Florida Society of Certified Public Managers®

By Jerry McCarthy, CPM, President
Jerry.McCarthy@dot.state.fl.us

The Florida Society of Certified Public Managers® (FSCPM) hosted our 19th Annual FSCPM Leadership Symposium and Awards Banquet at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Altamonte Springs on January 22-23, 2009. Thanks go to Christine Taylor, chairperson of the symposium, and her committee members for their hard work. The symposium was a great success and was well received by all attendees. FSCPM members heard many excellent speakers and learned about best practices from a variety of agencies and management levels. Applying this information to their own organizations will aid them in giving their internal and external customers world class customer service.

The awards banquet was a huge success. Celebrating together and recognizing our peers is a fundamental lesson. We recognized a number of our fellow FSCPM members for their hard work and contributions to the Society. The Chapter Effectiveness Awards were given to the Florida Keys, North Florida, Polk County, South Florida, and SunCoast Chapters. Christine Taylor and Fred Levinson revised the format of the banquet by starting a new tradition of reading all of the FSCPM award nominations. This allowed everyone to hear about all the amazing and wonderful CPM activities throughout our great state. The banquet concluded with an open brainstorming session about how to improve the services that FSCPM provides members and agencies.

Individual FSCPM members recognized at the awards banquet included our three CPM of the Year nominees -- Sabrina Hartley, Dianne Wilkinson, and Ellen Daniel – all of whom are great leaders and deserving of the award. Ellen Daniel received the 2008 Florida CPM of the Year Award for her exemplary contributions to the FSCPM, South Florida Chapter, and state of Florida. Ellen is an outstanding natural leader and role model, both professionally and personally. I encourage everyone to visit our website www.fscpm.org where you can learn more about Ellen.

It was an honor for me to present the 2008 President’s Award to three FSCPM members who are also outstanding role models. North Florida Chapter member, Sherry Valdes, has served FSCPM as the state secretary for the last two-and-a-half years. She has organized our quarterly state board meetings, prepared and distributed meeting minutes, and volunteered to co-chair the Askew Award Committee. South Florida Chapter member, Fred Levinson, has served as state membership chairperson, awards committee chairperson, and also volunteered to co-chair the Askew Award Committee. Fred has personally assisted me this year with FSCPM issues and always appreciates new challenges. I have always been able to count on his passion, commitment, and “How can I serve you?” attitude. Central Florida Chapter member, Christina Taylor, is Past President of the Central Florida Chapter and served as the chairperson for highly successful FSCPM annual symposiums and awards banquets in 2007 and 2008. I have been proud to serve with these three deserving backbone members of our organization. Honoring them with the 2008 President’s Award was my pleasure.

The North Florida Chapter Lifetime Contribution Award went to Dottie Gough for her many years of dedication and outstanding service. The North Florida Chapter named a star in her honor. The next time you look up at the stars, check out “Star Dottie” in the Cassiopeia Constellation (RA23h22m55.46s D56 degrees 11'57.42"). The Karl Goodwin Scholarship Award was awarded to Michelle Burgos and Yami Torres. Congratulations to a number of other FSCPM members who received awards acknowledging their individual achievements. Special thanks to Fred Levinson, awards chairperson, and his committee for an excellent job at the awards banquet.

A round of applause goes to Jan Wright who diligently worked for three years to obtain the annual Florida Governor’s CPM Proclamation to be presented at this year’s national AACPM Professional Development Conference in Orlando.

Lastly, a hearty thank you to Joanne Robertson, host Society chairperson for the 2009 AACPM Professional Development Conference, and her committee for their ongoing hard work and dedication to September’s national conference. She and her team continue to work closely with the AACPM to make this event a great success. A Florida CPM graduation will coincide with the conference. We look forward to everyone joining us in Orlando on September 20-23, 2009!

© Copyright 2009, American Association of Certified Public Managers®