I didn't envision I would ever be writing a president's message but here I am, newly installed and ready to go. I'm sure the year will pass quickly, they all seem to. I read somewhere that a wise person once said Abraham Lincoln was a great president because he knew he was only acting president. I'll keep this in mind as I navigate through the year.
I know my predecessors have created a seasoned, well-oiled machine. I'll try to hand it off next year in equal if not better condition. The success of our chapter is built upon the strength of our volunteers and our incredibly talented executive director, Lianne Andreucci. In 2014, I've been able to retain several experienced and highly effective committee chairs. In addition I've attracted some new, excited volunteers to lead a several committees. I'm confident we have the pieces in place to build on our success.
My theories on leadership are constantly evolving. I recently learned a valuable lesson that I would like to share. In November I had the pleasure of moderating a candidates event. We were fortunate to have Joseph Magdziarz, MAI, SRA, the 2011 Appraisal Institute national president in attendance and he was gracious in giving time to the group. I had carefully prepared a presentation that included an explanation of the leadership structure of the Appraisal Institute. It started by defining our national leadership, discussed the importance of the regional layer and ended at the chapter level. I thought it went well until... Magdziarz took the microphone and proceeded to school me. Magdziarz's point was simple. The organization doesn't start at the national level. The organization is the membership and leadership exists to serve its membership. A simple concept but one that is often overlooked.
With this lesson in mind my principle goals for 2014 are to focus on promoting opportunities for the advancement of our membership. Our candidates and education committees are working hard to produce programs to help members achieve higher levels of professional excellence and competency.
Last year was the kickoff of the Candidates for Designation program. Deborah Carlson, Maureen Mellen and Ken Dicks, MAI did an outstanding job forming the candidates committee and developing effective programs for our 92 candidates. We conferred five designations in 2013. In 2014 we will commit additional resources to build on the accomplishments of the committee. I look forward to awarding an even greater number of designations in the coming year.
Our education committee, co-chaired by Edward Bowler, MAI and John Drew, did an incredible job in 2013. We are fortunate they've agreed to return. I decided to expand the committee by three volunteers in 2014 to extend Bowler and Drew's valuable experience to the next generation of leaders. Our "all in" approach to education is paying dividends. We have created a sense of stability and commitment for our offerings. We have a full slate of exciting classes and seminars ready to go in 2014.
Another focus in 2014 will be the union of our Rhode Island branch membership. 2013 brought the merger of our chapters and the creation of the Rhode Island branch. We've incorporated Rhode Island members into our leadership and I've added more members to our team in 2014. I intend to work closely with branch leadership to listen to their ideas and promote their interests.
Finally, on a lighter note, I've committed to bringing back the John Hewitt and Paul Kinsella Golf Outing, a joint event with the MBREA. In addition to being a great day of golf and networking we will raise needed funds for our Hewitt and MBREA's Kinsella scholarship funds. Stay tuned for more on this event and don't be shy if you have a desire to help with the coordination of the outing.
2014 will be a year of challenge and adaptation. Overall, the chapter's health remains strong. We have an energized board of directors and the commitment of many volunteers serving on committees. My mission in 2014 is to focus the chapter's considerable strengths and energies to provide abundant high-quality education and programming for the purpose of advancing our candidates toward designation.
Joseph Comperchio, SRA, is the 2014 president of the Mass. & R.I. chapter of the Appraisal Institute, and works for commercial banking at Chase, Boston, MA.