A Message from the Chapter President

2017 - 1st Quarter

As the first quarter of our 71^st year draws to a close, I am excited to share this update with our members and our community! Our incredible Board of Directors, our valuable volunteers, and our diligent and hardworking office team have been working together to get 2017 off to a strong start.

If you have been reading our newsletters and regularly visiting atdla.org, you are already aware of what we have been working on. I am going to take this opportunity to call out a few items in particular that I believe are demonstrative of the successes that we have already had so far this year, and that we will continue to see throughout 2017.

First, ATD-LA’s program offerings continue to grow in quality and scope. Our commitments to delivering value to our members and to advancing the talent development community in greater Los Angeles mean that we continue to strive to offer you the very best programs possible. Some programming highlights from this year include:

• The successful relaunch of our Train the Trainer program, which was a yearlong collaboration between incoming and outgoing board members and volunteers, took place this quarter. We expect this program to be a regular offering going forward.
• A revitalization and expansion of our webinar program. These virtual sessions allow attendees from Southern California and beyond to attend high-quality programs without having to brave LA traffic! Browse our Webinars page to see a list of offerings scheduled through the rest of the year – all of which are free to ATD-LA members.
• For the third consecutive year, ATD-LA will be hosting a local, two-day DiSC certification program. Stay tuned for more information, but I can offer two details today: it will take place in August, and our members will (as usual) receive a significant registration discount.
• The inaugural Talent Summit LA on April 19, which we are offering in partnership with other local professional development groups as a way to bring our community even closer together. More details about this event – which may have as many as 200 attendees – can be found by clicking here. Register now to secure your seat at the networking event of the year!
• Our Mentoring Program is set to kick off shortly! This is a longtime chapter offering that has been key in the careers and development of many of our members. For the current program, we had solicited applications last year and earlier in Q1 2017 and our Director of Membership is in the process of finalizing our mentor-mentee matches.
• Always a key to serving our entire community, our Communities of Practice (SIGs and GIGs) remain vibrant and are positioned to grow. We believe this year is one of great opportunity for these groups, which cater to specific geographic areas and areas of practice within talent development. Click here for more information on when and where these communities meet.

Second - but no less important – the chapter remains strong and stable, and we are building infrastructure to support the chapter and our members into the future. Our ability to serve you on a long-term basis is reliant on sustainable policies, processes, and technology that align with a chapter strategic plan. The 2^nd quarter update will include more details on this work, but I will share that this includes revisiting how we onboard and develop volunteers, an expanded use of Google applications, a redesign of key parts of our website, and a complete transformation of our social media presence led by our Director of Technology.  Very exciting!

Finally, as this quarter’s end represents the completion of the first quarter of my presidency, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the considerable legacy of my predecessor, Past President Anthony Lewis. As a volunteer organization (volunteerism details here), ATD-LA relies on a group of selfless, hardworking members that want to give back to the organization and to our professional community. Please join me in thanking Anthony, as well as our other volunteers, past and present, for their contribution to the state of the chapter and our regional talent development community.

As your Chapter President, I welcome your thoughts, comments, questions, and suggestions. You may reach me at president@atdla.org – or, better yet, come find me at an upcoming event. Thank you for allowing me to serve you!

Yours,

Ben Sieke
2017 Chapter President