Message from the President:
Welcome 2015! If my completely unscientific and random survey of colleagues has any statistical relevance, Q4 2014 was among the busiest we have all seen, and Q1 2015 seems to be following along on the same trend.
These busy times make it all the more remarkable the amount of work accomplished by the volunteers of the College since our October meeting.
First, Matt Gabrys of Northwest Mutual and Tricia Mundy of Sullivan & Worcester have graciously agreed to Co-Chair the 2015 Spring Forum and have hit the ground running. They are taking us “Back to the Future”. I am not sure which of Marty’s predictions for 2015 have or haven’t come true (note, this may be a pop quiz in April), but I am confident predicting that it will be a great follow-on to the fantastic program that Yves Denize and Charles Kolin chaired this fall in New York.
Speaking of New York, I would like to extend a very special thank you to Yves and Charles and all the speakers who made that event a wildly successful event. Attendance at the 2014 Annual Meeting was the College’s highest ever. The numbers speak to how hard Yves and Charles worked to put together a program that simply sold itself. And, just a quick sneak preview for the 2015 Annual Meeting—that event will be moving to the Grand Hyatt near Grand Central Station. Any feedback on the location change would be greatly appreciated.
All of the Committee Chairs have been hard at work as well. Education has met several times with the Spring Co-Chairs, providing valuable advice and support. Communications—well, you are reading the fruits of their labor. Development is working to find ways to make the Spring Forum a fun as well as educational event (I hear big hair and mullets will be briefly back in vogue). Membership is always looking for candidates—please keep those applications coming. And, I understand TMPC is hoping to wrap up its current swaps project this spring.
Also, an important committee update. In the spirit of keeping up with the future, the College has created the Website and Social Media Committee. This Committee, chaired by Tim Brennan, Clint Woods and Tom O’Connor, the architects of the College’s effort to push our website into the future, willfocus on keeping the College’s on-line presence accessible, informative and updated. Any of our internet/social media savvy members are strongly encouraged to give any of them a call if you have an interest in helping out.
And lastly, a big thank you to Cassie Poss and all the team at MCC for all their hard work behind the scenes to keep the College running smoothly.
I feel very fortunate to be President of the College at this time. Our three most recent past presidents, Hugh McCrory, Mike Kelly, and Vicky Bailey, guided the College through a difficult period of transition for the College—a change in administrator, a transition of the College to a more internet friendly organization, a change in meeting venue for the Annual Meeting after years at the Roosevelt and a tough, hard look at the College’s finances. I don’t mean to rest on their laurels (and the presidents before them who laid the groundwork for their efforts), but I can really say that the College is in very good shape. Membership numbers are up, attendance at our conferences is up and our finances are moving firmly toward the black. However, I know there is always more we can do to make the College a dynamic, relevant organization. The College is here for you and I want to hear from you. Don’t hesitate to email or call me if you have ideas, questions or criticisms.
Nicole Rives
President
