ARMAzing News 8
ARMA NNJ Chapter Newsletter                                                                                                January, 2013- Vol 2, Issue 1
In This Issue...
February 2013 Event
CRM Study Group formed with NY & CT
January 16th Event Recap
Preparing for the Deal: Get Your Information House in Order for M&A
Charity News
New Chapter Members
Are We Prepared for the Future?
Library Corner
Kudos Corner
ARMA International Education Foundation (AIEF)
Are CRMs People With Too Much Time?
ARMA NNJ and LinkedIn

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If you have a Linkedin.com profile be sure to check out the ARMA NNJ Chapter group profile. Request membership to be included and network with other members online. We're currently over 85 group members strong and growing!

 Ilana Lutman, ARMA NNJ President

  

ilana 2012 Greetings!    

 

Socializing, networking and connecting with colleagues - these are important aspects of ARMA chapters and a significant reason to attend meetings. I recently read a book called: "The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career" by Reid Hoffman, Cofounder and chairman of LinkedIn, and Ben Casnocha.

 

One of the takeaways of this book is that we all have to be entrepreneurs and CEOs of the most important company in the world....you. 

 

Another takeaway is that we should all be in "permanent beta mode", constantly evolving, inventing ourselves and finding new ways to provide value to our employers.

 

A theme that permeates the book  is that we build networks of allies and tap those networks for intelligence on what's happening in the world and more specifically what's happening in the job market.  Finally, Reid suggests that nothing replaces the benefits of a physical face-to-face meeting.

 

So invest in yourself and schedule the third Wednesday of each month into your routine. One of the things I hope you accomplish.

David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States
  

Yours in professional development,

  

Ilana Lutman

Chapter President

 

 Chapter Pin

 

Stay updated on the latest chapter events and industry information.

 February 2013 Event 

Join ARMA Northern New Jersey and ARMA Central New Jersey chapters on Wednesday, February 20 at a new meeting location; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton NJ. This meeting includes dinner, networking with RIM professionals and a special panel discussion: How To Design a Legally Defensible Records Retention Plan. 
 
So your organization has a records retention plan, somewhere, and you think it's effective. But are you sure? When was the last time you took a hard look at it? In this comprehensive session, you'll get specific recommendations for the design, maintenance, and improvements for a legally defensible records retention plan. The panel will provide guidance from all perspectives . . . an in-house RIM practitioner, Outside Counsel and a RIM solution provider.  We will provide you with real world examples of what works and practical take-away tools/solutions.

The panel presenters include: 

Jacki Cheslow is Senior Manager of Corporate Compliance & Records for Avis Budget Group (ABG) a leader in the vehicle rental industry where she directs the Company's global records management program including policies, procedures and training programs.  She advises the legal department on discovery matters and is responsible for Global Compliance & Ethics Risk Assessment.  Jacki has more than 20 years in house experience in record and information governance, discovery, litigation, and risk management.  Jacki holds a B.S. in Management - Business Assurance & Security, is a current Certified Record Management (CRM) candidate as well as a Compliance & Ethics Professional (CCEP) certified by the internationally recognized Society for Corporate Compliance & Ethics.  She is currently Executive Vice President for the Northern New Jersey Chapter of ARMA International, having previously served as Vice President of Professional Development and serves on the Board of several local non-profit organizations.

 

Rebecca Perry is Executive Vice President of Jordan Lawrence, a leading solution provider for records retention, data privacy and information governance. She has over 20 years of experience in records management and information governance.  Rebecca advises in-house counsel, compliance and privacy professionals in the areas of records management, data privacy and e-discovery and the confluence of technology in these areas. She plays a key role in the success and oversight of developing and enforcing effective, defensible and cost effective information governance programs that address information across all platforms and media.  She is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US/G) and frequent contributor and speaker in the legal and privacy communities. Most recently she was a featured speaker on a series of industry webinars covering topics on privacy, SharePoint, and retention program development.
 

Jenny Finnegan is a partner in Herrick, Feinstein's Litigation Department and focuses her practice on professional responsibility issues and on complex litigation, including the defense of product liability actions, class actions and mass tort actions. She advises on a wide range of complex litigation for financial institutions and for manufacturers in pharmaceutical, consumer products, automotive and chemical industries. Jenny also counsels clients in matters involving lawyers' professional responsibility and contract disputes. Jenny is a member of the New York and New Jersey Bars and practices in state and federal courts throughout New Jersey and New York at both the trial and appellate level. Jenny is a member of the firm's Best Practices Committee and Co-Chairs the firm's Electronic Discovery Committee. She is a regular presenter of seminars and author of articles on topics such as e-discovery, document retention, ethics, and product liability.

