ALA Gateway: Message From The President
Posted by admin1 on Apr. 1, 2024 / Subscribe 0
2024 Q1 is now complete, which means that our 2024-2025 new Board of Directors is in place and ready to tackle the Chapter’s upcoming initiatives.
WRAPPING UP 2024 Q1
We have a few items to note as we wrap up the end of my presidency term and the Chapter’s Q1 events.
March 20, 2024 swearing in: On March 20, 2024, the 2024-2025 Gateway Chapter Executive Board was sworn in by ALA International President, Geoffrey Williams, CLM, MBA, M.Div. Thank you to Geoffrey for making the trip to St. Louis to spend time with our Chapter and to educate us on ALA updates, including ALA’s Strategic Direction.
Left to right:
Kim Webster, Secretary
Lori Hanlon, Immediate Past President
Jessie Fenton, President Elect
Geoffrey Williams, President of ALA International
Terri Cole, Treasurer
Allison Worley, President
Casie Galczynski, Vice President
Bunny Hop: On March 22, 2024, ALA Gateway held its annual Bunny Hop event! During this event, our Chapter members and Business Partners gathered to put together over 1,000 Easter baskets for 16 local organizations that provide support for children in need. Bunny Hop is put on by our Community Connections team and is one of our most rewarding events. Thank you to all who participated and donated. Special thanks to Co-Chairs, Jillian Piechocinski and Kim Kelly for organizing such a successful event and to Sandberg Phoenix for hosting the event space.
REMINDER - ALA National Conference: DON’T FORGET TO REGISTER: May 19 - May 22, 2024 - ALA’S 2024 Annual Conference and Expo will be held in Aurora, Colorado at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center. The 2024 conference theme is Discover the Difference. For more information about the conference or to register for the event CLICK HERE.
Spotlighting Chapter Member, Kara Brostron, CLM: In addition to holding several positions with the ALA Gateway Chapter, Kara Brostron, CLM also serves as Chair of ALA International’s Product and Service Review Committee. In her role as Chair, Kara was one of the speakers at the Essentials of Chapter Leadership held March 26 - March 28, 2024. Thank you to Kara for her continued support of our Chapter by expanding our Chapter’s visibility and for volunteering at the International level. If you are interested in ALA volunteer opportunities at the International level, CLICK HERE for more information.
APRIL 1, 2024 FORWARD - HANLON OUT - WORLEY IN
The 2024-2025 Executive Board began their new roles as of April 1, 2024. I am super excited to see what the new board has in store for the Chapter this year under the leadership of President, Allison Worley. I have had the pleasure of working side by side with Allison this last year during my term as President. Allison brings a fresh perspective to the Chapter. She is focused, strategic and leads hands on. Allison’s superpower is to calm any situation - something I have seen many times over the last year!
As I leave my role as President, I would like to thank each and every person who supported me during my year as President. Towards the end of my term, I joked about the timeclock ticking as we neared April 1st and about being happy as we neared the end. In reality, I genuinely enjoyed my time as President of the Gateway Chapter. Being President was a challenge I never thought I wanted to do, or had the skill set to do, but I’m elated that others (you know who you are) voluntold - I mean encouraged 😊 - me to join the Executive Board and “move up the ladder.” This Chapter truly runs as a team. It’s never the work of one or two people. As President, I oversaw the output of board members at more of an aerial level, never having to micromanage any person/team/committee - and no one ever let me fail in my duties as President. The work we did and goals we achieved were truly a result of a collaborative effort of each and every board member, including the support of committee team members. It has truly been an honor to serve beside each and every member of this board. I have grown so much as a leader this last year. I learned to take more initiative and to have more confidence in myself - all because of the encouragement and backing of this remarkable board. If you have ever thought about dipping your foot in the water to try out a leadership role with our Chapter- JUST DO IT! I promise that you will not regret it. You will grow more than you know both personally and professionally and will gain lifelong friendships.
To everyone who made 2023-2024 a success - THANK YOU ALL. [The Gateway Chapter Army - in no particular order]: Allison Worley, Jessie Fenton, Kim Webster, Terri Cole, Jill O’Connell, Donna Sobkoviak, Patty Barbachem, Brenda Deertz, Ahisha Wilkerson, Matt Wessell, Kara Brostron, Lora Wegman, Jillian Piechocinski, Kim Kelly, Tanya Young, Cindy Stephens, Babette Cox, Stephanie Smith, Mary Jennings, Steve Gilliland, Christine Drzewucki, Emily Spehar, Anissa Williamson, Jerrica Holt, Kesha Kent, Casie Galczynski, Julie Shapleigh, Amy Nevad, Kellie Roland, Nikki Cornwell, Paul Dalziel, Tammy Netemeyer, Kristen Noll, Kim Morgan, and Dean Boeschen.
I can think of no better way to wrap up than with a few quotes from Brené Brown:
“Let go of who you think you are supposed to be; embrace who you are.”
“Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.”
Let’s do this again in 2024-2025!
Lori Hanlon
2023-2024 ALA Gateway Outgoing President
2024-2025 ALA Gateway Immediate Past President
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