As we start the new fiscal year for SMPS, I want to take the opportunity to share my excitement and vision for the upcoming year. As president, it is my honor to lead the SMPS mission to engage, inspire, and empower A/E/C professionals for lifelong learning. As such, I want to take a moment to talk about a few of the priorities the board and HQ will focus on over the coming year.
We will continue to move the strategic plan priorities forward. Those priorities include investing in digital transformation to deliver community and education wherever people live and work, cultivating professionals with diverse expertise that are critical to sustaining a thriving industry, and creating a best-in-class experience for professionals responsible for business growth.
Building alliances with new industry partners and furthering existing relationships will be a focus over the next year. Advocacy within the industry for the value marketers and business development professionals bring to their firms is amplified when our alliance partners engage with our members and experience the body of knowledge we bring to the table. Evidence-based data that supports participation in SMPS is not only valuable for our industry partners but for our members to communicate to their firms via thought leadership.
The SMPS Foundation goals of providing thought leadership through presenting and implementing research, as well as the continued focus on providing funding for HBCU scholarships, will be intentional and focused. This year, the opportunity to obtain DEI continuing education units and certification, the first and only of its kind, will be available to our members, alliance partners, and industry wide.
As an association, the highest priority for the board and HQ is to strengthen leadership opportunities at the chapter, regional, and Society level as well as communicate the value of SMPS membership. That means more opportunities for members to engage in different ways and to communicate to members SMPS HQ’s processes for committee, board, and award participation and submissions. This approach is in alignment with SMPS’s mission to engage, inspire, and empower A/E/C professionals for lifelong learning.
How are we encouraging lifelong learning? By making content accessible via in-person, virtual, and asynchronous learning with the outcome of cultivating professionals with diverse expertise into leadership roles in all positions. Whether you are a business developer, marketer, principal, or technical professional, you will walk away with a best-in-class SMPS experience.
As I start this new journey, I want to thank the past presidents I’ve had the honor of serving with while on the board for their leadership and insight: Doug Parker, FSMPS, CPSM; Bernice Bako, FSMPS, CPSM; Holly Bolton, FSMPS, CPSM; and Dana Galvin Lancour, FSMPS, CPSM. I also want to welcome the new board. I’m very excited to work with this great team to serve the SMPS members and chapters: Ben Sawa, FSMPS, CPSM; Dana Galvin Lancour, FSMPS, CPSM; Adam Kilbourne, FSMPS, CPSM; Andrea Story, FSMPS, CPSM; Julie Huval, FSMPS, CPSM; and Kimberly Ridenour, CPSM. The team is rounded out with insights from SMPS CEO Marci Thompson, DES, and SMPS Foundation Board President Michele Raftery, FSMPS, CPSM.
It is the association’s winning aspiration that SMPS is an accessible and indispensable community for all professionals who drive growth and sustainability for A/E/C firms. That is the legacy I plan to lead into this year with the board.
Article written by Dr. Paula Raymond Stamp, MBA, FSMPS, CPSM, who is CEO and principal of Geaux Consulting Group. She can be reached at paula@geauxconsultinggroup.com.