 

Register Button - Orange

CRM Study Group formed with NY and CT 
 

Study Group formed with NY and CT Chapters

 

A new CRM Study Group has formed for those preparing for the ICRM certification exams. ARMA NNJ, in conjunction with the New York and Connecticut ARMA Chapters joined forces to assist candidates preparing for the exams.

 

The Study Group was an outgrowth of the ICRM October Workshop. A nice size class expressed a desire to study together. Coincidently, New York held a workshop with a smaller class. Sofia and I taught the NJ workshop and also the NY workshop with Anita Castora, and the three of us teamed up to form the NJ, NY, CT Study Group.

 

In preparation for the February CRM exams we have hosted a weekly Friday call from 2 to 3 PM since December. Subject Specialists review a Part, and Generalists run the session and pose test questions. CRMs from all 3 states join the call and add their expertise.

 

Subject terms are assigned each week and students give definitions which are reviewed and discussed during the session.   We have had wonderful participation from the NJ candidates as they prepare to take the February Exams. Good luck to all.

  

Email Lucy Rieger at Lucy@libraryupdate.com for more information

 

 January 16, 2013 Event Recap and upcoming events
Recent and Upcoming Chapter Events

By Eric Reichert, Programs at ARMA NNJ

  

January Networking Event and Business Attire Fashion Show

models 
      

The January Networking Event/Fashion Show was a great success with delicious food, delightful company, rockin' music and the best dressed records managers outside of Milan! We welcomed Barbara Valese, Manager of Personal and Corporate Sales from Macy's by Appointment, Macy's Bridgewater.  She described the business casual and corporate clothing worn by our own models Ace, Andie, Nidia, Sam and Lori who owned the catwalk! Chris Reilly amped us up with spot-on catwalk music.

 

Thank you Archive Systems for your sponsorship!

Archive Systems 

 

    

model team  

 


Upcoming Events:  

The next two programs won't have that kind of entertainment, but should be interesting and informative

nevertheless. On February 20 we will have a panel discussion on How To Design a Legally Defensible Records Retention Plan. The panel members will include our own Jacki Cheslow who is the Senior Manage of Corporate Compliance and Records at Avis Budget Group, Rebecca Perry (Executive VP of Jordan Lawrence) and Jenny Finnegan (partner at Herrick Feinstein.) It will be held from 5:00-8:00 at the campus of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Princeton.

 

The March Program will be a panel discussion regarding recordless communication streams hosted by our sponsor Vapor Stream. It will be held from 5:00-8:00 at the Daiichi Sankyo Campus in Edison. A more detailed announcement will be coming shortly.

 

If anyone has questions or suggestions regarding future programs, you may contact Eric Reichert, Director of Professional Development at eric.reichert@mercer.com or call him at (862) 377-9082.

 

Preparing for the Deal: Get Your Information House in Order for M&A

Preparing for the Deal:

Get Your Information House in Order for M&A 

     

As the economy continues to improve, we can expect to see increasing merger and acquisition activity. The reality is that the merger and acquisition (M&A) process is often long, difficult, complex, and imperfect. In fact, depending on how you measure it, some 50-80% of all mergers or acquisitions are deemed to be failures. The difficulty is often compounded because, in the complexity and immediacy of "the deal," it is too easy to overlook the fundamentals that will determine the deal's long-term success.

In today's environment of ever-increasing regulation and spiraling costs and risks associated with litigation, it is critical that M&A professionals address information governance fundamentals. After all, in our knowledge-based economy, information is often the asset that we are trying to acquire.

Getting your information house in order should be a standard part of any M&A process. Too often, in the hurry to consummate deals, professionals perform only perfunctory diligence in this area. For example, we have seen information governance due diligence in massive deals that amounted to a single page of rudimentary check-boxes reflecting a na�ve understanding of information governance at best.

Addressing information governance early in the deal provides the best opportunity to identify the value of the asset, root out liability dormant in the information environment, and prepare for the harsh realities of integrating different IT systems, processes, and cultures. In this article, we outline five key lessons that we have learned in helping our clients through these critical business events.

