It is with great pride and thanks to our members and volunteer leaders that I submit this final email as your president. At our Annual Meeting held on June 5th at the Arts Council in Washington, I had an opportunity to thank the members and guests present and acknowledge the 70+ volunteers who made the 2006-2007 program year such a success.

I feel a bit like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz as she was boarding the balloon to take her back to Kansas. You'll recall she had the difficult decision to leave her new friends behind but knew she had to go. Your contributions to the overall success of our term were a true testament to your commitment to our chapter and to your professionalism. I am honored to accept the invitation by our new president, Lori Golino, to serve in the 2007-2008 year as a director. However, on June 30 the gavel I passed to Lori in the installation ceremony will be hers to wield!

The year provided many highlights-for those who could not be with us at the annual meeting I shall use this opportunity to share...

On June 6th, HRA-NCA officially closed the calendar year in style. The Annual Meeting was held at new venue: the Arts Club of Washington. The former executive mansion of President Monroe provided an elegant and gracious site in for the Installation of Officers and Recognition of Volunteers.  An open bar and heavy hor d’oeuvres facilitated  networking among current and prospective members. Outgoing President Carolyn Cuppernull shared highlights of our chapter’s accomplishments, including the addition of over 128 new members and recognition by SHRM as “mega” chapter (over 500 members) with the “Superior Merit Award” for the 2006-7 program year.  

The 2006-7 Board of Directors and Volunteer Leaders were introduced and recognized, followed by the introduction and installation of the new 2007-8 Officers  by SHRM State Council Representative Sonya Ousley Lee. Closing speaker Lynne Waymon, founder of “Contacts Count! ” super-charged the networking portion of the evening with some suggestions that could be put immediately into practice. Challenging the attendees to “always have a specific objective” when attending a networking meeting, Lynne announced networking has “finally come of age”, and increasingly viewed as a “bona fide business tool” by Fortune 500 companies, and a “professional skill” featured in the Harvard Business Review, etc.  Armed with an understanding of how and why to use our four distinct networks, (work- net, pro-net, org-net, life-net), attendees put to good use the new skills learned during the extended reception that followed.  

Please note that our DC SHRM board is busy planning over the next couple months and that our next monthly meeting will start up again in September. Thanks to some great feedback from our membership, we have a few exciting new speakers already booked for the next program year. Have a great summer and we hope to see you at our September meeting!  

Sylvia Gray, a Career Management Consultant with Right Management Consultants, will conduct a resume/interviewing workshop for busy HR professionals who sometimes forget how important it is to keep your resume updated. We will also cover interviewing tips. This workshop will be a great refresher.

If you plan to attend, please email your resume to ssimpson@fmi.org

The meeting will be held at FMI - 50 F Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC. For more information, please contact Stephanie Simpson at (202) 220-0767 or via email at ssimpson@fmi.org.

The final day to submit data for the 2007 HRA-NCA Compensation Survey is Friday, June 15th. All HRA- NCA members are invited to participate in the survey to qualify for deep discounts when the report is released at the end of August. Participants also gain complimentary access to the survey results in an on- line search-able format (with hard-copy purchase). Participate today using the free and easy on-line submission method. If you did not receive an e-mail invite with your organization's login information, please go to the survey website and click on 'Forgot username and password' and your login will be e- mailed to you.

The results of the 2007 Washington-Baltimore Metro Area Benefits Survey Report are in! HRA-NCA, together with the Washington Area Compensation and Benefits Association (WACABA) and the Worldwide Employee Benefits Network (WEB) invite you to the Benefits Survey Report Launch Event on Tuessday, June 19. Join your HR colleagues and experienced benefits professionals as they discuss the results of the survey and the latest trends in benefits practices.

The seminar is free to all, but space is limited. Please register today online or by calling (703) 451-0222. Registration begins at 8:00 am and the seminar starts at 8:30 am. Continental breakfast will be served.

Please join the College Scholarship committee in congratulating the two recipients of the 2007 HRA- NCA Academic Scholarship - Andrea Evans and Lucia Falcon!

Andrea is currently a Human Capital Management Consultant with BearingPoint, Inc. and is pursuing an MS in Organizational Development at American University. She has seven years of human resources experience and previously served on the Board of Directors for Dulles SHRM and on the volunteer committee for the 2006 SHRM Conference.

Lucia is currently an HR Generalist at the Ronald Reagan Building/International Trade Center and is pursuing an MBA in Human Resources Management at George Washington University. She has four years of human resources experience and is a member of SHRM.

Andrea and Lucia each received a $1500 scholarship.

Congratulations Andrea & Lucia!

When you attend the SHRM Annual Conference, you'll have the opportunity to participate in the Masters Series. The SHRM Foundation sponsors this series of in-depth learning sessions featuring internationally known experts in the field of management science. The Masters Series focuses on timely and provocative issues that affect your career and industry. Open to all attendees, these senior-level programs offer insight into the HR profession from thought-leaders and top academicians. For more information on Foundation sponsored educational programs, visit www.shrm.org/ foundation.

The SHRM Foundation: 40 Years of Advancing the HR Profession

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.