American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Chairperson s Report Jean A. Hall -- May 2012

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1 Dear Colleagues: American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Chairperson s Report Jean A. Hall -- May 2012 I think the phrase that best illustrates Board activities this past year is Be intentional, be focused, and be productive. We exited the 2011 Forum with the focus on our mission statement, our membership needs, and our core functions, including resident training, credentialing, examination, advanced continuing education (Forum and ACE courses), promotion of ACVIM specialization, our journal (JVIM), our Foundation, and research and discovery. Our goal was to conduct a strategic planning session in conjunction with the mid-year ACVIM Board meeting in November to establish clear objectives for the future. Step one: Hire a new CEO. The Search Committee for the CEO position began work immediately at the start of my term as Chair of ACVIM, even before the June 2011 Forum meeting ended. Management Associates led the committee through a very professional, timely, and successful search process. In the end we had several highly qualified candidates to interview; we were successful in hiring Roberta G. Herman, CAE as our new CEO. She began working in the ACVIM central office on Monday, October 24, A signed Employment Agreement, written with assistance from our lawyer, was finalized on October 26, Roberta was employed previously (since January 2008) as the Executive Vice President of the Colorado Restaurant Association. The following information was taken from the cover letter Roberta submitted to the search committee, and I m reprinting it again to reflect upon now that she s been our CEO for almost 6 months. For the past 12 years, I have focused on bringing value-based leadership to mission-driven membership organizations by demonstrating my expertise for managing people, budgets, operations, finance, strategic plans, and information in non-profit associations and foundations. I am a selfless leader who excels at leading change initiatives, managing multiple priorities, inspiring and developing others, and lending a calming influence in pressure situations. I currently serve as Executive Vice President for the Colorado Restaurant Association. Prior to CRA, I held executive leadership positions with two other Denver-based international associations: Deputy Executive Director for Museum Store Association and Chief Information Officer (and Interim Member Services Director) for American Water Works Association. I hold an MBA from the University of Denver and CAE designation from ASAE. I was recently elected to the CSAE board of directors and enjoy a strong working relationship

2 with association executives throughout Colorado and across the country. In addition, I m a former board vice-chair and treasurer for the Colorado Cancer Research Program and affiliate MBA faculty member at Regis University. Throughout my association career, I have been privileged to work with many talented individuals. Together we have consistently surpassed expectations in achieving organizational goals and objectives. My former coworkers, supervisors, and board members have described me as a no-nonsense leader who knows how to get things done, a great mentor [whose] business knowledge seems limitless, and a very effective manager with excellent communication skills who problem solves in a creative & thoughtful manner and is responsive & able to foresee issues before they arise. The Board of Regents extended our sincere appreciation to Lisa Olson for serving as our Interim Executive Director since January Lisa continued to work for a short time after hiring Roberta to exchange knowledge and aid in the transition. She is no longer working for ACVIM. Step 2: Step 3: Step 4: We made a list of the highest priority items for Roberta to address the minute she began working as our new CEO. The number one priority was budget and finances. Second, was Attendance Marketing and the database, website, and associated issues. And, third, we needed help to bring our marketing efforts back inside ACVIM. Finally, we needed central office help to organize the upcoming November 2011 midyear Board meeting, as well as a new organizational chart for our central office staff. Budget and Finances: After the 2011 Forum we found ourselves struggling because we didn t have current financial reports, or an easy process to navigate the chart of accounts. We needed a budget for the upcoming fiscal year, a shared services agreement with the Foundation, and help finalizing the 2009/2010 audit and the 2010 taxes. In addition, the ACVIM Foundation financials were behind, an audit of ACVIM for 2010/2011 had been approved by the Board and needed to get organized, and we needed new internal controls over check signing procedures. The 2010 taxes were submitted timely, the 2009/2010 audit letter was finalized, and we were able to approve the interim ACVIM budget with the condition that modifications be made and a balanced budget be presented by February Roberta hired Apollo Garcia as Director of Administration and Finance, who has updated internal finance policies and procedures. A one-day BOR meeting was held in Atlanta, GA for voting members on February 24, The major undertaking at this meeting was the presentation of a more carefully prepared Finance committee report and approval of a balanced budget. The 2010/2011 audit is underway, and will be conducted again by GHP Horwath, P.C. Other Financial highlights this past year included the approval of an Investment Policy, and the approval of a Finance Committee Charter. Attendance Marketing and Robust database: ACVIM data has been stored in Canada in an operating system called Robust, which is owned by Attendance Marketing. We have had numerous problems with access to data, not being able to get the reports we needed, and all inquiries were quite expensive. Attendance Marketing is the same company that has been

