Welcome to the CBODN President's Letter! 

Dear CBODN Members,

As the incoming president of the CBODN Board of Directors, I am honored to have this opportunity to serve such a vibrant and diverse professional association. CBODN members and OD practitioners play a vital role in organizations throughout our region and are recognized for providing thought leadership on both a national and global stage.

I am grateful to the members of the 2009-2010 Board or Directors for their commitment over the past year and to the SIG Leaders, volunteers and partners who made this past year such a success. I look forward to building on our accomplishments and victories as we continue our mission of advancing the practice of OD.

Our 2010-2011 Board is already hard at work on an exciting and ambitious agenda based in large part on the results of our recent Member Survey. Our focus for the year will be on three core strategic priorities:

• Strengthening and articulating the value proposition for CBODN
• Engaging our members and key stakeholders
• Ensuring that our systems are provide the highest levels of support and customer satisfaction

I will continue to sharing additional details as we refine our strategic plans, and welcome your feedback and thoughts.

I want to thank all of the members of our CBODN community for your support and the many contributions that you make to our association and our profession. It is truly a pleasure to be in your company, and I look forward to meeting you at an evening program, networking event or workshop.

Sincerely,

Everett Marshall

President, CBODN Board of Directors

Dear CBODN Members,
 
I write this letter on the verge of my final board meeting as president of CBODN. How fast this year has gone by! I will spare you the "Year in Review" but do invite you to look at our Annual Report and to reflect on your own highlights and memories.
 
During our May board meeting, we participated in a de-brief of the year. This month we will analyze the results of our membership survey. All of this will serve as input for our annual planning retreat on July 17th.
 
I am someone who prefers to look forward.  As I look ahead, I see outreach opportunities that will expand and enrich our professional community. These possibilities include a larger number of and higher profile volunteer positions, a deeper personal connection with and among members, more intentional member input and participation into our services and events, more resources to help us build and run our practices (even if they are internal), and continued access to even more OD job listings, OD thought leaders and OD tools, practices and case studies.
 
As we head into our summer, please stay in touch with us through our website and Communiqué. We are hoping to host a member picnic, so be on the lookout for an invitation. Also know that your board of directors is working hard with CGG to plan an even more spectacular year for 2010-2011.
 
I would like to acknowledge the following CBODN leaders for their contribution to our success. Some have already completed their service, others will rotate off the board on June 30, and some will be continuing through next year and beyond. Each individual has invested time and talent in unique and valuable ways to serve our mission of advancing the practice of OD. I am grateful for the impact they've had and for the opportunity to establish what I hope will be career-long friendships. A heartfelt thank you goes to:
 
Michael Berens                                     Diane Mazzoli
Joe Conroy                                          Phil Nimtz
Kathy Cook Ravenscroft                         Kevin Nourse
Beth Dumesco                                      Heather O'Neill Jelks
Daniel Fein-Helfman                              Michelle Poché Flaherty
Jacob Flinck                                         Liz Smith
Emily Giacomini                                    Cindy Stark
Zsofia Paizs Greenbaum                         Erica Tetuan
Jill Hinson                                            Kate Trygstad
Varun Malhotra                                     Neville Uhles
Everett Marshall                                    Jason Whitehead
Mike May

I also want to thank the CGG staff, especially Brian Gorg, Cris Collie and Maureen Gelwicks. Their presence is felt. Our partnership with our management firm this past year has allowed CBODN to rise to the next level of professionalism. The gifts and talents that Brian, Cris and Maureen offer have strengthened our organization.
 
It has been an honor to serve as CBODN's president this past year. I had the privilege of working with a strong, committed team of leaders and I have been delighted to connect with our fabulous members, volunteers, sponsors, partners, and presenters. I treasure this professional community and look forward to one more year on the board as we carry the momentum forward.
 
Cheers,
Kathryn Gaines, Ph.D.
President
CBODN

Dear CBODN Members,

We are now on the other side of our spectacular annual conference . . . and our year of events and services is not over. CBODN board members, SIG leaders and volunteers are working hard to deliver continued opportunities for growth, connection, and learning as we advance the practice of OD. So don't head to the beach just yet! 

Energizing Annual Conference
Thanks to everyone who made our annual conference on April 30th such a success. It was a wonderful gathering in a lovely new location with rich exchange and deep learning. Let's work to sustain the momentum and connections established among attendees, presenters, sponsors, and volunteers. I am especially grateful for the leadership of Heather Jelks and Kate Trygstad, Conference Co-Chairs, and their excellent team of volunteers. And stay tuned for photos, video, and presenter handouts on our website, as well as opportunities through our partners and sponsors.
 
