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Board of
Directors
Vacancies! |
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A complete list of Board
members is posted on the PMI-NEIC
website. We regret to
announce that Nancy Hoffman, PMP, has resigned
per position on the Board as Director of
Academic Outreach, due to a combination of
work and family circumstances. We also
still have openings for a Director of Community
Outreach, a Director of Membership Retention,
and a Director of Surveys. If you are
interested in filling one of these positions,
please contact the VP of
Admin. |
Among
Us |
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New Members
Please welcome one new
member to our Chapter this
month:
- Sharon Tice,
from Specialized Transportation Inc. (STI),
(Fort Wayne)
The NEIC Chapter now
has 122 members, 70 of whom have their PMP
Certification
(54%). |
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Happy Anniversary to
Us! |
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The Northeast Indiana
Chapter of the PMI celebrates its 11th year of
existence this month. A couple of the
"founding mothers and fathers" are still around,
and we thank them!
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For the
Record |
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Linda Young presented "How
to Remain Positive in a Negative Environment",
explaining some of the motivations and problems
that may be at the root of negative behaviors,
and provding tactics for "holding your own" in a
negative environment.
41 people attended this
session. Susan Zwierko of Lincoln won the
door prizes of a "jump drive" and pen, both with
the PMI-NEIC logo on
them. |
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 Spring is here! The
daffodils are in bloom! It is time to get
out and do some exploring.
Come out
and join us for our April 23rd Chapter meeting
at the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center, a
technology business incubator. We will
also take a tour of the center. It is a
great way to find out what is happening here in
Fort Wayne!
Also, check out the
details for our upcoming Professional
Development seminar scheduled for May 3rd.
Don't miss this opportunity to learn how to deal
with "troubled" projects! You only have a
few more weeks
to register. |
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April Chapter
Meeting
"Building the
Northeast Indiana Innovation Center and Emerging
Growth Center at IPFW" - presented by Dr. Daryl Yost and Steve
Franks |
Dr. Daryl Yost, Director of
the Certified Technology Park will tell us about
the Innovation Center's two current building
projects: the Innovation Center itself,
and the Emerging Growth Center. After this
presentation, Steve Franks, Northeast Indiana
Innovation Center (NIIC) Gateways Program
Manager, will take us on a tour of the
Innovation Center, and speak about the mission
of these two facilities.
The Northeast Indiana
Innovation Center is a technology incubator,
located on a 55 acre campus at the corner of
Stellhorn and St. Joe Roads in Fort Wayne,
Indiana. Designated as Indiana's fifth
Certified Technology Park, the Innovation Center
is home to 40 entrepreneurial companies.
Most of the development work being done at NIIC
fits PMI's defintion of a "project". As of
2006 fiscal reporting, NIIC's clients had
aggregately added over $27 million in revenue,
over $11 million in payroll, and over 255 jobs
into Northeast Indiana's economy.
The meeting will be
Wednesday, April 23rd, at the Northeast Indiana
Innovation Center, 3201 Stellhorn
Road in Fort Wayne - NOTE the
change in location for this
meeting. Networking begins
at 5:30 PM, dinner is served at 6:00 PM, and the
presentation begins at 7:00 PM.
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Developmental
Opportunities |
The Chapter is finalizing
an on-line course that provides important
information about a core project management
discipline, and that also provides PDUs. More
information will be released when the course is
approved by the Board.
Get more
information about professional certification and
the job market on the PMI career
development page. To learn more
details about the three certifications that PMI
offers - CAPM, PMP, and PgMP - explore
the PMI credentials page.
If you have already decided
to get one of PMI's certifications, remember
that the mandatory 35-hour preparation class can
be obtained for $150 through our NEIC Chapter,
whether you're a PMI member or not.
Information about this internet-based class
is available on our website. Of course we think that
this is a great prepartory course, but here are
some comments from current and past students:
· Hi, Dave, I
just wanted to let you know that I took the PMP
exam today and passed! Thanks so
much for all your help and advice in preparing -
all of that made the actual testing far less
stressful than it could have been.
· While this is
undoubtedly late in coming, I am finally sending
you a note to say I passed [my PMP exam] on the
first attempt.
· Hello,
Everybody.
