In the middle of January, the Society’s volunteer leaders and staff members met at SMPS HQ in Alexandria, VA, for its board of directors meeting. Here are a few highlights from the meeting:
What’s Happening Now:
Strengthening Financial Stewardship and Governance: The board reviewed finance committee updates, key financial reports, and ongoing work related to investment and policy oversight, reinforcing SMPS’s commitment to strong fiscal stewardship and long-term sustainability.
Clarifying Membership Value for Firms and Individuals: The board focused on how SMPS clearly articulates its value, especially to firm leaders, through education, community, and chapter engagement, ensuring members understand the business impact of their involvement.
Supporting Chapter and Volunteer Health: Discussion centered on improving how HQ and chapters work together to support volunteers through clearer role alignment and more intentional engagement, strengthening the foundation of the chapter network.
Ensuring Education Reflects Business-Critical Needs: The board emphasized keeping SMPS education offerings relevant and responsive to the real-world skills firms and professionals need today.
What’s Happening Next:
Measuring Engagement and Impact More Meaningfully: The board will work with staff to define clearer engagement metrics that reflect outcomes and value, not just participation, supporting smarter decisions and clearer ROI.
Advancing Chapter Development Models: Future efforts will focus on refining chapter development pathways, including clearer support structures and sustainability planning to better serve members over time.
Strengthening Leadership and Volunteer Pipelines: The board will continue to assess leadership succession and follow-through from leadership programs to ensure continuity and alignment with strategic priorities.
Modernizing Learning and Certification Systems: SMPS will explore opportunities to evolve certification and learning systems, streamline content, and better align major programs to support long-term professional growth.
If you have any questions regarding these matters or the Society’s board meetings, please contact Marci D. Thompson, chief executive officer of SMPS and the SMPS Foundation, at marci@smps.org.
