Dear Members,

Welcome to 2016 with your Rocky Mountain Chapter of ATD. I am thrilled to be stepping into the role of president - it's going to be a great year! We have a lot of exciting programming and opportunities this year to continue our forward momentum that has been building over the past years. In 2016 as we plan for all of our big events, programs, and initiatives, our focus is on engagement, growth, and fun.

The big event this year is the ATD International Conference and Expo (ICE), which will be held in Denver May 22-25. ICE attracts talent development practitioners from all over the world, including some of the biggest thought leaders in the field, so it will be chock full of learning and networking opportunities. We're so fortunate to be hosting it here in Denver, with our past president, Becky Magnotta, at the helm coordinating the volunteer effort. If you registered to be in the volunteer pool for the conference - an incredible opportunity to serve and connect - be on the lookout for your invitation to register for your time slot. You are not on the official volunteer roster until this happens and positions will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit our ICE Volunteer Page for more information.

ICE sets ATD-RMC up to attract many new members to our chapter. This is a great opportunity for our membership to connect with many additional talent development professionals in our area. As such, we are putting a focus on engagement this year in order to provide ever-expanding ways for new and current members to plug in and get involved. How are we doing that? You may have noticed that we have been making improvements and kick starting new initiatives lately, such as a CPLP Virtual Study Group, an improved mobile website experience, a social learning platform, more Special Interest Groups, and additional virtual programming, to name a few. As we continue to grow the chapter offerings, it opens up more opportunities for our members to step into volunteer and leadership positions to add to their networks, experience, and professional development; and it helps increase the chapter's offerings to our members. Win, win, win! Reach out to volunteers@atdrmc.org for more information on getting involved in 2016.

As part of our focus on expanding engagement and creating even more opportunities to grow, connect, and learn, we are piloting a social learning platform from River Software. All ATD-RMC members will be given access to this learning version of a social networking site.  Users create a profile that outlines their experience and learning interests, and then suggestions are made so that members can form groups with other members who have shared learning interests, form mentoring relationships, and stay connected outside of the monthly chapter meetings. Members can ask questions, share and curate content, share work products, and request feedback. It's a really exciting opportunity for ATD-RMC members to connect and learn anytime, whether in town or traveling for work. Members should be on the lookout for their login and access information starting after Randy Emelo's Modern Mentoring chapter program on February 9th.

And that's just the beginning. We have an enlightening program of professional development opportunities slated for 2016, as well as many opportunities and ways to connect in and grow our networks. ATD-RMC is an exciting place to be in 2016 and we look forward to engaging, growing, and having fun with you.

All the Best in 2016,

Robin Doss