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February 1st, 2011
Our strategic planning sessions the week of January 10 went extremely well. Board President Russ Hoffbauer gave the full staff his keynote remarks on Tuesday, January 11, by phone. With a little paraphrasing, he said: “The ultimate aim of planning is results, not activities. That’s one reason why your focus on metrics this year is so exciting. There’s never enough time or resources to do everything, that’s why planning is so important. The board counts on your work.”
With staff recommendations, the directors developed eight macro objectives comprising all of the work of the association – in contrast to the 21 macro objectives we have now – in the five goal areas to help SkillsUSA reach toward Vision 2020. The macro objectives should also be the eight areas we report on to the board and the foundation. All of the departments have now developed objectives and tactics. A preliminary draft of the plan went to the State Association Directors Executive Committee last week.
Tags: Planning, Staff News
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January 15th, 2011
On December 17, we held our annual Holiday Celebration with a bus tour to Washington, D.C. and our Annual Employee Years of Service Recognition Luncheon. Staff and family members boarded the magic bus at 8:30 a.m., and after playing some seasonal trivia games and watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” arrived at the Gaylord Hotel for a quick tour. Then, we walked across the street to the ICE! Experience, a 15,000-square-foot attraction under a huge tent featuring 10 scenes from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” It’s big, impressive, colorful and carved out of two million pounds of ice. It’s also cold. The exhibit space is kept at a constant nine degrees. No wonder the staff reminds visitors as they enter the exhibit: “Don’t touch or lick the ice.” After we returned the arctic parkas and walked outside, one staff member said: “Wow, even though it’s below freezing out here, it feels like a spring day after being in there.”
Then, it was back on the bus for the drive to Georgetown Harbor for lunch at Tony and Joe’s Seafood and staff recognition. Of course, one of the things SkillsUSA is well known for is the dedication of its staff and that shows up not only in the quality of their work, but in their tenure as well. This year, we recognized 12 employees with a combined time on staff of 132 years. Four of them – Tom Hall and Ann Schreiber at 25 years each and Keith Ashby and Shelly Coates at 30 years each – accounted for 110 years by themselves. It must be the SkillsUSA mission keeps them all looking so young. It was a wonderful day of celebrating a great national staff.
Tags: Staff News
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January 15th, 2011
- Membership as of January 13th stands at more than 202,944 or more than 13,268 over our membership on this date last year.
- Speaking of membership, the Membership Mega Prize program is gaining sponsorships including the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau, N.E.W. Customer Service, Klein Tools, Kobalt Tools and IRWIN tools. For information on the drive to increase our membership through incentives, please go to www.skillsusa.org/join/megaprize.shtml.
- The report on the State Farm grant is complete, and staff did an extensive job recently reviewing Lowe’s applications for campus improvement and community service grants. To view it online, go to www.skillsusa.org/educators/statefarm.shtml.
- This year’s national staff charitable donation was to benefit the 27-year old son of a cosmetology teacher at C.S. Monroe Technology Center in Leesburg. The young man has a family, lost his job and his health benefits and is being treated for cancer. The national staff was extremely generous and the donation was genuinely appreciated. A lot of students at the school are also working to raise money for the same cause.
- Bruce Potter’s official last day with the national staff was Tuesday, December 28 and he has moved on to begin his new job as high school state association director for New York state. We wish him all the best.
- National staff worked through strategic planning this week. It was our 11th Week of Excitement. We took some different approaches this year, beginning with Vision 2020 and the big picture, and then wrote some macro objectives to which we wrote department strategies, tactics and business plans. It was very exciting. We’ll be making our first report on new objectives to the state association director association officers at the end
Tags: Advisor Mega Prizes, Highlights, Membership, Planning, Staff News, State Farm Grants, Vision 2020
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June 15th, 2010
- Just a few National Leadership and Skills Conference numbers: the most recent VIP guest list includes nearly 250 people and it seems more keep coming all the time; we have 9,759 registered teachers and students, an increase over last year and we’re up to 5,661 contestants. The truck is packed and leaves today on its way to conference.
- State Association Directors are encouraged to attend a special WorldSkills session on Thursday during NLSC. The meeting will be held at 11 a.m. in Bartle Hall, Room 2208. Simon Bartley, Chief Executive of the UK Skills and WorldSkills London will be giving an overview of plans for the 2011 WSC in London and Jon Gonzalez will discuss funding initiatives. Staff will provide information on the new team selection process and provide an update on WorldTeam members selected so far. The meeting should last approximately 30-34 minutes.
