Words of Wisdom and New Leadership at the August Membership Luncheon

Written by: Lauren Antista – Communications Coordinator, Florida Psychological Association

2009-2010 FPRA President, Heidi Otway, APR kicked off the August membership luncheon with a recap of the Capital Chapter’s successes at the recent FPRA conference in Naples.  The Capital Chapter stole the show, receiving more awards than any other chapter, including: the Professional Development Award; the Integrated Communication Award; the Chapter President of the Year Award – Heidi Otway, APR; and the Doris Fleischmann Award – Rachel Smith, APR, CPRC.

Members of the 2009-2010 Board of Directors received recognition and thanks for their dedication and service to FPRA.  Several awards were presented for notable achievements, which included: an Unsung Hero Award to Meg Shannon, APR as thanks for her continuous dedication to FPRA; the President’s Award to Cecka Green for her achievements as Roast & Toast Chair; the Member of the Year award to Christina Johnson, 2009-2010 Co-VP/Membership Chair; and the New Member of the Year Award to Kiley Mallard.  New members were also presented with FPRA pins and the 2010-2011 board members were officially installed into their leadership roles.

2010-2011 FPRA President Ivette Marquez, APR briefly outlined her plans for FPRA for the upcoming year.  In particular, Ms. Marquez intended to select a “Top PRo” each month, recognizing that member for outstanding efforts on behalf of FPRA.  Each “Top PRo” would receive a scholarship toward participating in the statewide FPRA conference.

The final highlight of the luncheon was a well received presentation on leadership by Ms. Sue Dick, president of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Counsel of Tallahassee/Leon County, Inc.  Ms. Dick noted that the current trend of leadership is moving from an execution model (focused on the short term) to a more strategic model.  In this vein, she emphasized the importance of assessing current trends, long-term planning and awareness of the new movement toward social responsibility.

Ms. Dick left the members of the Capital Chapter with a few important main points on leadership.  She stressed that as a leader, it is important to:

  • Reflect on past decisions made
  • Anticipate change
  • Find a mentor
  • Have heartfelt passion for what you do
  • Coach and develop new talent
  • Keep up with technology
  • Know when it is time to move on