Hi All,
Granted, I travelled by plane to the west coast to engage with the Peninsula Palo Alto Chapter (seat 22D, to be exact) but road trip sounds better!
Two chapter events, one chapter board meeting, eight corporate visits, one major university visit, and more - talk about spreading the word, the value of the CMA and IMA educational programs, community, research, publications, advocacy and more!
So, what was the "road to success" .........?
It all starts with focused, creative and passionate chapter leadership. In this case, Sudha Chadalavada, Chapter president, is so committed in her service to IMA that she took two full days off from her important position at a local Silicon Valley firm to make sure things went smoothly. She has a fine board of directors, including those we accompanied me on various parts of the trip (e.g., Nathan Lim, Robert Beasley and David Hughes). I can not thank Sudha (and her board) enough for their service, commitment and hospitality.
Alignment with the IMA global office is also critical. Like good management accountants, the global office and our local ambassadors led by Sudha developed a plan and executed the plan including advance marketing and technical collateral. Now, we are in follow-up mode with the hundreds of members, corporate officers, professors and students that we met and engaged with.
This proves once again that it is the power and "commitment of the community" that will create sustainable growth and influence for our great association.
Thanks. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Jeff