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Tis the season to be grateful—and we always have more to be thankful for than not! As I ponder the past year and this journey as President of NYPCMA, I am most grateful for my Executive Committee, Board of Directors, committee chairs, and volunteers. And, of course, I am thankful for our management. Hiring Erica Keagy was one of the best things I accomplished for this chapter! We, indeed, could not have done it all without her. To all our volunteers: Your dedication, expertise, and drive carry us into the next phase of this journey, and it is not an end; it is a continuation.
I am not going to recap this year because, hopefully, you were there to witness and participate in many of our activities. As a board, we strived to make it a rebound year for NYPCMA. Coming into 2022, we were still trying to determine how the year would unfold, with COVID variants rising and the future still feeling uncertain. The board also saw the challenges of members working remotely and keeping up with the career changes is a big hurdle for our membership numbers.
Additionally, our industry was facing countless challenges. High food costs, supply chain issues, labor shortages, and the shuffling of business events were some, and although these challenges kept us feeling the remains of COVID, hope abounded! We marched into 2022 with great enthusiasm and planned accordingly. We had some sold-out events and met many of the goals we set for the year. The ones that are most important to mention are delivering top-quality education and promoting noteworthy levels of networking. And we accomplished all of this while we kept our eyes on our diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility goals!
As my stewardship ends, I cannot be more excited about what lies ahead for this chapter under the leadership of John Teehan with IEEE and his vision. The Board of Directors of NYPCMA is eager to serve and already began planning the year in early November. Thank you all for the trust and opportunity to serve you as your 2022 President; it has been a privilege and an honor to get to know all of you better and work alongside you!
Thank you to my company, Visit Salt Lake, for supporting me in this role. I am very grateful for your encouragement and appreciative of the contributions made throughout the years to NYPCMA.
I leave you with my wishes: I wish you peace that surpasses all understanding, prosperity in spirit and life, happiness that multiplies, good health for you and yours, delight in the simple pleasures of the day, energy to chase your dreams, joy to fill your holidays, and enough energy to make it past midnight on New Year’s Eve!
See you in Columbus at Convening Leaders!
Karen Staples, CMP, CASE | 2022 NYPCMA Chapter President
Visit Salt Lake
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