I recently joined Interactive Group of
Companies as a project manager, and want to
learn a lot from that organization, and from all
of you guys in the class. I'm in
Islamabad Pakistan. |
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President's Column
by Kathi
Heyes |
Hello again! It looks like
Spring is finally on the horizon - time to get
outside and enjoy the sunshine and fresh
air! But
don't forget - there are still two PMI-NEIC
meetings before the summer break, and both
should be really interesting! And there is
a Professional Development Day on May 3rd. Check the
web-site or other areas of the newsletter for
more details, and then reserve your
spot!
A quick update on the David
Arthur Maynard Scholarship Program: Instead of
contacting the various area schools, the BOD has
decided to send an informational email to the
chapter membership instead. Please share
information about the scholarship at your
companies, and with friends who have students
who might be interested in applying. Remember, the
application window is May 1 through June 30 -
coming up
soon! |
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Board
Member Profile
Bob Nichter,
Director of Web
Services |
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Hello! My name is
Robert Nichter, and I have been the Director of
Web Services for the Northeast Indiana Chapter
of the Project Management Institute since
2004.
Prior to that, from 2001 to 2004, I was
the VP of Finance for our chapter.
My position works with the Newsletter
Director, Marketing and Promotion Director, and
the Communications VP for the timely
dissemination of information to both Chapter
members and other external interested parties
using web services. The PMI NEIC web page
(www.pmi-neic.org) provides members with timely
information regarding upcoming chapter meetings,
educational events, and contact information for
key personnel.
My duties
include:
· Continually improve the
website through evaluating potential
enhancements and implementing the approved
changes to provide benefit to the
members.
· Provide web services
support through an approved server
agreement
· Identify new changes for
website to improve member experience
· Ensure website is
up-to-date and providing information to members
in orderly manner. This includes meeting
information, chapter newsletter copies and Board
meeting documents.
· Participate in setting
PMI-NEIC communication strategies.
· Develop and maintain a
PMI-NEIC Chapter Web Communications Plan and web
publishing strategies.
· Lead PMI-NEIC's web
services initiatives; develop relationships with
other PMI chapter systems, and all other online
channels.
· Management of web
services in accordance with Chapter bylaws, to
support business initiatives.
· Manage the information
presented in the chapter web page.
I served as a project
manager for four years while working at Lincoln
Reinsurance, up to the year 2001, and since then
I have been working as a software
developer.
I have been currently working at Computer
Sciences Corporation (CSC) as a Programmer /
Business / Analyst, and recently reached five
years of service at CSC.
I have an Associate of
Science in Supervision, and a Bachelor of
Science in Computer Technology from Purdue University. I am a fellow
of the Life Management Institute (FLMI), and
have been PMP™ certified since 2000.
In addition to sitting on
the NEIC Board, my other volunteer involvement
is teaching Sunday school at Trinity English
Lutheran church in downtown, Fort Wayne, IN. In my spare
time away from work and family, you will find me
reading paperbacks, playing "Call of Duty"
online, golfing, or playing softball. My bowling
league season just wrapped up this
week.
My wife, Janet and I
reached our 20 year anniversary last year. Janet is a
homemaker and mom for our two girls, Shelby (a
Junior) and Ashlee (an 8th grader), who will
both be in the Homestead Spartan Alliance Band
next year, and who are both also very active in
our church choir, drama, and hand-bells
programs.
During her spring break, Shelby was on a mission trip
organized by our church, to assist Hurricane
Katrina victims near New Orleans.
So now that you know a
little more about me, if you are having a
problem with our chapter website www.pmi-neic.org,
have a suggestion for improvement, or just want
to shout out, email me at webmaster@pmi-neic.org
or find me at one of our future chapter meetings
or development sessions. Hope to see
you
there! |
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May
3rd Professional Development Seminar -
Presented by Gary
Monti
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Dealing with Troubled
Projects - Quick Principle Based Assessment and
Turnaround Planning
Is your project in
trouble? In the first part of the workshop
the frame of mind necessary for assessing both
the politics and technical aspects of a project
from an earned value perspective will be
presented. This will be followed by the
approach needed to gauge and gain necessary
commitments for stabilizing a project and
determining what part of the original scope can
be achieved.
