the way. Think of the movie Pay It Forward.
- Know the rules of the game. To be successful, it is important to manage your own image and personal capital, but also be aware of how to play the game in your organization. You can be the world's expert on something and be recognized for that, but if you don't understand how to operate successfully in your organization, it doesn't matter.
My experience has been that managing and leveraging your personal capital is not that difficult to do, but it does require your awareness and constant effort.
Want to learn how to cultivate and manage your personal brand? Dr. Greg Ross will show you the way in the upcoming EWI professional development webinar. Click here to register today .
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Save the Date for Professional Development
Personal Branding 101
Tuesday January 14 - 3:00pm ET
Register Now
He Said, She Said: Communications between the Genders
Tuesday February 4 - 3:00pm ET
Register Now
2014 Spring Conference April 24-26, 2014 Northern Quest Resort & Casino Spokane, WA
2014 LCAM
September 10-13, 2014
Crystal Gateway Marriott Arlington, VA
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2013-2014 Officers & Directors
President
Ronwyn Anderson Soft-Lite Windows, LLC EWI of Nashville
Vice President
Darlene Banogon North Island Credit Union EWI of San Diego
Secretary/Treasurer
Diane Barber
Capital Region Benefits
EWI of Harrisburg
Director
Benita Collins
Dallas Area Rapid Transit
EWI of Dallas
Director
Cortney Ihde SafeNet Consulting EWI of Milwaukee
Director
Cheryl Hawkins
American Clinical Laboratory Association
EWI of Washington DC
Director
Dianne Luckett
Irby Electrical Distributor
EWI of Jackson
Advisor
Karen Skirten
TierOne Travel
EWI of Calgary
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Corporate Office Serving EWI Membership
The Corporate Office deepens its commitment and level of service to EWI. We commit to 24-hour turnaround in email reply and answering voice messages, unless the office is closed or the person you need to reach is out for the day.
Wendy H. Cowley Executive Director, COO
Kristine Pepin Managing Director
Brittany Jones
Operations & Events Administrator
Kim Manookin Office Administrator
Ashley WarbergMember Services Administrator
Bonny Steele Webmaster
Office Hours: 9:00am-5:00pm MT
Phone: 801.355.2800
Address: 3860 S 2300 E, Ste 211 Salt Lake City, UT 84109
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Chapter Anniversaries
EWI of Corpus Christi January 1983 Celebrating 31 years
EWI of Houston January 1957 Celebrating 57 years
EWI of Minneapolis January 1960 Celebrating 54 years
EWI of Phoenix January 1957 Celebrating 57 years
EWI of Wichita January 1970 Celebrating 44 years
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Minutes from the 66th Annual Meeting, held in San Diego, California on September 14, 2013, are now posted on ewiconnect.com.
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