Chapter News Pres Message Archive
September 2007 President's Message by 2006/2007 ASID WI President Jessica Mahne, ASID
Jessica Mahne, ASID
Dear Fellow Members,
As your president, I feel very lucky to be surrounded with such enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers who make our chapter a model for other ASID chapters around the country.
Our chapter successes this past year are many:
We are continuously growing the chapter’s membership. To that end, this year, the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Milwaukee Area Technical College, and my biased favorite, Madison Area Technical College all founded ASID Student Chapters at their schools. This is in no small part due to the efforts of the Student Affairs Committee to reach out to all of the interior design students in Wisconsin.
Once we have new ASID members, it is very important to make them feel welcome and a part of the chapter. This year, a new committee was formed, the New Member Orientation Committee. This committee has been personally contacting members as they join and publishing member biographies in the blast emails. They have done a fantastic job getting this committee started. In addition, the chapter implemented a member-networking concept, the ASID Design Cafes, to better serve our members in their local communities.
Our programs committee has continued to provide our members with high-quality continuing education, and this year addressed both ASID Platform issues of Sustainable Design and Aging-in-Place. Because continuing education is an important part of ASID membership, in April, a new membership bylaw was enacted by the National ASID Board of Directors which requires practitioner members of ASID to complete 6 hours of continuing education coursework every two years. This new member requirement strengthens the interior design profession and maintains ASID’s reputation as the premier interior design professional association.
Because ASID is the most recognized professional interior design organization, the National ASID Board of Directors recently approved the use of a new Professional Member mark. Use of the mark will help you stand out in the marketplace by allowing consumers and clients to quickly identify you as a highly qualified and experienced ASID Professional interior designer. If you are an ASID Professional member, I encourage you to go to the ASID national website and download this ASID Professional Member logo for use in your business.
Another change this year that you may have noticed, was the mandatory legislative assessment in addition to your annual membership dues. The National ASID Board of Directors voted to assess practitioner members in order to finance legislative goals at the levels required to be successful. Those of you who have been involved in the legislative efforts in Wisconsin certainly know that it is a challenge to find money to support legislative initiatives. The monies collected through this assessment will be directly channeled into legislative initiatives making us a stronger voice for the interior design profession.
The movement toward legal recognition of the interior design profession across the country directly impacts your professional future by defining our qualifications and the value of the services we provide. I encourage you to educate yourself about the significance of interior design legislation and to get involved in the Interior Design Coalition of Wisconsin - our advocate and representative for legislative concerns and actions in Wisconsin. The coalition is currently looking for additional volunteers to serve on the board. Please consider volunteering your time to the coalition. ASID and the coalition will continue to work together to ensure to the future of our right to practice.
One of the many great benefits of ASID membership is being associated with a professional organization that is well respected and recognized throughout the design community. Nationally, ASID is launching a progressive, three-year marketing initiative to further develop this recognition. This will involve advertising and targeted public relations efforts in major interior design industry and consumer publications.
As part of the new initiative, ASID has begun an ongoing photography campaign, meant to capture members’ design projects, both residential and commercial. Our chapter was chosen to be a part of the pilot of this project, and the National ASID Director of Marketing selected three ASID Wisconsin 2006 Gold Design Award winning projects to be photographed. Look for the work of our ASID members, Bill Beaudreau, ASID, Debra Alton, ASID, Stacy Wieme, Allied Member ASID and Karen Claffey Koller, Allied Member ASID in upcoming ASID advertising! These are exciting developments that will increase the awareness of both ASID and of the professionalism of our members.
None of these great achievements would be accomplished without our dedicated group of volunteers. Thank you to the current board members for implementing the chapter’s strategic plan initiatives in partnership with their committee members. This board was a tremendous help to me, they were always on top of things and willing to pitch in wherever and whenever needed. I am so appreciative of everyone’s contributions to our chapter’s success.