Bylaws Approved
I am pleased to report that our proposed bylaws revisions were approved during our annual general membership meeting. Thanks again to those who took the time to offer comments and who showed up for an early morning meeting prior to our full-day conference. And I give a special nod to Joe Conroy, Director, Administration, for his leadership throughout the revision process.  The bylaws and our annual report can be accessed as PDF documents from the "About" drop-down menu on our website.
 
Consultant Directory & Job Postings
There is a range of job opportunities posted on our website, including several Director, OD positions. And our consultant directory is growing. Whether you are seeking clients or an internal job, membership has its value by providing you access to both. If you attended our conference and you are a member, you are eligible for a complimentary one year listing in our consultant directory. And if you are on the other side of the process, with a job opening or in search of a consultant, we can connect you directly with a targeted pool of candidates in the Washington, DC area.
 
Annual Survey and End-of-Year Debrief
The Board will use this month's meeting to debrief our year and generate recommendations for our new year, which begins on July 1st.  We are grateful for the support of Mary Jo Ammon who volunteered to facilitate us through the debrief process.
 
Please take a few minutes to complete our annual survey so that your feedback can be included as input for developing next year's plan. The survey period closes on May 21st.
 
I look forward to seeing many of you at one of our upcoming events!
 
Warm regards,
Kathryn Gaines, Ph.D.
President, CBODN

Dear CBODN Members,

We are one month away from our annual conference on April 30th. I am looking forward to connecting with many of you there to re-tool, refresh, and re-energize. There will be fabulous concurrent sessions, a spotlight on our sponsors and partners, book signings, an opportunity to network with colleagues, a chance to hear about Sodexo’s transformative inclusion initiative, as well as Diana Whitney’s keynote presentation & concurrent session on Appreciative Inquiry. . . and much more.

We will gather in a new location this year in Dupont Circle – AED Conference Center – a “green” space, with attention to environmental sustainability; state-of-the-art technology, including wireless access; and CART services, for instantaneous visual translation. Please visit our website and register today!

New CBODN Leaders

I am delighted to announce the two newest members of CBODN’s Board of Directors – Jill Hinson and Jacob Flinck have joined our leadership team and will work together as co-chairs of Membership. You can meet them both at our annual conference and, in the meantime, visit their profiles on our website.

I would also like to recognize Daniel Fien-Helfman, who has relinquished his Board role as Chair, Membership in order to focus solely on developing, administering, and analyzing our member survey in collaboration with Steve Chaplain. We are all excited about the new format and process and hopeful that this survey will provide valuable input for our future.

Member Input Needed

Two pivotal CBODN initiatives seek crucial member input:

Vote on Bylaws Revisions at Annual General Meeting, April 30th, 7:45-8:15 a.m.

CBODN’s Annual General Membership Meeting will be held immediately before our annual conference at the AED Conference Center, 1825 Connecticut Ave., NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 2009.  All members are invited, registration and attendance at the conference is NOT required to attend the annual general membership meeting.

This year, we will use our general meeting for an important vote on CBODN bylaws revisions. The proposed revised bylaws will be sent to members electronically and posted on our website, along with a link for your questions and comments to be submitted in advance of our meeting.

The board of directors has worked diligently for several months, consulted association management professionals and a lawyer, and we want your input and support. Please collaborate with us prior to our vote, attend the annual meeting, and support us in our efforts to strengthen our professional association. Our bylaws constitute the existence of our organization and how we operate. The bylaws are a set of legal, foundational documents. We have poured a large amount of resources and energy into these revisions with the intent of better serving CBODN and our members. We must “get this right” and approve the bylaws revisions if we are to move our organization forward.

Membership Survey

We will administer an electronic member survey between April 23rd and May 14th and a pen & paper survey can be obtained on-site at the annual conference and general business meeting on April 30th.  Your feedback will serve as valuable input to our planning as we begin a new year on July 1st.

Warm regards,
Kathryn Gaines, Ph.D.
President, CBODN

Dear CBODN members,

 
Spring has sprung! There are several budding areas for CBODN right now, and I would like to call your attention to three in particular:  bylaws revisions, membership survey, and new partnerships. Though they are only buds right now, we expect them to fully bloom between April and June.
 
