Hello IAEE DC chapter,

Welcome to 2020 and the start of a new decade. I am so excited to begin my year as Chair starting off the 20s with a strong, dedicated and committed Chapter Board. My goal for this year is to show our membership and our industry how we continue to be the leader in education, networking and community involvement. Our culture of integrity, transparency and commitment will guide us through this year and many years moving forward.

We had our first board meeting of the year last month, and for the first time in as long as I can remember, every board member was present. To me, this shows how excited and dedicated this group of industry leaders is to our Chapter. We have some fun things lined up in special events and great ways to get and stay involved with your community this year. We have revived our Young Professionals committee and brought Austin Cappa on as Chair to lead the future of our industry. We have also lined up strong partners to help make our events even better through sponsorship and content. Be sure to watch the Chapter calendar and emails. 

We host eight luncheons every year, January through May, and September through November on the second Friday of the month. This year, April's luncheon falls on Good Friday, so we voted on not holding a lunch that month. Abby Abdala, our Director of Special Events, is looking into some fun options to take its place and we will let you know as soon as we have something scheduled.  If you are interested in joining her committee, please let us know by going to the Chapter website and click on the volunteer interest form. We would love to have you!

Our chapter charity this year is The Michael J. Fox Foundation which generates and supports research for Parkinson's disease. My mom has Parkinson's and if you have never known anyone with the disease, it is difficult to watch how it affects the brain and body.  As of now, there is no cure, just medications to minimize the symptoms, but no way currently to stop its progression. To date, the Michael J. Fox foundation has raised over $900 Million worldwide for research. Each month, at our luncheons, we will do a raffle for a $50 gift card and all proceeds will benefit the charity. I hope you will join me in championing this cause.   

Our Community & Outreach Director, Phil Saims, is also committed to help our local charities, including the Carpenter Shelter located in Alexandria. There will be opportunities to get involved in the coming months, so please keep an eye out for information and view the video in this newsletter.

I like to encourage you to participate in the chapter this year. Join a committee, come to a luncheon, follow us and participate in our social media, become a CEM, take a KLI class, network with industry friends, or just come to Exhibitions Day in June. Anything you can do to be a part of our community will help us stay strong. I am certain your time with us will be a great investment in your career and future and I know you will make some lifelong friends.

I look forward to seeing you all at an upcoming IAEE-DC Chapter event and best wishes for a successful 2020.

Sincerely,

Paula Herz, CEM
Chair, IAEE DC Chapter 2020