Happy New Year Palmetto Members and Guests!
As we look forward to our plans for the upcoming year, let's take a few minutes to celebrate our 2018 accomplishments. The 2018 inaugural year has not only been busy, but very exciting to realize the potential of our Chapter for
providing quality benefits to the BA Community.
 
In August, I reported that the new Palmetto Chapter Board of Directors would be coming together to finalize our 3-Year Strategic Plan and 2019 Business Plan. I’m happy to report that these important steps have been accomplished. If you are a Chapter member, you can request a complete copy of these documents HERE.
I’m also very happy to announce that we’ve added two new Board of Directors to our team! Please join me in welcoming Stephanie Aviles Copeland as our Vice President of Programs and Jaime Sims as our Vice President of Marketing and Communications. You can read more about us on our website HERE. This leaves just one vacant board position, Vice President of Community. If you are interested in this position, please contact me directly president@palmetto.iiba.org.
 
On the Programs/Events front, we’ve been busy providing professional development and networking opportunities to our members and guests. Here is what we’ve accomplished since my last letter in August:
 

• On October 4, 2018, we came together for our 7th Chapter event entitled ‘Getting Out of the Elicitation Rut’. Cathy Claycomb from B2T Training provided some great elicitation techniques and ways to get those stakeholders involved! Thanks to our host AgFirst for providing such an awesome facility for this session.
• On November 1, 2018, we celebrated the Palmetto Chapter’s 1-year Anniversary and Global Business Analyst Day with over 20 of our members and guests. We talked about the benefits of IIBA and Palmetto Chapter membership and then dialed into the IIBA Chapter and Volunteer Awards Ceremony to complete our ‘Watch Party’ festivities. Thank you to our friends at SYSTEMTEC for hosting our party and providing a great meal. Check out the pictures on our website HERE.
• On November 13, 2018, we completed our first 17-session virtual BABOK Study Group and provided Certificates of Completion to 17 attendees preparing for IIBA Certifications. A big thanks goes out to all of our instructors for their hard work and dedication preparing and delivering these sessions. Also, a big shout out to Watermark Learning for providing our study group participants discounts to their online study aids.
   
  We are still finalizing the details of our entire 2019 Calendar of Events where we are making plans to host a minimum of 6 Chapter Meetings, Annual General Meeting, virtual Certification Study Group Sessions, IIBA Awards Watch Party, and 2 Networking Events. All of our Chapter Meetings will be held on the second Tuesday of the month starting in February, and all other scheduled events will be announced accordingly. We do plan to take a few months off in the summer to allow our Board time for some administrative housekeeping as well as some
  R&R. As we continue to finalize our 2019 calendar, be on the lookout for additional information on our Website HERE.

One of the things we are planning for February is a chance to sit down with our Members and Guests to hear about the types of events and professional education opportunities you would like to see the Palmetto Chapter bring to the BA Community. This Chapter Meeting will be held on February 12th (details of the location to follow), but we would love to get some of your feedback ahead of time. Please use this link HERE to tell us what you think!
 
Since my last letter in August, we have received a great deal of interest to broaden our Chapter activities into the Charleston area. As such, we will be hosting a Meet and Greet in Charleston on January 31st to network with those interested in helping to establish and support a Charleston Branch of the Palmetto Chapter. You should have already received an email with the details of this event where you can register to join us HERE. We are very excited about this possibility and look forward to forging many mutually beneficial relationships with the Business Analysis Community there as we grow our Chapter.
 
On the Membership front, our Chapter Membership runs on a calendar basis and the Membership Roster started over on January 1st. To date, 14 of our 2018 Chapter Members have already renewed! We are proud of our inaugural year accomplishments and we could not have done it without you! And we need your membership commitment to accomplish even bigger things in 2019. Some of our goals for this year include:

•  Form committees to support professional development, community outreach, and mentorships
• Expand membership beyond the Columbia area to include a branch of our Chapter in Charleston
• Leverage social media to increase awareness and benefits of IIBA and the Palmetto Chapter
• Partner with local educational facilities and professional organizations to develop BA awareness and participation
• Establish a quarterly newsletter to provide member value

If you are already an IIBA Member and looking to be a part of a local chapter, please consider the Palmetto Chapter – our Annual Membership rate is only $24!! To either Renew your 2018 Chapter Membership or Join as a New Member, use the following links RENEW OR JOIN AS NEW MEMBER
 
On the IIBA International front, a newly designed website and dashboard were launched on December 12th to provide an enhanced, user-friendly experience with more efficient access to all IIBA services with even more self-service options. Part of this new website functionality allows access to the IIBA Career Center directly from our Palmetto Chapter Website. This Career Center offers a wide range of sophisticated features for both job seekers and employers
alike. Our Chapter will be following up with our members and guests to provide you with detailed information on how you can take advantage of this job posting functionality.

On the Sponsorship front, we are very grateful for our returning commitments that will continue to drive funding for Chapter resources. This year we are working hard to expand our sponsorship reach to bring additional value to the Chapter through enhanced programming and meeting opportunities. Our sponsors truly drive our Chapter offerings and increasing sponsorship funding helps us broaden our programming reach.
 
As we move forward in 2019, we need your help for the Chapter to be sustainable. Here are the many ways to get involved:
 

• Join IIBA and the local chapter
• Sign up to become a volunteer for our Chapter
• Register for the next event
• Let us know if you are interested in becoming certified
• Host a meeting at your office
• Submit ideas for Chapter meeting presentations

 Thank you for your time and support of the Palmetto Chapter over the last 13 months! Many Hands Make Lighter Work and we welcome your continued support as we move into the next phase for our Chapter. If you have any questions or ideas for future meetings, I am always available at the email address noted below.
Sincerely,

Lianne Watford, CBAP
president@palmetto.iiba.org
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!