Bylaws Revisions
We will have our Annual General Membership Meeting early on the morning of our conference. We will use this meeting for an important vote on bylaws revisions. CBODN's Board of Directors, especially Joe Conroy and Cindy Stark, have been working diligently since September to revise our bylaws. Joe and Cindy have collaborated with CGG and the CBODN Executive Team and have sought legal counsel and feedback from board members. Now we need your input.  Please be on the lookout for a draft of the revised bylaws to review prior to our vote on April 30th.
 
There are two primary drivers for our need to revise the bylaws. First, the size of our board needs to be smaller.  At full capacity, we are currently at 21 board members. This is too large and is not conducive to effective communication, efficient operations, or cohesive relationships. We decided that we need a smaller and differently structured board in order to foster the best and most collaboration. Now that we have such a strong partnership with CGG, the board is able to share much of our tactical work with them and focus on strategic leadership. We also believe that a smaller board will cultivate more active, hands-on committees with stronger member engagement. This will allow the board to share the workload and grow future leaders.
 
At the same time, we have taken great care to think several years out and provide future boards with the latitude to expand or contract or reinvent the board or the organization as needed.  You will find that the new version of our bylaws provides greater flexibility for our organization to be more adaptive to shifting contexts in the coming years.
 
The second driver for bylaws revisions is the need for greater consistency throughout the document. The current bylaws have varying levels of detail and concreteness and some internal contradictions. We have sought to resolve these and would like to recognize Keith Earley for providing pro bono legal services by reviewing our revisions on at least two occasions and raising powerful questions and important points.
 
Lest anyone thinks that bylaws revisions are only tedious, administrative details, I would like to underscore their significance. Our bylaws are the legal, foundational documents that constitute the existence of our member organization. They govern how we are structured and how we function. We take them seriously and hope that all of our members do too. Please plan to attend our Annual General Meeting on April 30th and vote. Conference registration is not required in order to participate in this meeting.
 
Membership Survey
The CBODN Board will also look forward to your input as we administer our membership survey next month. We are currently piloting the survey and plan to implement in late April through early May. We will use your feedback as valuable input for planning as we begin a new year on July 1st.
 
New Partnerships to Enhance Member Value
We are working to build partnerships with sister organizations that will increase the value of membership. For example, NTL Institute has a full menu of professional development courses and they are offering a 5% discount to CBODN members. We are working to cultivate similar partnerships and reciprocal arrangements with other organizations, including the Appreciative Inquiry DC Learning Community, DC ICF, and the Human Resources Leader's Forum.
 
Best regards,
Kathryn Gaines, Ph.D.
President, CBODN

• professional & career growth
• collegial connections & networking
• making an impact on or a contribution to the field of OD

A new year, a new decade . . . it’s time to re-invent CBODN! Here is a sample of what’s on deck for 2010:

• Re-define CBODN’s value proposition.  A special mid-year retreat on January 30^th will include not just the Board of Directors, but SIG Leaders, and other key volunteers and active members. We have space constraints, but if you would like to attend a portion of this retreat, please contact me at kgaines@cbodn.org. We want to include as many members of our community as we are able to accommodate.

• Explore a name change.  Our name is the essence of our identity. Are there other possibilities that will better evoke who we are? What other options might strengthen our branding and marketing efforts? How can we best get the input and buy-in of our community into this pivotal decision?

• An extensive member (and non-member) survey. Your feedback has never been more essential. The results will shape our future direction, so we are pulling out all the stops to increase our response rate. This process will include focus groups, interviews, and a survey instrument. We hope to include non-members, as well as members, and intend to offer this survey on-line and in paper & pencil format.  It will cover four key areas: operations, events, professional development, and outreach. We are fortunate to have the expertise and leadership of Daniel Fien-Helfman and Steve Chaplain through every phase of this process from design, implementation, and analysis through reporting.

• New services and programs. We begin the year re-launching our new and improved Consultant Directory as we work on enhancing our job listings, mentoring, and career resource-oriented events.

• More transparency and communication. We are really growing in new directions – more members, new services and technologies, a shifting organizational culture. We know that there can be some pitfalls to avoid when implementing change, so we are exploring the idea of a web page on our site dedicated to changes and updates. The hope is that we can include a blogging feature to facilitate collaboration as we envision and create a more valued future.

• Revised By-Laws.  We need to update our bylaws to support our growth and changing structure. Many of the revisions will include minor updates and others will be big. For example, the large size of our board of directors presents difficulties related to communication, decision-making, and team effectiveness. We will propose a smaller board with the intent of building stronger volunteer teams and more member engagement and participation. These revisions will be another opportunity for member input as we will take a vote on approving them during our Annual Meeting on April 30^th.

