NEWS FROM NATIONAL

from Jain Lemos, ASPP Executive Director

This month's newsletter finds us fresh off our various holiday parties and events—ones we've had circled on the calendar for weeks in anticipation of wrapping up yet another year.

Part of what makes ASPP's success so invigorating is the exuberance we share for our industry and each other. The distinct blend of integrity and passion we have for making ASPP stronger is shining through. We certainly have a collection of achievements to point to. These accomplishments are a mere snapshot of what ASPP intends to offer to members in the years ahead.

Our board began the year with a concept of where we are as an organization and where we want to be. Personally, I am encouraged about the possibilities. Remember last year I mentioned something about ushering in ASPP 2.0? I can see it happening on so many levels already. We continue to transcend our identity as a small, specialized group and are becoming known as the big tent organization where you are bound to meet your future clients and collaborators. This is a value of membership to rely on. Plus the more you give the more you take away.

Heading into 2012, our National and Chapter boards remain largely the same, but we do have some new faces including Doug Brooks as Membership Co-Chair with Holly Marshall, who will be taking over for Maggie Fellner Hunt. Maggie's contributions are particularly notable and she did an incredible job! Our heartfelt thanks to her. Jennifer Davis Heffner has already started in our newly defined role as Marketing and Communications Chair. Doug, Holly, Maggie and Jennifer have been working diligently the past few months on creating new membership categories, which Michael outlines in his President's Corner here.

West Chapter Co-President Mark Ippolito solicited responses from a large group of past event attendees, prospects and members who stated preferences for educational programs in 2012. If you would like to see the results, or take the survey please drop me a note. The West also conveys a huge thank you to Co-President Ellen Herbert who will end her reign this year, but thankfully will continue lending her support and expertise to the SoCal board.

We are coordinating with chapters on developing intensive one-day educational events (the Midwest has been holding these for several years now) in place of one large and lengthy conference next year. Most people prefer our standard format but with budgets still rather pinched, we felt this approach would be more successful in the long run. We welcome and except your ideas: keep those emails coming to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Finally, the board is currently approving a new editor and photo editor for the magazine and both will jump right in to begin work on Issue 1, 2012. As soon as contracts are signed we will be making this exciting announcement.

Whatever you might be celebrating this season, I hope it comes with plenty of sparkle. Have a restful break and I'll meet you back here next month, bells still attached.

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