1. Map That Information

A standard part of M&A should be the inventorying of IT systems, applications, and data storage repositories in both organizations. Although this "checkbox" is often checked off when existing inventory data is collected from both organizations, in our experience this approach is inadequate. These lists tend to be outdated. They also reflect an IT-centric worldview that understandably focuses on what IT is responsible for (i.e., the systems) rather than the information that those systems house (which is typically viewed as a business, rather than an IT responsibility). As such, they are typically not sufficient to provide a comprehensive picture of the state of each organization's information "house."

The analysis needs to go further. The focus needs to be on the information itself, not just the systems. You should be doing this work anyway preparing for litigation in the context of the amended Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP), which require comprehensive knowledge about sources of Electronically Stored Information (ESI) you will produce evidence from.

So, take advantage of the occasion of M&A activity to go deeper in the analysis and "mapping" of information in both organizations. It will make valuation-and if the deal is successful-the integration of organizations much easier and more effective.

  • Take an information-centric approach to mapping.
  • Don't just "check the box" by gathering existing inventory information.
  • Leverage any work that has already been done to comply with the FRCP.

2. Discover Your Dormant Liability

There is huge value in understanding the information environment of each organization involved in the deal. This is especially true in assessing any liability dormant in those terabytes of unmanaged email, shared drives, and legacy backup tapes. Businesses large and small are addicted to storage. More specifically, they are addicted to storing massive volumes of information that has little to no value to them, and which could have been defensibly deleted months or years in the past.  

Although this information may have no value to the business, our ability to properly dispose of it changes dramatically in the context of a legal matter. Now that outdated, useless, and duplicative information may need to be found, captured, processed, and produced to the other side-or to a regulator-in the context of e-discovery.

For example, our analysis of a recent legal matter found that, of the 30 million documents that were produced and reviewed during the course of the matter, over 50% were duplicates. Add that to the number of documents that could have defensibly been deleted prior to the start of the matter, and the amount of information that the organizations should have been retaining and managing was a fraction of the total produced.

The liability associated with unnecessarily retained and poorly managed information can be very high. Don't let it surprise you-discover and evaluate it as part of the deal.

  • Poorly managed information is a liability-both from a legal and business perceptive. Don't let it surprise you.
  • Ensure that you have a good understanding of the major types of information produced by each company and how that information is stored and managed.
  • Look for opportunities to defensibly dispose of unnecessary information as part of the process of integrating systems and repositories, BUT make sure that you are fulfilling legal retention and preservation obligations.

3. Assess Your Legal Matters

Assessing and mitigating information governance risks in M&A depends upon a clear understanding of existing and anticipated legal, regulatory, audit and other formal proceedings that may require the preservation and/or production of information. We call this process "matter assessment," and it involves a focused effort to inventory all relevant matters.

This assessment provides a foundation for assessing dormant liability in stored information, and for building a solid plan for ensuring that information is properly handled during the system integration and decommissioning that is common when two companies become one. We recommend that matter assessments be completed in both organizations as a standard part of the M&A process. Taken together with the information mapping discussed in #1 above, it provides a key piece of the puzzle in ensuring M&A success.

  • Understand the information impact of current and anticipated matters. How much data is being preserved? Where is each matter in its e-discovery lifecycle? What are the anticipated e-discovery costs?
  • Are their matters that have been resolved but evidence related to them is still being preserved? Perhaps now is the time to dispose of unnecessarily preserved information.
  • Is the scope of Legal Hold notices for current matters appropriate? Should they be updated to address the combined organization? Also, in many cases companies put in place overly-broad Holds that can defensibly be scaled back.

4. Whose Program Will Rule?

Long-term information governance success post-M&A is largely determined by the existence of a clear and committed approach to determining which organization's information governance program will take precedence post-integration. Too often we see companies fail to take a firm stand in this area, and as a result the two programs are never fully integrated. This leads to wasteful duplication of efforts and unnecessary retention of information that creates both cost and risk.

  • During the M&A process, take a close look at the policies and procedures of each organization to determine where they are materially similar and different. Establish a formal process for resolving differences to ensure that the legal and business requirements of the unified organization are met.
  • Avoid the temptation to tolerate significant differences in information governance practices. The time to address these differences is during the deal. After the deal, change in this area will only be more difficult.
  • Ensure that the training and experience of personnel are adequate to support the combined organization, especially if a new line of business is added by the merger or acquisition.