It has been my honor to serve you as ASID Wisconsin Chapter President. I know that the incoming Board of Directors, led by incoming president, Jodie Thill, ASID will continue to keep building on the successes of the past year.
In the words of the great Vince Lombardi, "The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual." I look forward to seeing more great achievements by the Wisconsin Chapter of ASID in the months and years to come.
Sincerely,
Jessica Mahne, ASID
Wisconsin Chapter ASID President 2006-2007
April 2007 President's Message by 2006/2007 ASID WI President Jessica Mahne, ASID
Jessica Mahne, ASID
Spring is finally here! The flowers are blooming, the robins have reappeared, and there is snow on the ground – yes, it is Wisconsin in spring.
Our chapter has been very busy over the past months, hard at work making our strategic plan goals a reality while incorporating ASID’s brand values – Inspiring, Personal, Indispensable, Enriching, Stewardship, and Reliable.
Our Design Awards committee created an inspiring evening at the Milwaukee Art Museum in February. The Gala’s theme of “Green with Envy – Sustainability Meets Style” played out with a sustainable-textile fashion show and for the first time, a Sustainable Design category in the awards. Congratulations to all members who submitted a project! It is wonderful to celebrate all of the talented designers we have in the Wisconsin chapter. To check out award winning entries, click here. A big thank you goes out to the committee chairs, and all of the committee members who spent many hours working on the awards and gala. Also, I know there are many more talented designers out there, working on award-worthy projects. So, start thinking about entering those projects in next year’s awards!
Our chapter is working on bringing ASID to you on a more personal level, with our Design Cafés. The ASID Wisconsin Design Cafés are opportunities to meet and network with ASID members in your community in a casual setting. Please check the website calendar often for Design Café events in your area! Thank you to all of the volunteers helping to get this initiative off the ground for our chapter!
Along with these casual networking opportunities, our chapter has had several enriching continuing education opportunities this year. In January, we learned more about sustainability in the lifecycle of products and how to identify eco-effective products. In March, members delved into innovative ways to use color and light in interior environments. Future educational opportunities are planned for spring and summer; continue to check the website calendar for these upcoming events. Our chapter Programs Committee is to be commended for their hard-work to bring these wonderful learning opportunities to us!
There are so many activities going on in our chapter is it difficult to highlight them all in this message, but I would like to acknowledge the many ASID members in the Madison area who have been bringing the brand value of stewardship to life for the past few months. These members are working on a service project to provide pro-bono design services to Common Threads Family Resource Center, a start-up non-profit preschool for children on the Autism spectrum. The project will continue over the next several months, and the team will need additional help to bring the project to successful completion. Please consider giving your time, talent and resources to this very worthwhile project.
Finally, one additional “Thank You”, and it is a BIG one, to all of our Wisconsin Chapter ASID Sponsors who have committed to support us this year, they help make our chapter reliable for all our members and we sincerely appreciate their support. Check out our sponsors, consider using their products and services, and thank them the next time you see them!
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." -Albert Schweitzer
I wish you a happy and successful spring!
Sincerely,
Jessica Mahne, ASID
Wisconsin Chapter ASID President
"Welcome to a New Year" by 2006/2007 ASID WI President Jessica Mahne, ASID
Jessica Mahne, ASID
Dear Fellow Members,
Welcome to a new year for the Wisconsin Chapter of ASID. As of October 1, the new chapter board officially took office and they have been hard at work to manage the many committees that will implement the chapter’s strategic plan initiatives and goals.
The chapter’s primary strategic plan goal this year is to engage our members to utilize the many membership benefits and resources that ASID has to offer. With 700 members throughout the state of Wisconsin this can be quite a challenge at times, but together we can accomplish this goal. One of the many great benefits of ASID membership is being associated with a professional organization that is well respected and recognized throughout the design community.