I would like to take this opportunity to recognize four organizations that have supported CBODN by offering free meeting space to our Board on more than one occasion. This space permits us to have professional, confidential meetings that allow team members to conference in when they must. This support means a great deal and makes a big difference to us. Thank you.

• Adventist HealthCare

• American Society for Interior Designers

• Hassett Willis & Company

• Pepco

Finally, as we shift into a new year, I want to acknowledge three key contributors who have had to leave our Board because of big shifts in their own lives. Michelle Poché Flaherty, Erica Tetuan, and Neville Uhles have each had to step down from the Board to make space in their lives for new endeavors. The good news is that all three remain committed to our community and hope to re-engage more fully in the future. I want to thank them for all that they have contributed and wish them continued success. In fact, let me wish you all much success in the coming year and decade. Happy New Year!

With appreciation and gratitude,

Kathryn Gaines, Ph.D.

President, CBODN

Dear Members,
It's time to look ahead and move forward! During this busy season of ending out the year and celebrating the holidays, we also focus on new intentions for 2010.  I want CBODN to be part of your plans for career and professional development.
 
The volunteer leaders on the CBODN board have been working hard to take our professional organization to the next level. In recent months we have delivered spectacular events, including programs with Scott Eblin, Amy Andrews, and Geoff Bellman. We plan to sustain this level of programming into next year with top-notch evening programs and our annual conference.
 
The 2010 conference will be held on April 30th in a new venue this year - AED (Academy for Educational Development) near Dupont Circle - to accommodate more participants. Our keynote speaker will be Diana Whitney, pioneering thought leader in the realms of Appreciative Inquiry and Positive Change. This premiere event is preceded by February's program with Glenda Eoyang, author and scholar-practitioner in the area of self-organizing systems and complexity theory in the field of OD.
 
Stay tuned for announcements and innovations as we move into 2010. Our mid-year board retreat in January will center on enhancing the value of membership. We will turn our attention to improving services, including our job postings and consultant directory, as well as strengthening outreach and operations. We invite you to voice your input, identify your needs, and express your interests when we launch our annual member survey.  Let's celebrate CBODN's 25th year by looking ahead and imagining the next 25!

Happy Holidays,
Kathryn Gaines

Dear CBODN Members,
 
What do you value most about being a member of the CBODN community?  How can we build deeper engagement, especially among younger or newer members of our community?
 
I attended the ODN conference in Seattle this past week and found it to be a powerful reminder of the values and value of both the field of OD and the community of OD professionals. We value and respect human dignity, connection, voice, inclusion, participation, and collaboration--the idea that if we interact with sincerity, listen with authenticity, build trusting relationships, and strengthen our communities then we will have healthier teams and organizations and better results and outcomes.
 
The conference was another chance to hear from some of the well-known contributors to our field--Peter Block, Ed Schein, Edie and Charlie Seashore, Geoff Bellman, Rick Maurer, Bob Marshak--all of whom are either local to the DC region or have spoken at a recent CBODN event. I noticed what a good job we do of honoring the founders and long-standing contributors to OD.
 
I also noticed an absence of younger voices. I did not see the next generation of OD practitioners talking about emerging trends. I'm curious about this silence and a bit worried. We do such a good job of celebrating our heroes and our past, but maybe we are not paying enough attention to our future or doing enough to mentor incoming members of our community. I'm interested in what you and other members of our CBODN community are experiencing.
 
I would like to continue exploring this observation with CBODN members and volunteers. As I do, I invite you to participate in a dialogue. Let's discuss this and act to strengthen the future of our community.
 
I was inspired by an ongoing volunteer project that is an outgrowth of the Pacific Northwest OD Network. They have assembled a group of committed volunteers--mentors, students, and new grads--who partner with the smallest of nonprofit organizations to provide them with OD consultation. This Community Consulting Partnership (www.ccpseattle.org) is not a 501c3, does not have Articles of Incorporation, or a board of directors. It is simply a group of committed leaders who are giving to the future of our profession and to our communities and getting a great deal in return for their hard work.
 
My hope is that the value of belonging to the CBODN community is a mixture of what we get and what we give. I would like to create the opportunity for such partnerships and collaborations to emerge in our network. It might not be the same as what has worked so well in Seattle, but I'm confident that something just as creative and meaningful can emerge.
 
Warm regards,

Kathryn Gaines
President, CBODN