5. Think About the Future-Pessimistically

Major business events-such as mergers or acquisitions-are guaranteed to be the period in your history when the other side in litigation or a regulator will aggressively investigate. Experience has taught litigators and regulators that such events are prime occasions for records, information, and evidence to go missing-inadvertently or not. M&A is not the time to play fast and loose with retention and preservation requirements. Rather, it is the time to avoid the appearance of wrongdoing. Doing so will help to inoculate the new organization from future claims.

  • Document, document, document. Go above and beyond in creating good evidence that tells the story of what you did to manage and protect information during the merger or acquisition.
  • Be especially careful when disposing of information from either company when decommissioning or integrating systems, and when shutting down data centers and offsite storage facilities.
  • Proactively create "the bible" of the merger or acquisition that can be referred to when preparing for future depositions or testimony. Record the narrative of what was done in your information environment during the event.

Final Thoughts

M&A's are challenging. The long-term value that they provide to participating institutions is in large part determined by how well their respective information environments are integrated. The time to be surprised by a treasure trove of evidence is not after the deal, when the subpoena arrives on your desk. Address information governance up front. It is a complex, but not an insurmountable task. The simple lessons we have provided here will help get you started.

Good luck. 

barclay

 

Barclay T. Blair

Principal, ViaLumina LLC

btblair@vialumina.com 

Twitter: @btblair

Blog: barclaytblair.com

  Charity News- Every little bit counts!

The Chapter Contributes to Hurricane Sandy Families  

  
LucyIn the spirit of the season, the chapter generously donated $700 in Macy's gift cards to residents of Little Ferry who were flooded by Hurricane Sandy. I saw a timely request for gift cards from Glen McCall, the Youth Minister at my church, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Ridgewood. It was a very special feeling of gratitude to personally gift cardpresent the gift cards to Glen just before the holidays, and to be able to help our local families this way. I know the cards made many families happy- giving them made me even happier!  Thank you! 
Lucy Rieger, Chapter Director
macys gc 

gift card 2

     

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sand aid

 New Chapter Members

  Welcome mat
Welcome to the Chapter!

Ace Romar 

Ace Romar, Senior Associate  

New York Life

 

At New York Life, Ace supports the investment division subsidiaries and insurance business areas in program training and development, technical support, electronic archiving operations and infrastructure, compliance, and strategic execution of its Corporate Records Management Program objectives. Ace is also a personal advocate of charities and noble causes. He values philanthropic missions and community-based strategies that may use effective multimedia, social networking, and community outreach solutions.

 

Ace spoke and presented on a range of important business topics (Social Media, Professional Development and Networking, etc.) and other records and information management topics with high profile people and audiences. Ace received the highest business awards and honors from CEOs and Presidents of organizations for business initiatives which include the Prudential Investments Champion Award (IPO launch, Marketing, and Client Services), and Paul Hastings Honorable Mentions (for dot-com, investment banking, and M&A deals of critical acclaim in the wake of the internet age and technology revolution). Ace worked in advertising, marketing & communications, investment banking, legal/compliance, and financial services.

 

Ace honorably served on boards, groups, and committees for diverse community efforts and causes. He also received numerous honors and awards for his leadership and community service at companies he has been employed. Ace worked and met with notable people and celebrities in the arts community and other industries, and spoke and presented on important community topics and topics of personal interest with high profile audiences. He received both national and local media attention, and accepted distinct honors and awards for his service and leadership, such as the New Jersey State General Assembly Award for Meritorious Record of Leadership & Service, and the "Global" Commendation for Noble Community Leadership.

Ace graduated "With Honors". He was admitted early as a Ph.D. candidate, and received both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in four years. At Rutgers University, his concentrations were in business organizational theory, statistics, sociology, political science and criminal justice.

 

BDeason

Babs Deacon, Consultant  
 

 Babs has over 25 years of discovery and information management experience, specializing in providing consulting, project management and data reduction services to law firms, corporations and government clients, including management of the 9/11 WTC project for the Law Department of the City of New York. Deacon is also a pioneering influencer in ediscovery best practice reviews and has managed numerous projects related to eDiscovery, trial, early case assessment, evidence acquisition, process review, data reduction, application assessment, and vendor selection.

