Last month I declared “Joy” as my personal word this year. I’m seeing joy in many places, including during a recent trip to the Rancho Bernardo, in sunny San Diego, where the APNA Board met for its mid-year meeting. After spending focused time digging deep into big thoughts and big ideas for our association and industry, along with our industrious Board of Directors, I’m thrilled to proclaim APNA’s 2022 word is “Growth”. 
What does growth look like for APNA? It means evolution and advancement. Our intent is clear: to improve what exists and to grow beyond where we now stand. Growth for APNA means not only increasing our membership roster, but also diversifying our membership, expanding our educational offerings, extending our reach in the business, staffing and care communities. And, equally as critical, continuing to support the personal, professional and business growth of our members and those with whom we surround ourselves.
To move our association forward, we had to look back. We thoughtfully reflected on what APNA does well, what we can do better, and what we can do differently. Under the expert guidance of Wendy Sachs, we also began the hard work of refining our organization’s core values, strategy and purpose – critical to anchoring our association and guiding future growth. The meeting day was packed and the Board also made the following decisions:
- For those who seek extra business support, APNA is creating an Agency Accelerator Program. Led by Laura Chandra, the goal of the program is to increase the likelihood of long-term success for all agencies. It promises to reach entrepreneurs, particularly in the first few years of business, to provide education and guidance to get over those speed bumps. And, along the way, set the foundation of a collaborative community. This, my friends, brings me so much joy and I can’t wait to share more! Stay tuned…
- Our Community and Education Board Member, Erika Slade, is focusing on cultivating community within our industry by crafting a program of useful, rich educational content for business with a packed line-up of webinars.
- APNA’s VP, Katie Provinziano, is working diligently creating a fresh, and much needed toolkit to support agency owners. In its final stages, keep an open ear for the announcement of its launch.
- The Board is actively working to refine our membership process. Suzie Zeldin, whose mission is new membership, is leading the way. In the upcoming months, APNA plans to release a resource video to walk potential applicants through the application process, including expectations and timeline. Additionally, the Board voted to amend APNA’s membership requirement from three years in business to two years. We know there are talented agency owners out there who meet or exceed APNA’s membership requirements before the three-year mark; we’re eager to welcome them into the association. Moreover, we will no longer be requesting feedback from our members at large on new member applicants – this practice has proven to be misplaced. If a member has an issue with a member, or potential member, submitting a formal complaint to the Ethics Committee is the more appropriate channel. Substantiated claims will make their way to the membership vetting mix.
- Growth in the diversity of our organization is our duty, and the DEI Task Force is looking at ways to follow through on our responsibility to provide support to individuals from underrepresented backgrounds. Scholarships, trainings, education through workshops are areas the task force is exploring.
- Finally, the APNA Conference Committee, headed by Kim Winblood, is going like gangbusters building out the conference program for Annual Conference 2022. Growth is at the center of it all as the committee amasses content touching on aspects of personal, professional and business development. Get ready and get set to learn, laugh and grow in October 2022!
I love APNA. Being a part of this association has shaped not only my business, but me as an entrepreneur and a human, and has brought me an abundance of joy. I look forward to working side by side with our amazing volunteer board, and our strong, supportive members, to help this association grow even more in the upcoming year.
Warmly,
Jami Dennis
APNA President