Friday, April 24, 2015
On behalf of the entire VRPS board, I am writing to thank
you for your continued support and to share with you some of the activities of
the first quarter of this year.
I have been your President for nearly four months now and
have learned a tremendous amount regarding how members view VRPS, the great
traditions and services we must maintain, some areas needing improvement, as
well as the aspirations for VRPS’ future and the future of our
profession.
Based on this, professional experiences and my 16 years as a
fellow VRPS member, I want to share with you some of the board’s initiatives
for the upcoming months.
A couple of weeks ago, your Board of Directors came together
for a day-long retreat. Here, we explored the best practices of non-profit
boards and gained a great deal of insight into where we exceed standards, as
well as identified some opportunities for improvement. Listed below are two of
the areas where we will focus our efforts in the upcoming months:
- Create greater
transparency though increased communication
· Board
meeting packets available online, in addition to board meeting minutes
· Communication
from the President to the members following each board meeting
· Annual
budget available online
- Build a strategic
plan
· Engage
members in the collection of feedback and input at multiple stages
· Identify
five strategic initiatives for VRPS in the plan
· Establish
a timeline to allow for sharing draft plan at VRPS Annual Business Meeting
Last month, you received the VRPS magazine and next month
the President’s Newsletter will arrive in your inbox. Along with these
electronic bulletins, which are full of great member initiatives and exciting
VRPS information, your weekly E-update gives you a plethora of great up-to-date
news. Please take the time to check out these resources. As members, these are
our primary vehicles for sharing information with you.
Also, I feel it important to express the Board’s full
support for our VRPS central office staff. Small, yet mighty may be the best
way to describe the three-person staff who support our 1,100 members and the
programs and events in which we are engaged. Jim Stutts, Executive Director,
has been VRPS’ rock solid asset for over three decades, leading us fearlessly
through innumerable challenges including the Board and Society restructuring,
important legislative initiatives, and countless conference and workshop
negotiations. The compliment of Nancy Turnage, Membership Director, and Lori
Haislip, Administrative Assistant, brings a positive customer service
experience and great organizational efficiencies to the office. This team
serves us, the members each and every day, and I thank them for all that they
do.
The diversity of our membership and the opportunities we
share are the heart and soul of our organization! From Senior Games to
the theme park ticket sales program, from service area and resource group
workshops to the statewide legislative platform, VRPS continues to be the
foundation for our profession here in Virginia.
On behalf of the board, we look forward to keeping you up to
date on these initiatives. Please don’t hesitate to provide your input on these
areas or any other activities and services of VRPS. I invite you to come
to a Board meeting or attend a service area meeting.
It is my distinct honor to serve you as your President.
Please know how much the entire board and I value your continued support and
commitment to VRPS.
Sincerely,
Marcy G. Durrer, MS CPRP
2015 VRPS Board President
Recreation Program Director
Hanover County Parks & Recreation
13017 Taylor Complex Lane
Ashland, VA 23005
804-365-4697
2015 VRPS Board of Directors
Margaret Thorne, Vice President
LaTanya Turner, Treasurer
Rita Miller, Lay Member
Michael Kalvort, CPRE
Katey Legg, CPRP
Aaron Reidmiller, CPRP
Blythe Russian
Bill Sgrinia
Kim Turner, CTRS
Jim Stutts, CAE, CPRP, Executive Director
No comments:
Post a Comment