 

Prior to joining the eDJ Group, Deacon worked as a Practice Support manager for several prominent law firms and as a subject matter expert on data analytics and discovery management. She is a regular speaker on topics such as defensible data reduction, early case assessment and managing discovery costs, and she is a frequent contributor to numerous legal publications.  She has developed accredited courses approved by the Continuing Legal Education (CLE) boards in the States of New York and California and trained hundreds of eDiscovery professionals in discovery management and data analytics.

 

Deacon's distinguished industry leadership roles include serving on the executive board of the East Coast Association of Litigation Support Managers and the National Board of Women in eDiscovery, and Co-chairing the EDRM Evergreen Project.  She is currently the Director of the New Jersey Chapter of Women in eDiscovery. Deacon holds a conservatory degree in Music from Northwestern University.

 

Information Governance / Records and Information Management - Are We Prepared for the Future?

 

Information Governance / Records and Information Management - Are We Prepared for the Future? A Series of Questions Begging for Answers!
By Tony Abbate, Chapter Secretary
 

abbate

  

Technology is far outpacing many aspects of our society changing and impacting the socio -economic landscape. In the past the when technology was introduced it did display some jobs but created a set of equal or greater number of jobs as well as to create new opportunities to be embraced by trained individuals.   

However in today's environment technology not only increases productivity and reduces operational cost it also eliminates job without the potential of the jobs being replaced. That is a significant and negative impact on the society because there is no absorption of the misplaced worker.  

 

Opportunities do exist and remain available but require a different mindset and a new passion on how we embrace the changes that are occurring all around us. Historically, we seem to be biased toward reaction until something occurs that forces us to react and embrace the change. We must break from this and continuously position ourselves for the future and become the proponents of change so that we not only embrace it but remain part of it.   

 

Information Governance and Records and Information Management are on the threshold on the event horizon of change that these disciplines dictate to us. The hybrid environment (hardcopy, electronic and digital) will remain fields fertile with opportunity that will require our embracing new ideas and technology. The topic of interest include: a) the hosting of records regardless of media and being sensitive to technological change of the hosting environment; b) the conduct of discovery (again regardless of media); c) minimizing exposure to risk; d) ability to support confident business decisions; e) impact of social media; and f) to demonstrate vale added to all aspects of the business improving the "bottom line".   

 

Here are the unanswered questions to consider:

  1. How well are we prepared to meet the challenges of a continuously changing technological environment?
  2. What are we doing to eliminate organizational inertia?
  3. How are we using lessons learned in positioning for the future?
  4. Have we demonstrated bottom line value to the business?

The opportunity is in our hands-working collaboratively will make this happen.  

 

Plato said, "The beginning is the most important part of the work". Let us, as an IG / RIM Team, embrace the event horizon of opportunity.

 

Library Corner
Library Updates 
by Scott Bowker, CRM, Chapter Librarian

  

Click to visit chapter library.
bowker After consultation with some members of the Board and the CRM Study Group, theChapter has purchased the following publications. The descriptions come from ARMA and Amazon, our two main sources for refreshing the Library collection.

Managing Records: A Handbook of Principles and Practice

Offering practical advice on the use of records staff, media and technology, the manual is designed to be of use to LIS and other organizations wishing to introduce better practice into their routines for managing records and other corporate information resources.

 

Mobile Communications and Records and Information Management  

(This publication is available electronically.)

This technical report provides advice for using mobile communications technologies, such as smartphones and tablets, in the organizational setting. It focuses at the implementation level, including such topics as policy design, collaborating with information technology professionals, security, and training.

 

Using Social Media in Organizations  

(This publication is available electronically.)

Complementing ANSI/ARMA 18-2011 Implications of Web-based, Collaborative Technologies in Records Management (ANSI/ARMA 18-2011), this new technical report offers advice on implementing social media within the context of accepted RIM best practices. Topics include governance, infrastructure/technology, processes and controls, change management, training, and audit/evaluation.

 

Records Management (9th edition)

This is a comprehensive introduction to the complex field of records management. Alphabetic filing rules are included, along with methods of storing and retrieving alphabetic, subject, numeric, and geographic records. Thorough coverage is provided for filing and maintenance of paper, automated, micro image, and electronic imaging records.

 

Retention Management for Records and Information  

(This publication is available electronically.)

