by A Look Ahead: The Conference and Beyond.
SoACE leadership and the many volunteers who make this association so incredible are hard at work planning an amazing conference in Atlanta for members this December. In addition, it’s becoming just as important to provide relevant resources and content throughout the year. From webinars to best practices, SoACE has truly become a colleague you can rely on to assist you in meeting your goals.
Just last month, the new SoACE board met to discuss what’s going on with membership, Knowledge Groups (KGs), Diversity & Inclusion, professional development and everything in between. It was during this time that we also discussed the next year and beyond. A quick snapshot is included to provide you with some insight into the goals leadership will be focused on.
An exciting venture we are working on is how SoACE can continue to work collaboratively with state associations and related consortia. This has always been critical to SoACE, but we are excited to further explore opportunities to learn from each other, share best practices and expand resource and leadership opportunities for our members. We believe by doing this, SoACE will further develop its membership and create additional quality leadership opportunities within the organization.
It is imperative that SoACE continues to seek opportunities to strengthen our employer membership while providing an opportunity for employer members to both engage with each other and with career services partners. A task force was appointed earlier this year to identify opportunities to expand employer services. The Conference Planning Committee has done a tremendous job of focusing on this initiative, as exemplified by the planned reception at the Metro Atlanta Chamber during the conference. Please register in advance to take advantage of this great opportunity to connect with current SoACE employer members as well as local Atlanta company reps.
For most, professional development and networking are the key reasons why members choose to join SoACE. With this at the center of nearly everything we do, SoACE will continue to offer a variety of opportunities throughout the year, while focusing on what brings value to our members the most. We want to ensure that your time is used wisely; whether it is participation on a webinar, KG, networking session or through a variety of other outlets. We have taken steps to improve the sharing of best practices utilizing technology that our leadership and KGs are currently piloting. We look forward to continued and newfound success in the near future.
In closing, I want to thank you for your membership in SoACE. Your continued involvement and future interactions will help shape what’s next for SoACE in many ways. I want to encourage you to register for the conference being hosted in Atlanta, GA, December 2-5, 2018. I can assure you this year’s theme of Activate | Transform | Lead will hit on everything you expect and more from a conference. If early indications are correct, we are in for a truly amazing conference as registrations are up, keynotes are set and events are being planned. Don’t miss out – we look forward to seeing each of you there.
Mark Colvenbach
2018-2019 SoACE President
The University of Tampa