- Staff has arranged two new events for business partners to meet during conference. One is a town hall-style meeting for current and prospective business and industry partners on how to derive the most benefit from a partnership with SkillsUSA. A panel of representatives from SkillsUSA’s leading business partners will conduct the discussion on Thursday, June 24, at 2 p.m., in Bartle Hall Room 2209. Second, We have also added a new SkillsUSA University session to help current and prospective partners learn best practices to get the most out of their partnership with SkillsUSA. Lynn Scheitrum of Air Products has agreed to moderate. This will be a good session for companies that are attending national conference for the first time, likewise for any prospective partners that state directors or others may plan to host during conference.
- And, Kelly Horton has officially started work here and joined us as our new director of Membership, Marketing and Sales.
Tags: Highlights, NLSC, Partner News, SkillsUSA University, Staff News, State Directors, WorldTeam
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May 15th, 2010
From left to right: Daniel Jasso, Jr., SkillsUSA Puerto Rico state director Pedro Rodriguez, Undersecretary of Vocational Education Helen Sosa-Staples, Region IV V.P. Eduardo Luna
- I announced the official record-setting membership in the last Executive Update. Since then. we’ve had an additional 1,000+ memberships come in, many of them from Puerto Rico where there’s been the difficulty of moving the education offices from one building to another. Staff attended the spring leadership conference in Puerto Rico, along with Region IV Vice President Eduardo Luna and his advisor Daniel Jasso. They also did several school visits from April 18-24 and met with the Undersecretary of Vocational Education, Dr. Helen Sosa Staples. There was also a meeting with officials to discuss creation of postsecondary membership in Puerto Rico, and that would be a fir
- Staff was in Chicago April 29-30 attending the PLTW Core Training Preparation, a train-the-trainer conference for PLTW (Project Lead the Way) instructors. Marsha presented the Engineering Alliance and, of course, met with the trainers. Approximately 450 educators attended and they, in turn, will be conducting 185 training sessions around the country this summer during five two-week sessions.
- We had a staff meeting on April 20 looking ahead to the National Leadership and Skills Conference, and it’s not far off. Georgia-Pacific and Robert Bosch Tool Corporation will co-sponsor the opening ceremony. There are already 75 SkillsUSA University sessions scheduled, and 13 new TECHSPO exhibitors are signed up. And, the National Robotics League will return again this year to hold its national competition at the Hyatt Convention Center from June 21-23 in conjunction with our conference.
- On April 22, half of the staff went through Red Cross CPR training. The other half will receive training in September. This is a move to reduce the cost of health insurance. And, on April 23, the national staff pitched in to clean up the National Leadership Center in preparation for the 45th Founders’ Day Celebration held on May 7 (more on that next time).
- On April 30, I attended the NCCER (National Center for Construction Education and Research) board of trustees meeting in Napa, Calif.
Tags: Engineering Alliance, NLSC, Staff News, State Conferences
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February 15th, 2010
Both Ada Kranenberg, program director for the SkillsUSA Championships, and Karen Perrino, director of our Office of Marketing and Membership Services retired during the week of Jan. 22. Both are long-tenured. Ada joined the staff in 1982, and Karen has been with us for nearly 18 years. Both have been vital to the success of SkillsUSA.
Karen has been a leader in many areas through the years in publications, marketing and membership. SkillsUSA reached record levels of membership during her time as director of Marketing and Membership Services, and she was instrumental to our entire brand initiative. “I’m thankful Karen will continue to help us during this transition on marketing initiatives already underway and on the Lowe’s project where she has been such a leader for us. She is a consummate professional, and all of us wish her well with her move to Florida.
Ada began work with SkillsUSA back when it was VICA and worked with me when I managed the Championships from 1996 to 2001. She has been instrumental in guiding the Championships’ phenomenal growth from 36 contests to today’s 96, and she’s worked tirelessly with all of the technical committees and sponsors who make the Championships possible. Ada has also been our point person for the WorldSkills Competition for the past two decades. I’m happy to say that Ada will continue as a consultant and manager for the SkillsUSA WorldTeam through the WorldSkills Competition to be held in London in 2011. She will also lead our delegation to the AmericaSkills events in Brazil next month. SkillsUSA will be sending two students; six technical experts; Mark Claypool (our team leader), and Don Hatton, the U.S. technical delegate. This is all in preparation for the WorldSkills event in London, England in 2011.