This guideline provides guidance for establishing and operating a retention and disposition program as a component of a complete records and information management program. It covers general principles, including the following:

1. Authority and responsibility   2. Identifying and classifying records for retention purposes  3. Principles for determining retention periods for all records on all media and in all formats. When implemented, the information retention and disposition program will help ensure compliance with operational, legal/regulatory, fiscal, archival, and other requirements by defining: 1. periods of time for which records are to be maintained  2. appropriate methods for disposition of records  3. measures to be taken when disposition must be suspended

 

These books will be available shortly for any Chapter member. After I accession the books, I will update the Library Listing on the Chapter website. We still have funds remaining to purchase a few additional

items this chapter year. I am waiting for feedback from the CRM Study Group on which other books to buy. If you have a request, please send it to me at librarian@armannj.org 

 

More and more of our collection is electronic. I maintain the official electronic version purchased on behalf of the Chapter in a protected area on my personal network drive on my work computer. When requests are received, I send the PDF via email. It is the responsibility of the Chapter member to either return the pdf to me or to state that they have deleted the pdf after the borrowing period has expired.

 

Kudos Corner

winner

Congratulations!

 

   

Ilana Lutman on becoming a CRM!

 

 

 

   

 Jacki Cheslow on becoming a CRM!

   

 

 

 

....and congratulations to their mentor, Sofia Empel,  for guiding them to their success!

ARMA International Education Foundation (AIEF)

   

Read All About It!  

Sofia Empel, CRM  

The ARMA International Education Foundation (AIEF) coordinated and recently published two research studies: one examines litigation readiness and the other assembles a list of records and information management (RIM) standards and best practices.

 

 Litigation Readiness Research 

Implementing Litigation Readiness: Principles and Practices examines litigation preparedness for law firm clients. According to the author John T. Phillips, CRM, FAI, CDIA+, "Law firms today need to consider how to most cost effectively assist clients with litigation readiness and preparation for the production of ESI (p.17)."

 

Phillips' investigates topics such as records production guidelines, litigation partnership, and outsourcing among others. The study projects an increased demand for outsourcing based on the ongoing need to capture and manage ESI during discovery (p. 29). Opportunities for consulting, software services, training, and support services are also discussed. 

 

 Standards and Best Practices Research

Guide to Commonly Used National and International Records Management Standards and Best Practices has been revised and updated by

Mary Margaret Fletcher, MLIS. According to the author Virginia Jones, CRM, FAI, standards establish benchmarks, create metrics, promote interoperability and compatibility, and provide consistency of products and services.  

 

 

This compilation serves as a reference resource by listing national and international standards for topic areas such as general RIM, protection, technology, legality, and longevity. The standards, guidelines, and best practices were included for publication based on their relevance to RIM. The guide uses a table to organize its information which includes name, brief description, and when available, scope or purpose.

 

Other Research In Progress

Additionally, the AIEF has two other research projects in progress. Researcher Greg Gardner is establishing an online, updatable resource of English language RIM programs at accredited colleges and universities world-wide. And, Donald Force and Elizabeth Shaffer are investigating the feasibility and desirability of a peer-reviewed RIM journal for the United States and Canada.

 

To read more about any of these studies, or to download a free PDF of the completed studies, visit the AIEF Website at http://www.armaedfoundation.org/index.html.

 

___________________________________________________________________________  

About These Articles

These reoccurring short articles are part of a series devoted in 2012 - 2013 to two very worthy organizations: ARMA International Education Foundation (AIEF) and Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM). The articles represent the author's views entirely and do not reflect the opinions or views of any organization. They are written and made available as a service to the profession by the author.

 

About the Author

sofiaSofia Empel, CRM, MLIS, CDIA+ is president of InfoCentric Strategies, an information governance consultancy specializing in records and information management program development, training, technology implementation, and other analytical services.

Sofia is a past recipient of the AIEF's Mavis Eppes, FAI Excellence in Records Management Scholarship and participates in ICRM activities as a grader, mentor, and workshop instructor. Sofia can be reached at sofiaempel@infoCentricStrategies.com.

 

 

 

Are CRMs People With

Too Much Time?

 

 Sofia Empel, CRM

  

If you're not a CRM (and even if you are), you've probably wondered why some people push themselves to become certified. After all, it's a big investment in time, effort, and money.

CRMs either have good reasons for certifying or too much time. So, which one is it? I contacted three CRMs to find out who they are, why they got certified, and where they found the time.