In the second part of
the workshop students will first perform
exercises to guage the political strength of one
of their own projects followed by an actual case
study (names changed to protect the innocent) to
show how the methods come together to create one
cohesive plan that addresses both political and
technical issues grounded in an earned value
approach.
This seminar is scheduled
for Saturday, May 3rd, at Don Hall's Guesthouse
from 8 AM to Noon; registration begins
at 7:30 AM. The cost is only $40, and
it includes a continental
breakfast and snacks. And if you are a
PMP, earn 4 PDU's. Make your Reservation
now!
About our Speaker:
Gary Monti, has been active
in project  management and change
management since 1979. In 1984 he
established the Center for Managing Change
providing management, consulting, educational,
and mentoring services on an international
basis.
That same year he received his PMP
status, being number 14.
Active in the Project
Management Institute (PMI®), Mr. Monti
has been a presenter at the International
Symposium and chapter meetings. At the
chapter level he has served as president and
held other offices for the Central Ohio
Chapter. |
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David
Arthur Maynard Scholarship |
Again this year, the
Northeast Indiana Chapter of PMI will be
sponsoring a scholarship contest to students engaged in a
four-year university program related to the
project management discipline, such as
engineering, technology, business, etc. Applicants
must complete an application form, prepare a
2-page paper based upon a case study posted on
the PMI-NEIC website, and be sponsored
by a Chapter member in good standing. This
scholarship awards a single prize of
$2,000.
Applications
will be accepted beginning May 1st, with the award
being applied to the student's university
account in the fall. Check out the
details. |
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Upcoming Chapter
Events |
 Here are the upcoming
meetings and events of the Northeast Indiana PMI
Chapter.
All meetings will be held at Hall's
Guesthouse on Washington Center
Road in Fort Wayne, unless otherwise
noted.
·
May 3rd - Professional
Development Session; Gary Monti, PMP, "Dealing
with Troubled Projects" (a 4-hour PDU
session)
·
May 28th - Michelle
Gladieux, "Powerful Presentation
Skills" (a two-hour, 2 PDU
session!)
· September 24th - (off-site
at Sweetwater Sound) Kenny Bergle or the
internal project manager will speak about the
project of moving to the new Sweetwater Sound
facility; a tour is also
planned
·
October 22nd - Dr. Don Gottwald, Ph.D.,
from Capella University, will be presenting,
"Influencing Without
Authority, and Navigating through Internal
Politics"
·
December 3rd - Jim
Cardwell, of Cardwell Group, and Tiffany
Yoquelet, of Three Rivers Credit Union, will be
presenting, "Lessons Learned about Project
Management via Professional
Connections"
·
January 2009 - Greg
McCormick, PMP, "Understanding and Creating
Effective Work Breakdown
Structures"
If you have ideas for a
topic you'd like to hear presented at one of our
meetings, or if you are willing to share your
project-related methods and experience with the
group, or if you even know of an engaging
speaker, please contact Pat Ruger,
VP of Programs. |
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Board
Report |
The Board of Directors met
on April 9.
Here are the items your volunteer Board
is working on:
·
Food for the April meeting
will be provided by the Innovation Center, and we thank
them!
·
The Guest Policy is being
formalized and finalized; the modified policy
will go into effect for the September
meeting
·
The Chapter's tax return
has been filed with the IRS
·
Discussion continues on
locating local businesses who may want to
sponsor Chapter events in return for public
recognition
·
Publicity about Chapter
events will be expanded to include radio and
television "spots"
·
Kathi will be speaking to a
business unit within Lincoln about the PMP application
process (past interest has been from the IT
Department)
·
Attempts continue to
establish and maintain a list of contacts at
local businesses and other
organizations.
·
Membership Retention will
be working to develop standard methods to
contact Chapter members who do not renew their
memberships
·
There are 16 people in the
current PMP Prep class; course materials now
include "mind maps" of the PMBOK
Guide
·
We have been requested to
make pod-casts available of programs and events;
this will be researched
·
Dave Maynard will be
meeting with IPFW, who wants to get all of their
project management courses recognized by the
PMI, and to develop a Master's Certificate in
Project Management
·
We discussed how to notify
colleges and local businesses about the
scholarship program
·
Dave continues to make
improvements in the web-site software
·
Starting with the April
monthly meeting, people who register will
receive an email asking them to take a brief
survey about the
event | |
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