Tags: Staff News, WorldSkills Competition, WorldTeam
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February 15th, 2010
I met on Tuesday, Feb. 2, with the directors and then with the staff to present and then discuss a proposed realignment of staff responsibilities. For the most part, departments have remained about the same for the past nine years. During that same time, however, initiatives and programs have been added although few have been dropped. In light of Vision 2020 and strategic planning for the FY 2011-12 years I felt it was time to shift some responsibilities around so we can ensure high-quality service to our members and deliver the same high-quality service to our partners. Changes in the alignment of responsibilities will be phased in during the remainder of this fiscal year and then be fully in place in FY11.
Tags: Staff News, Vision 2020
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February 1st, 2010
Our Tenth Annual Week of Excitement (also known as the week of national staff strategic planning) took place January 12-15. The focus included a number of major initiatives already underway – such as the Work Force Ready System and the Engineering Alliance – and what objectives will help move us to the Vision 2020 goals.
We’re still in the process of evaluating department recommendations. At present, we have 12 pages of objectives (including a few tactics) in the five goal areas. Oftentimes objectives submitted by departments overlap each other, but that usually tells us we’ve hit upon an important action area. Frequently mentioned among the objectives is more extensive use of communications, networking and news media. This includes updating and using new technology that will be needed to keep pace with the needs of our members and partners. There are also many references to alumni, inclusion and diversity, grant management and fund raising. We’re confident we are putting in place the things we’ll need to reach our SkillsUSA vision for 2020.
Tags: Planning, Staff News, Vision 2020
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January 15th, 2010
Happy New Year. Things were quiet around here two weeks ago as staff enjoyed time with family and friends during the week leading up to the New Year, but the pace has certainly picked up since then. We’re back in the swing and just completed our “Tenth Annual Week of Excitement” during strategic planning this week.
The excitement began on Tuesday, January 12, with a full staff meeting for the day to review our progress this past year, discuss our current initiatives and then we took a long look forward toward the goals in Vision 2020. We wrote objectives by departments toward reaching those goals in the FY2011 and FY2012 plans, over the next two days and then the directors convened today for a reporting session. Preliminary objectives will go to the state association directors’ executive committee next week. At this pace, it feels as though the year will be over before we know it.
Tags: Staff News, Vision 2020
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January 15th, 2010
- Tom Hall, director of the publications department at SkillsUSA reported that on January 7 two SkillsUSA projects recently won awards. Our most recent annual report won an award in the annual Printing Industries of Virginia competition. With many other associations based in Virginia or having their annual reports printed here, this is quite an accomplishment for us. Congratulations go to Tom Kercheval, the B&I staff and everyone else who had a hand in our annual report. Also, in the Association TRENDS 2009 All-Media Contest, SkillsUSA’s 2009-10 Membership Kit won a gold award in the Membership Promotion Kit category. The 2009 competition included more than 425 entries in 26 categories of association communications. As the best in its category, our kit will be displayed in a “Winners’ Gallery” in D.C. next month, as well as on the TRENDS Web site. Congratulations go to Karen Perrino and all staff who worked on this project.
- As reported before, Dave Worden joined the staff last Monday as the program director of the national SkillsUSA Championships. Dave brings years of experience with SkillsUSA – dating all the way back to 1978 – and tremendous experience in industry and as chairman of the Power Equipment Technology contest. We look forward to having his expertise and sense of humor on the national staff.
- Staff traveled with a representative from the U.S. Department of Labor last week for a tour of CAT North outside Baltimore, Maryland. CAT is one of our favorite model SkillsUSA programs. The tour was part of DOL’s consideration of a grant for SkillsUSA activities and chapters in YouthBuild programs nationwide. We had a good discussion with representatives from YouthBuild and DOL on Monday of this week.
- On Monday morning, January 11, we had meetings with the Engineering Alliance. Representatives from Project Lead the Way and the Technology Student Association (TSA) joined us. The official launch of the Engineering Alliance is today, January 15. The Web site address is www.engineeringalliance.org
- John Foster, president and chief executive officer of NOCTI stopped by for a visit on January 5 to discuss a number of things including work NOCTI is doing on pathways and NOCTI support for the national SkillsUSA Championships. It was great to visit with John to discuss future cooperative efforts.
- And, I visited last Friday with Board Member Emily DeRocco. We’ve wanted to get together to discuss the National Association of Manufacturers certification system and the possible fit of the Skill Connect assessments. We had a great discussion on this topic and the work of the Manufacturing Institute.
Tags: Board of Directors, Department of Labor, Engineering Alliance, Government Relations, Highlights, National Association of Manufacturers, NOCTI, Partner News, Project Lead the Way, SkillsUSA Championships, Staff News
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