 

Caroline Werle, CRM

     Toronto, Ontario

Why did you become a CRM?

As a consultant, I wanted credibility. Also, I wanted to know if there were any gaps in my knowledge, so I could augment them. As it turned out, I passed the exam in one try.

 

If I didn't spend so much time studying, I would've had the time to...take yoga which I started later in life. I should have started yoga earlier while studying for the CRM!

 

Frank LaSorsa, CRM  

   New York, NY

Why did you become a CRM?

Ten years ago, there were only a few CRMs in New York City. I knew certification would show my employer that I was smarter than I looked. The CRM demonstrates a commitment to your profession and yourself. 

 

If I didn't spend so much time studying, I would've had the time to...play music in any juke-joint that would have me. As a weekend warrior, I played guitar in bar bands in the tri-state area.

 

Scott Murchison, CRM  

   San Francisco, CA

Why did you become a CRM?

I wanted to earn more money and experience more opportunities for growth. I noticed job postings began to list "CRM Preferred," and another CRM suggested that, because of all my RIM experience, I should take the exam.

 

If I didn't spend so much time studying, I would've had the time to...avoid a nervous breakdown! At test time, I was cramming for the CRM, while in the middle of selling my house in Tennessee, and moving to my company's headquarters in Los Angeles.

 

So, CRMs have no extra time, but lots of good reasons to certify.

ARMA NNJ and LinkedIn.com

 

Click here to link to Linked

 

Join us on LinkedIn and Twitter to stay current on chapter updates, share your ideas with members, start discussions on topics, pose questions or request assistance.  See our group profile "ARMA NNJ" on LinkedIn and "ARMANNJ" on Twitter.

   
Contacting the ARMA NNJ Board
We recognize that our Chapter Membership and Non-Members may have wonderful ideas for an event, a chapter meeting or may desire to reach out to the Board on other matters. We encourage your communication. Each Board Member may be contacted directly on any matters relating to their function. All other matters, please direct your communications to the chapter secretary, Anthony Abbate: secretary@armannj.org.

To contact other board members please see our directory below or visit our Leadership Page.
2011 - 2012 ARMA NNJ Board of Directors

ARMA NNJ Chapter

Board of Directors______________________________________________     

  

President                                       Executive Vice President                               

Ilana Lutman                                Jacki Cheslow
Robert Wood Johnson                Avis Budget Group 
Foundation

(609) 627-5976                               (973) 496-5157
president@armannj.org           vicepres@armannj.org 

 
Programs                                       Vice President, Membership
Eric Reichert                                 Liz Steinberg
Williams Lea                        Doris Duke Charitable Foundation 

 (973) 401-5283                                (908)-243-3631

events@armannj.org                     membership@armannj.org     

                                           

VP, Marketing &
Advertising                                   
Treasurer

Sam Mowaswes                             Carl Schriefer 

Daiichi Sankyo                              GRM Document Management 

(732) 590-5123                      (201) 798-7100 Ext. 311
marketing@armannj.org           payment@armannj.org 

 
Secretary                                        Immediate Past President
Anthony Abbate                             Lori Green
Honeywell International, Inc.       McGraw Hill Companies                                                                     
 (973) 455-5438
                                (212) 904-4514
secretary@armannj.org             pastpres@armannj.org
 
Director                                          Director
Lucy Rieger                                   Michael Peacock
Library Update Inc.                        Iron Mountain
(201
) 288-5883                         (732) 484-0608

director1@armannj.org            director2@armannj.org 

 

Director  & Newsletter Editor 
 
Rina Rodriguez 

Archive Systems, Inc.

(973) 287-1317

 nnjnearmannj.org  


Appointees
______________________________________________


Librarian / Scholarship          Webmaster
Scott Bowker                                Seth Beim
Sanofi-Aventis U.S. Inc               MetLife

(908) 541-5280                                (908) 253-1704   

librarian@armannj.org                 webadmin@armannj.org                        
scholarship@armannj.org        

Northern New Jersey Chapter of ARMA (ARMA NNJ) Published bi-monthly online and delivered electronically to members nnjnews@armannj.org ARMANNJ does not endorse any product or service advertised or mentioned in this newsletter. Contents of the ARMANNJ Chapter newsletter is the property of ARMA International and the ARMANNJ Chapter. No part of this newsletter or the photos contained herein may be reproduced in any manner without written permission of ARMANNJ.