Thursday, March 13, 2008

Greetings GCPA Members,

As I face the last leg of my term as President of GCPA, I am thankful for so many things:

• Under the leadership of Brooklynn Parrott, GCPA completed a phenomenal 39th Annual Conference at the lovely Jekyll Island Hotel Club;
• We are scheduled to host our 40th Anniversary GCPA Conference in 2009 at the University of Georgia, the birthplace for the association;
• We implemented our first, and very successful Mock Placement workshop for colleagues in the state in November 2007 at Augusta State University;
• My esteemed successor, colleague and friend, Eddie Howard, Jr. has already exceeded his commitment to GCPA by providing tremendous support to the organization. I am excited about the direction in which GCPA will grow because of his leadership!

As many of you can imagine, even under the best of leadership, managing processes are sometimes more challenging to implement then they appear. As the out-going president, I would be remised if I failed to recognize and address processes that can be improved to better serve the members of this organization. During the conference, members brought some matters to our attention concerning the election process for the 2008-2009 GCPA executive board. Specifically, these issues include:

• The clarity regarding the actual number of sector representatives outlined in the bylaws;
• The length of time given to the body to vote on the candidates;
• The low amount of ballot returns;
• The anonymity of the voting process, and;
• The process for nominating members to serve in leadership positions on the board.

After consulting members of the GCPA executive board in our meeting at the close of the conference, it was decided to modify and execute a thorough election process to include clearer procedures and instructions on the entire process. At the advisement of those present at our meeting, I have appointed our newly appointed Treasurer, Mrs. Brooklyn Parrott to coordinate the nomination and election process. You will soon receive information about the positions available, the process for making nominations, voting procedures, and a timeline for the entire process.

Please consider nominating someone (including yourself) for one of the open positions. Please accept my regrets for the delay in this process making this happen; we are of the opinion that this new process will ultimately allow for more visibility among the membership, as well as preserve the long-term integrity of the organization. Most importantly, it is our way of doing our very best to serve our faithful members to the association, by ensuring that every member has an equal opportunity to participate in the election process. So, please, participate in the process, and exercise your Right to Vote!

We have some exciting opportunities and important initiatives on the horizon for 2008-2009. As we approach 40 years of service in GCPA, we look forward to engaging all members in these opportunities! We look forward to answering any inquiries you may have about all GCPA matters.

Sincerely,

Nicole A. Phillips
President, GCPA