The Incentive for Excellence

Dear SITE SoCal members,

We are at that time of the year when we start looking for new members to join the SITE SoCal board for 2017. As the largest chapter in the SITE community, we are proud of our accomplishments to date and feel fortunate to have the strength and support of such enthusiastic and dedicated members.

We have just entered the chapter in the annual SITE awards for Excellence Awards in the areas of Special Events, Membership and Education. Just as a reminder, we won Chapter of the Year in in 2015 and 2005, and the following awards for excellence: Special Event in 2014, 2013, 2011, 2009, 2006, 2004 & 2002, and Membership in 2012.

I am personally committed to finding ways to recognize our board members for the contributions they make, which include developing leadership skills and education. Being on the board does take time, of course; from experience, however, I believe that the benefits of the opportunities that arise from being part of the chapter leadership team outweigh the time commitment.

This July, SITE SoCal launched its first ever members only Mentorship Program and it was received with open arms. “Our goal for our inaugural launch was a minimum of 10 participants. We were thrilled when the interest was so high in this new program, that we matched 20 members for a total of 10 pairs,” said Kathryn Wells, VP of Leadership for SITE. Kathryn worked side by side with myself (Leadership Chair for Young Leaders), Nikki Wilbur (Leadership Committee), and Jamie Lee Clave (President of Young Leaders) to match each person based on a questionnaire that included topics like current roles and future aspirations. Members were so enthused we even have a remote pair working out of Chicago!

Positive feedback as already been flowing in. “Our email exchange initially was great fun and we learned so much about one another over email. However, when we met face to face it was even more special! We learned all about one another from our upbringing to our paths in the industry,” said Jamie Lee Clave, Chair for SITE Young Leaders about her first mentor meeting.

Our goal and tagline this year was “Elevate the Experience” and I think we can safely say we delivered on our promise! I am proud, honored and beyond thrilled to announce that SITE SoCal has won the Chapter of the Year Award for 2015.

Registration for the SITE Global Conference will open soon and the annual scholarship to attend is open!