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President’s Message

    January 19, 2016

    Greetings and welcome to AVHRA 2016.

    We’re excited about upcoming opportunities and hope you are too!   We’re in process of a great line-up of 2016 programs and will be updating our website as events are finalized.

    In response to member requests, we are developing a program to obtain general and strategic HRCI credits, locally.   On May 12th, AVHRA will hold the Eastern Washington STRATEGIC HR SUMMIT, a full-day conference. You’ll have an opportunity to hear from senior leaders at some of Washington’s biggest and most influential businesses, including topics on:

    • Succession planning: does your organization have a plan for the wave of retirements among Baby Boomers? Maintaining critical knowledge and skills through transition is key to HR’s strategic mission.
    • Organizational Development: HR can enable teams and employees to perform at peak levels through some simple OD interventions. Hear how.
    • Recruitment: Linked In has become a huge competitive tool for small and medium organizations in 2016. Hear from a Linked In senior manager about how you can gain a competitive edge.
    • Workforce planning: Growing your own talent in the community is the next big wave for organizations that have challenges finding new employees.
    • Change leadership: Over 80% of all change initiatives fail. Come hear how you as an HR professional can equip your leadership to be the exception.
    • Future of HR: T-Mobile has created a brand new way to approach HR in 2016. Hear about their transformation from a senior manager who has helped build it.

    Other program planning includes Safety in the Workplace (with recent terrorist attacks, how do we keep our employees safe?), FMLA (never-ending changes in medical leaves and accommodations), and a fun “speed networking” event at Pybus Market ….. just to name a few!

    Back by popular demand, AVHRA is again hosting Mike Nash – Excellence in Management.  Mark your calendar for this four-day series; full-day workshops scheduled for September 28-29 and October 5-6 at the Confluence Technology Center with catering from a variety of local restaurants.  Mike provides practical tools that are presented in an interactive format. He is engaging and connects well with all types of audiences. You won’t want to miss Mike Nash and his principals that will help make your company great!              

    If you are a current chapter member, thank you.  If not, consider this our personal invitation to join us for a 2016 chapter event.  It’s a great way to network with other HR professionals and leaders in the community, enhance professional development, and stay abreast of important HR related topics and law updates.

    You’ll see a few new faces on the AVHRA board for 2016; I’m happy to introduce Jeremy Jordan as Programs Director, and Brenda Reagan as Secretary and Foundation Director.  Jeremy is the Organizational Development Manager at Chelan PUD and has a breadth of experience in strategic organization and employee development, planning and training from his past work with Google and Microsoft.  Brenda is the HR Manager at WSDOT (North Central Region) and a past AVHRA board member.

    We look forward to your participation in 2016 and also welcome your attendance at our monthly board meetings, held on the 2nd Thursday of each month at the main Chelan PUD offices beginning at 7:00 am.  Members are always welcome and in May, the meeting is scheduled for noon in PUD Auditorium (bring your brown bag and hear what’s in store for the 2nd half of the year).   For more information, contact Ruth Erwert at ruth@chelanpud.org