It is hard to believe that Punxsutawney Phil really saw his shadow and that Spring is coming. The ice is still a few inches thick in many areas of Washington, DC. While it may be cold outside, your HRA-NCA chapter is H-O-T! Our January and February programs have been amazing and this new calendar year has kicked off to a great start. Your chapter leaders continue to amaze me with the exceptional programming and events that are happening each week-for our members, prospective members and in the community at large. I'm so proud of the success of our chapter and the dedication of the members who make us an outstanding MEGA Chapter of SHRM.

This month I would like to encourage the membership to consider some self-reflection and be forward thinking about ways in which you can make a difference for HRA-NCA. What are your gifts and how can you lend them to your HRA-NCA members? It is time for the annual chapter leader nomination cycle and the nomination committee is hard at work. Strategic planning and tapping the resources and true gifts of the best human resource leaders in the DC area for our chapter has been my mantra since I accepted this position. It has been very rewarding for me and I look forward to serving as your president through my term which ends in June of this year.

Your president-elect, Lori Golino, is looking forward to taking over as president in July. Lori is the chairperson on the nominating committee. In accordance with our by-laws, we recruited a fine committee to serve and your 2007-2008 committee includes: Sharon Berardi, Bob Corlett, Grace Dobson, Lori Golino and myself. There are nine leadership positions which the membership will vote on in April. Please consider a fellow member for one of these positions. The position descriptions are outlined in the HRA-NCA website for your review. Self-nominations are also encouraged. The formal HRA-NCA Call to Office email will go to our membership in the coming days. The current board of directors have received a formal questionnaire asking them to consider leadership options and make recommendations and nominations for our future volunteer leaders. This is your opportunity to participate in the growth and continued success of YOUR chapter. We look forward to reading your application and considering your nominations in the coming weeks.

Thank you for your commitment to HRA-NCA. Together we can CONNECT, SUPPORT & GROW!

Carolyn Cuppernull
President

According to the Corporate Leadership Council, on average 50% of newly hired executives quit or were fired in the first three years! In addition, organizations are facing the retirement of significant numbers of Baby Boomers in the next few years and will have to replace and assimilate new employees into these roles.

Assimilating employees, managers, and executives can take years if done by waiting for the opportunities that provide business and cultural assimilation naturally in our complex organizations.

Does an organization orient, on-board, assimilate, and/or immerse? Can you risk relying on engagement to happen organically? How many employees/executives do you lose in the meantime? Join your colleagues to find out when and why each of these approaches is useful to your organization and receive best practices and models for implementing each in the new millennium organization.

The 2007 HRA-NCA Compensation and Benefits Surveys Job Matching Seminar is coming up soon. There are two locations for the seminar again this year: March 6th is in Tyson's Corner and March 15th is near Metro Center in D.C. Both seminars will be held from 8:30am to 10:30am, registration opens at 8am and a Continental breakfast will be served. Attendance is FREE, but space is limited. Please register at www.hra-nca.org or call (703) 451-0222.

More details about the seminar: Participation for the 2007 Surveys starts the first week in March. This seminar will provide a general overview of how to participate in HRA-NCA's surveys and tips on matching your organization's jobs to the survey jobs. Other topics will include new enhancements to the web-based survey system and a review of policies and practices questions.

Nominations for the 2007 Strategic Business Awards are now being accepted! The deadline for applications is March 16, 2007.

HRA-NCA will salute outstanding achievement in human resources through this award program. The HRA-NCA Strategic Business Awards will honor individuals and companies for their professional contributions in three categories: Effective Workforce Planning, Successful Work Life Strategies and Excellence in Community Service.

Click here for the Nomination Application.

Click here to register for the event.

BNA and HRA-NCA have established a Member Discount Program, offering HRA-NCA members access to an unparalleled set of HR resources designed to help you improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and management of your organization's HR function.

All BNA HR information resources are available via BNA's new online store, including both subscription services (i.e. BNA's flagship HR Library) and non-subscription services (i.e. audioconferences). Best of all, HRA-NCA is pleased to bring you these HR resources at a 10% discount, in cooperation with BNA, Inc., the industry's leader in HR information services.

You may look up these and other members' information in the HRA-NCA online membership directory, using various search categories. Log in through the "Member Login" on the HRA-NCA Web site home page. Keep your membership record up-to-date so we don't lose touch!

HRA-NCA Welcomes These New Members

HRA-NCA invites organizations to sponsor our newsletter - or any of the following: monthly speaker presentations, our Web site, special events, etc. Interested? Contact Tricia Riviere, HRA-NCA's PR & Sponsorship Chair, or access our information on the Web site.