A Message from the VP of Outreach

Happy Spring to all, I hope we continue to see more of the beautiful sunshine we have seen this winter. Outreach has been busy in three areas; the diversity and inclusion initiative, BlogCascadia and PodCascadia.

Diversity and Inclusion

In the fall, we formed a committee which has been providing the board with recommendations for aligning the chapter operations with its business goals, as the foundation for diversity and inclusion. The first thing we did was to identify the four most common reasons people come to ASTD-Cascadia:

* Professional Development
* Networking
* Business Opportunities
* Giving Back

Building a strong business case for membership provides a framework for looking at where we are open and where the places are that we are unintentionally excluding people. As we look at each of these areas, we are looking for places we can invite more people to join in the benefits the association offers.

The next phase of the diversity and inclusion work will focus on increasing cultural competency on the executive team through coaching, and building a more inclusive succession plan for the board. We are always looking for new people to join us, since it takes diverse people to get a diverse perspective. We generally meet the second Thursday of the month, and you can join the email list for notifications by sending me an email.

BlogCascadia and PodCascadia

Our new media tools continue to grow and attract new audiences. We use these tools to deliver professional development through program reviews on the blog, and interviews with a wide range of guests on the podcast. We support networking through comments on the blog, and offering the opportunity to get to know more about members through our interviews and articles. Business opportunities follow for those who utilize the blog and podcast to showcase skills. We have many opportunities for giving back by writing for the blog, joining as as a member of the blog or podcast production team, or being a guest on the show.

BlogCascadia is a particularly great way to get involved with the chapter if you have schedule limitations or are located outside of the Portland area. You don't have to know how to blog specifically, just be willing to write and learn how to use the software. If you can use word processing software, you can blog. I would love to get people involved who are interested in thinking of ways we can build on the foundation we have created in the blogs first nine months.

PodCascadia has seen a significant increase in listeners. Now we are wondering who they are! If you have ever listened to PodCascdia, could you take a few minutes to fill out a short six question survey.

I always welcome any feedback or ideas about how I can serve you better. You can reach me at christine@visualsspeak.com or 503-523-1514.

Christine Martell
VP of Outreach
ASTD-Cascadia Chapter
christine@visualsspeak.com

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