From the President’s Pen
Can you believe that half the year has passed, and so much has happened? We have had two half-day chapter meetings and evening and day meetings, with seminars on everything from RFP's to management of natural gas transportation to Qualifications Based Selection and many other topics in between. The March session on RFP's has recorded and you can listen by clicking http://www.macpp.org/media.html on the Chapter website. The information in that session could be very valuable to you if you have questions about how the way other entities manage RFP's. Several classes have been held during the first half of 2010, and several folks have shared what they learned in those classes in this newsletter. Be sure to read their article.
The Chapter website has experienced a lot of changes and continues to change. We have experienced some Board member changes this year and are glad to have Jennifer Stove, CPPB, City of Olathe who stepped in to fulfill the Publications Director duties. Jen is working to bring the Chapter Newsletter, website, and other publication duties current. If you notice errors in the website, please contact Jen at jstove@olatheks.org. Sally Grogan has done a great job with Professional Development but has recently retired from City of North Kansas City. Our thanks go to Sally for doing a great job. Other additions to the website include publication of meeting minutes and Treasurer Reports from Cathy Barker and Nicole Averell. I've named everyone on the Board except Bob Young and John Mahin, and I would like to say thanks to them for their advice and support. Let's also not forget our Historian, Pat Raney, and if you have any MACPP history you would like to put in the "archives" please get in touch with Pat.
The last half of 2010 is jammed with all kinds of opportunities. The 2010 NIGP National Forum is in San Antonio, Texas and runs August 12-17. Several Chapter members are attending this year, many with the assistance of John Neger Scholarship funds. We have every hope of taking the Mid-Sized Chapter of Year Award for the third year in a row now. Thanks to Brett Wood of Johnson County for taking lead on the task force that put the application together. It is a huge undertaking and doing it right is the reason we have won the past two years. The September Chapter meeting will be an informal Forum debriefing meeting. Those who attend Forum are asked to attend and share their experiences and what they learned. It also affords an opportunity for Chapter members to ask questions.
KCRPE 2010 is October 6-8, and will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Independence, MO, where we have held the last several KCRPE events. The program is set and it will chock full of great learning opportunities. One of the best features—the cost of registration has DECREASED! Yes, that's right. So go www.macpp.org, click on the KCRPE link and register today! We have a great vendor expo on Wednesday afternoon of the event, but we need EVERYONE to go to the expo and see each and every vendor. The fees they pay for booth rental, advertising, and other sponsorships are the reason we can have such a great event. Please register now!
I encourage everyone to read all about the upcoming events for the remainder of 2010, read the information on the Chapter website, and lastly, consider whether you want to get more involved in the Chapter in 2011. The Chapter Officer and Director election is just around the corner.
See you at the next meeting!
Russ Pankey, CPPB,
2010 MACPP President