3 responsible for our marketing efforts (Forum, website, and otherwise) for more than five years. Although they have done a lot of good things for ACVIM, the BOR decided much of this could be done in house with outside contract help as needed. The marketing contract with Attendance Marketing was not renewed this year and marketing has been handled "in house" using staff expertise. Roberta and our lawyer were able to work with Attendance Marketing to resolve outstanding issues related to post 2011 Forum invoices that were exceptionally large and unjustified. Our biggest concern was that we would upset them over invoice disagreements or by dropping our marketing contract and then they might not give us back our own data in a useful format. Regarding the Robust database, George Andreopoulos at Attendance Marketing agreed to remove the mandate for ending our access to the Robust database from June 15, 2012 and instead we can give a 90 days notice before we plan to terminate the relationship. This will occur after the 2012 Forum. The goal was to choose a new database vendor from the many "off the shelf" association database management software packages that are now available. Roberta obtained several estimates from database vendors and has done due diligence researching our options for a new company. The information will be shared with the BOR prior to the 2012 Forum. Once approved, a contract will be signed and a time table for implementation and conversion to the new database outlined. Roberta has found that most software companies don t do all the things we require them to do. Thus, it is likely that we will need agreements with several companies. Choosing a new website vendor has been a high priority. Marketing Efforts: Marketing efforts have been brought back inside ACVIM this year for the 2012 Forum. We have an energized Marketing and Communications Committee and a new Director of Marketing, Communications and Publications in the central office, Christa Saracco. Marketing issues are one of the main objectives of the new Strategic Plan. Step 5: Strategic Planning Meeting, November Dr. Kathy Gloyd, DVM, President, The Gloyd Group was selected to lead a three hour Board Orientation dinner meeting and an eight hour Strategic Planning Meeting the following day at the midyear Board meeting. Dr. Gloyd came highly recommended by several Board members. The Strategic Planning Meeting generated five overall Objectives. To keep us moving forward on the ideas that came out of the strategic planning session, BOR members were asked to volunteer to serve on an oversight committee for one Strategic Planning Objective of their choice. Roberta also assigned a staff liaison for each Objective. Committees are asked to provide regular updates. Oversight committees have been encouraged to communicate by , conference call, and one-on-one visits. The role of Board members is oversight, advisory, and visionary. Roberta and staff are available to do the operational work. Diplomate members are expected to volunteer for specific tactics as well. The goal is to keep the Strategic Plans under the observation/guidance of the Board. Objective 1: Engage with our membership (including candidates) Staff liaison: Christa Saracco 1. Seek to understand the expectations of the membership as well as what they are willing to support. 2. Identify the impediment to engagement 3. Develop a culture of belonging that values membership in the ACVIM

4 Objective 2: Redefine the components and outcomes of the residency training program Staff liaison: Nicole Faaborg 1. Define the expected product of an excellent residency program 2. Define the components of an excellent residency program 3. Develop methods to engage residents directly with ACVIM 4. Develop methods to critically evaluate residency programs 5. Develop methods to evaluate credentialing and exam process Objective 3: Improve board leadership and governance Staff liaison Roberta Herman 1. Define and develop the role of the board 2. Continuing education for board 3. Resource ID and development 4. ID and educate potential leaders Objective 4: Define and develop the ACVIM brand Staff liaison Christa Saracco 1. Ensure coordination of ACVIM branding 2. Develop brand strategy to portray to members, RVSOs, primary care, and public 3. Increase public awareness of skills and unique experience of our dips PR firms 4. Develop collaborative with other RSVOs brand awareness and overall collaboration 5. Increase awareness of brand to members Objective 5: Improve Research Facilitation Staff liaison Bill Fenner 1. Develop funding mechanisms 2. Develop research opportunities 3. Develop research training 4. Facilitate distribution of research results Step 6: Getting Organized and Implementation Staffing changes and new organizational structure- As of February 2012, three new directors are working in the ACVIM central office. There are now a total of five directors working under CEO Roberta Herman: Apollo Garcia, Director of Administration and Finance; Nicole Faaborg, Director of Certification and Education; Mya Sadler, Director of Conference Management & Constituent Services; Christa Saracco, Director of Marketing, Communications and Publications; and Jennifer Olson, Executive Director of ACVIM Foundation. Board Orientation/Board Governance Training was initiated at the November 2011 mid-year BOR meeting and it is anticipated that Board orientation will become a permanent process for our organization. The Foundation Board was invited to attend. For the 2012 Forum BOR

5 meeting, Board orientation will include reviewing a draft Board manual that is being put together as part of Strategic Plan Objective 3. This will be followed by a CE presentation on Board Governance and Leadership. The topic this year, presented by Roberta, is how to do long term strategic planning (including how to think about spending money for the long term good of the organization). Committees Spreadsheet The master committee list was finalized in early July and posted on the website. A yearly update is planned and currently underway. This spreadsheet continues to be a useful tool and is easy to access. What s next? Be intentional, stay focused, and be productive. We shall exit the 2012 Forum once again with the focus on our mission statement, our membership needs, and our core functions. The future is ours to define! We are all Diplomate members dedicated to the future success of ACVIM. The amount of work accomplished by the staff and volunteers of our College is amazing. Nevertheless, there are many areas where we have unfinished business, and improvements can always be made. Ultimately, the health and relevance of the ACVIM is in YOUR hands! Please be sure to provide feedback to any Board member or staff regarding your visions or concerns that you have about our College. Such feedback will be particularly valuable for the marketing and market surveys being conducted by an outside vendor that will be rolled out at the 2012 Forum. Also, please consider how you, personally, can contribute to the future of the ACVIM. I extend my heartfelt thanks to the many of you who are active contributors, for your time, your energy, and your visions. Finally, I offer a sincere thank you to everyone for allowing me the great honor of serving ACVIM. Respectfully Submitted, Jean A. Hall, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM (SAIM) Chair, Board of Regents, ACVIM