The final membership number is 307,052! This is the highest in the history of the organization. The 2008-09 membership report has just been published and has been mailed to all state association directors. Thanks again for making our best membership year ever a reality!
Membership
May 15th, 2009Membership
May 1st, 2009Membership is now at the highest level in the history of the organization. We’ve sent preliminary reports to state association directors and will produce a final report of all memberships in a few days. Thanks to all of you for helping make this another historic year. Another interesting note is that membership continues to come in because of the advantage of joining to get the Skill Connect Assessments. And, as of this morning, we’ve sold 1,203 assessments.
Highlights
February 15th, 2009- On March 6, NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and the Lowe’s Kobalt Racing Team will visit a SkillsUSA chapter in Lovejoy, Georgia near Atlanta to present the first of more than 500 tool sets being given across the country this year to SkillsUSA building trades labs. The students will be in official SkillsUSA attire because this will be a press event for the unveiling of Johnson’s #48 Lowe’s-sponsored car including the SkillsUSA logo. The car will run on April 5 Texas. On March 7, Johnson will meet up with more students at the Atlanta Speedway for another press event, and Lowe’s Kobalt Team will give Georgia SkillsUSA 250 tickets for the evening’s truck race.
- While on the subject of Lowe’s, I’m pleased to announce that Kelly Horton will be joining SkillsUSA as a consultant for the Lowe’s grant and for the SkillsUSA alumni association. Kelly has over 20 years of youth development experience with student organizations – starting as an FFA member – and came to us originally through ABG, Inc., consultants on the Kellogg Foundation grant.
- May I have a drum roll please? The Work Force Ready System and Skills Connect Assessments have a launch date. The first eight assessments will be available on March 16. It’s going to be a big day, and there are lots of details to work out, but I know we’ll make it.
- Membership continues to run ahead of last year. Twelve states have now exceeded last year’s overall state membership total. Congratulations go to: Alaska State Association Director, Ray Jensen; Arizona State Association Director, Scott Soldat; Connecticut State Association Director, Heidi Balch; Florida State Association Director, Carl Miller; Illinois State Association Director, Don Bauc; Maryland State Association Director, Charles Wallace; Maine State Association Director, Don Jalbert; Michigan State Association Director, Tammy Brown; Missouri State Association Director, Paul Light; Rhode Island State Association Director, Joshua Klemp (first to exceed last year’s total); Virgin Islands State Association Director, Anton Doos; and Vermont State Association Director, Jane Donahue-Holt.
- Even though most areas are looking up, in light of the uncertain economy and how it might affect SkillsUSA, we’ve asked staff to target 10 percent in budget cuts. It’s a challenge because so many contract agreements have already been signed and because SkillsUSA is always a lean organization. We certainly won’t cut any essential services.
- And, finally, a staff member just returned from Kansas City where he visited the Kauffman Foundation and looked at I-Build, a local middle school construction-related competition; TECHSPO stands at 113 exhibits; and, we’re busy working on the strategic plan and pulling a vision together from Vision 2020.
Highlights
February 1st, 2009
- I’m pleased to announce that I’ve received word from Neil Eibler that Nick A. Morrisroe, vice president of Channel Marketing, IRWIN Industrial Tools will be joining the SkillsUSA board of directors. Nick will be stepping into the spot previously held by Sue Smith, and we thank Sue for her service.
- The membership clock is still ticking. As of this week, there have been two states to go over last year’s membership – Rhode Island and Michigan. Congratulations to state directors Josh Klemp and Tammy Brown. And, compared to this date last year, SkillsUSA membership is running just about the same.
- State director Mike Cowles took a great group of officers and instructors to Washington, D.C. last week during the Ohio Regional Officers Training Institute. They were with us for training on Inauguration Day and watched the ceremony over lunch with the staff. The delegation headed to Capitol Hill the following day for meetings with the Ohio congressional delegation.
- On Saturday, January 24, the Vision 2020 committee got underway in Ft. Lauderdale. The committee will be imagining what SkillsUSA will look like and how it will serve the world of today’s first graders when they get CTE in high school. All of us had our future thinking caps on. Steve Pierz, strategy program manager, Caterpillar Inc. worked us through the process.
Highlights
January 15th, 2009- Membership continues to be encouraging. As of today, we’re up about 4,000 members over the same date last year.
- On Friday, January 9, we had a half-hour conference call with representatives of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The foundation is interested in SkillsUSA for a number of reasons, but at the moment its focus appears to be on transition from high school to college or credentials, particularly among vulnerable youth. And, there’s also a lot of interest in the Work Force Ready System and the Skill Connect Assessments. We’re scheduling a follow-up call.
- We’re now working with a firm called Automated Graphic Systems, Inc. to develop online PR and promotion for the SkillsUSA WorldTeam. The firm is also working on some viral fundraising and awareness. Thanks go to Lowe’s for underwriting PR activity for WorldTeam under the terms of its grant. SkillsUSA’s own media press kit is nearing completion as well.
- And, finally, on January 7, we had a conference call with all six of the vulnerable community pilot sites under the Champions for Change project. They’ve got some great things going and several have or will soon be participating in state and district conferences.
