Arkansas Society of Certified Public Managers®

By Becky Bryant, CPM
becky.bryant@arkansas.gov

The Arkansas Society enjoyed a festive end to 2008 by holding a holiday reception in conjunction with our annual meeting. Several sponsors helped with the reception and the event was well-attended by members and special guests including Representatives from the Arkansas Legislature and several agency directors and administrators. During the annual business meeting, ASCPM members elected the 2009 Board of Directors that includes: Becky Bryant, President; Doris Anderson, Immediate Past-President; Cynthia Nixon, Recording Secretary; Lori Morrison, Treasurer; William Davis, Parliamentarian; and Barbara Mahoney, Edet Frank, Emma Lay, and Cheryl LeDoux, Members-at-Large. At the conclusion of the meeting, several members and guests were treated to a tour of the Governor’s Mansion, which was beautifully decorated for the holiday season.

The new board held its first meeting in February and the first quarterly general membership meeting will be March 5. Two ongoing goals for the Society are building our membership and increasing active participation in membership meetings and events. We are encouraged about the opportunities for growth with having several new CPM graduates in 2008 and many new 2009 program participants. We also plan to sponsor a professional development seminar for our membership in the fall. We have provided information to the state Office of Personnel Management with the hope that some weight will be given in future promotional opportunities and pay considerations for those holding the CPM designation.

As our Society president, I appreciate the opportunity to work with Mark Evans and many others in evaluating the AACPM strategic plan and developing recommendations for consideration. We are also excited that some of our members will be participating on 2009 AACPM committees. I believe the cooperation and collaboration between the member Societies and the AACPM is essential for each of our organizations to prosper.

My best wishes to each Society and the 2009 AACPM Board of Directors for a successful year.

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