Trillium Chapter President’s message
BUILDING ON TRILLIUM CHAPTER STRENGTHS AND SEIZING NEW OPPORTUNITIES
By Stephen Carroll, CAE, President, CSAE Trillium Chapter
It is truly an honour and a privilege for me to serve as your newly elected CSAE Trillium Chapter President! I’m eager and very excited about the year ahead for Trillium Chapter with so many positive developments and enticing prospects for Trillium Chapter growth and development, our membership has plenty of reasons to feel good about where Trillium Chapter is today and to think optimistically about the Chapter’s future.
Our September 17th Trillium Chapter AGM was held in conjunction with the 2015 Trillium Chapter Awards Recognition Dinner, our Chapter’s annual opportunity to recognize excellence and achievement among our very talented and accomplished membership. Congratulations to Serge Micheli, CAE, Past President of Trillium Chapter and Principal at Association and Events Management along with Sandra Polson, Senior Sales Manager of The London Convention Centre who were both honoured with Chapter Service Excellence Awards. Recognized with Chapter Emerging Talent Awards were Michael Dargavel, CEM, Vice-President at Association and Events Management and Cheryl Gateman, Sales Manager at Dolce International (Ont) Co. Supporting BMO Financial Group Institute for Learning. A richly deserved President’s Award was bestowed upon Trillium Past President Joan Lee, CAE, Director of Operations, Direct Sellers Association and the prestigious Circle of Distinction Award was presented to Edward Barisa, CAE, CEO of the Ontario Real Estate Association for his exemplary and remarkable contributions to the association sector and of course to the Trillium Chapter.
I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank departing Trillium Chapter Board members Joan Lee, CAE, Lisa Natale, CMP and Danielle Russell, CAE. Joan, Lisa and Danielle have been extraordinary workers and contributors to the Trillium Chapter success story. I know all Trillium Chapter members join me in thanking Joan, Lisa and Danielle for all their time and effort devoted to the Chapter’s well-being and we wish them all well in their future endeavours.
I am very pleased to have this chance to introduce three newly elected members of the Trillium Chapter Board, Sandra De Medeiros of the Real Estate Institute of Canada, Randi Glass, CAE, CMP of the Canadian Defence Lawyers and Cheryl Gateman, of Dolce International (Ont) Co. Supporting BMO Financial Group Institute for Learning. To date Sandra, Randi and Cheryl have been awesome contributors to many Trillium Chapter committees and we are very fortunate to have them bring new energy and enthusiasm to the Trillium Chapter Board of Directors.
On behalf of all Trillium Chapter members, I can’t thank Rozalyn Werner-Arce, CAE enough for her leadership, her sincerity and her ability to inspire others to contribute to the Trillium Chapter cause throughout her term as Chapter President. In fact, Trillium Chapter owes Roz a debt of gratitude it can never repay adequately, we have been blessed and fortunate to have Roz represent us and lead us as a Chapter to even greater heights. On a personal note, I had a front row seat to Roz’s entire time serving as a Trillium Chapter Board member and I have nothing but the greatest admiration and respect for Roz as an association executive colleague and a dear friend.
Occasionally we come across a person whose knowledge, skills, abilities and demeanor seem perfectly suited to the job they are working in. There is an apparent and unmistakable passion among these people for the work they do and they motivate others to rally around their efforts by the high standards and example they set. For me this person is Tracy Blyth, CAE our very popular, successful and accomplished staff leader. It is no accident or coincidence that Trillium Chapter has grown and prospered during Tracy’s time with us and I look forward to working closely with Tracy to align the Chapter’s efforts with our strategic priorities.
Speaking of strategic priorities, I am very pleased to report to the Trillium Chapter membership that the Trillium Chapter Strategic Planning Committee is putting finishing touches on the Chapter’s new strategic plan in preparation for Board consideration/approval. I could not be happier about the comprehensive, exhaustive and inclusive process for the creation of this latest plan (including a member brainstorming session at Summer Summit) and very thankful for the skillful and knowledgeable leadership of Jack Shand, CAE our Chapter strategic planning consultant for this project. Watch for more information soon as we communicate the plan’s priorities and call to action to the membership.
Upcoming events you won’t want to miss include the always entertaining, enjoyable and fun Holiday Season get together, your chance to “Party Like a Rock Star” at the Trillium Chapter gala on December 3rd at the Westin Harbour Castle. Please join us as well on February 4th and 5th for the next edition of the Winter Summit at the Holiday Inn Burlington Hotel and Conference Centre. The Winter Summit has earned a well-deserved reputation as the best professional development value you can possibly find. Sign up early, these are extremely popular member gatherings and have been known to sell out!
In closing I welcome your feedback, advice, support and involvement in our journey to build a Trillium Chapter that is of great value to all members today and in the future. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me on any topic. It’s going to be a bold, exciting and adventurous ride ahead for the Trillium Chapter, many thanks to each and every one of you for making it fun, rewarding and enjoyable for all of us!