Over the past two years, ASID has worked hard to elevate this recognition through the creation of a new brand identity. The visual identity of the ASID brand has been fully integrated and is becoming widely recognized within the design community and the general public. Nationally, ASID is launching a progressive, three-year marketing initiative to further develop this recognition. This will involve advertising and targeted public relations efforts in major interior design industry and consumer publications. These are exciting developments that will increase the awareness of both ASID and of the professionalism of our members.
Now that the visual brand identity of ASID has been realized, it is important that we begin to live the spirit of the brand as a chapter. ASID has identified the spirit of the brand with six brand values: Inspiring, Personal, Indispensable, Enriching, Stewardship, and Reliable. Over the next year, I will highlight how our chapter and its members are already answering the following questions:
Inspiring – How do we generate enthusiasm among our members, both for ASID and for the interior design profession?
Personal – How do we make ASID membership valuable for each member – student, allied, professional, educator, or industry partner?
Indispensable – Is ASID an essential part of your career?
Enriching – Is ASID your definitive source for design knowledge?
Stewardship – How do we share our talents as designers to enhance the lives of others?
Reliable – Is our chapter organized, well-managed, and financially secure?
I challenge you think about these values and to answer these questions, so that together we can make the Wisconsin Chapter of ASID -Where Design Comes to Life®.
I am looking forward to sharing another successful year with you as we build on our chapter’s solid foundation.
Sincerely,
Jessica Mahne, ASID
Wisconsin Chapter ASID President
“Connect, Share, Create – the time in now” by 2005/2006 ASID WI President Sandy Weber, ASID
Sandy Weber, ASID
“Where design comes to life” is our chapter’s vision. Our chapter is filled with talented individuals who bring good design to life in Wisconsin.
Over the years our chapter has worked together to advance the design profession in our state. Our chapter is strong due to the commitment of our members who continue to contribute valuable volunteer hours and knowledge of our profession.
As my year as president winds down Jessica Mahne, the president-elect, and the upcoming board are very busy organizing and planning our new year which begins October 1st. The last several years our chapter has experienced enthusiasm, excitement, wonderful friendships and a lot fun. Please join together to maintain our chapter’s incredible momentum. Now is the time to get involved for the next year.
Connect with the people in our chapter to continue to bring good design to our great state.
Share your knowledge and insight to inspire others to reach their professional best.
Create spaces which are comfortable, safe, environmentally responsible and accessible to everyone.
Sandy Weber, ASID
WI Chapter ASID President 2005-2006
“Where design comes to life” by 2005/2006 ASID WI President Sandy Weber, ASID
“Where design comes to life.” That is the vision statement for the American Society of Interior Designers. Design is coming to life in our chapter due to the dedicated volunteers and our strong group of leaders who are committed to excellence.
Continuing to ride the wave of excitement and momentum that Past-President AnnMarie Wittig, ASID and the Board created last year, this year promises to be an exciting one with new opportunities in our chapter.
Here are some of the highlights so far:
- We have a new chapter administrator, Heather Westgor, who has improved the chapter’s communication through her responsiveness and informative weekly email blasts.
- The new Student Affairs Committee lead by Sandy Gordon, ASID has been very busy. Their accomplishments so far have been organizing and implementing Student Leadership training in September for all student chapter leaders and holding three Student Gatherings at their respective schools. Currently they are working on the statewide Student Career Day for February.
- Another new committee is Industry Partners Affairs. This group, lead by Jennifer Meyer, is addressing the needs of our IP Members. One area they are concentrating on is looking at ways to enhance IP Member involvement.
- Our chapter website has been tremendously improved by the Chapter Communications Committee lead by Pam Cramer, ASID. Our website now gives you access to news, events, membership information and educational resources.
- Our chapter continues to be strong financially thanks to membership growth and the support of our Industry Partners and Sponsors. With this financial backing we are looking to provide members with more CEU programs and better communication through our administrator and the website. We are also focusing time and effect on our valuable student members. We will be providing them with training and educational events along with support and guidance as they move toward their professional careers.
So, what’s in it for me? The rewards are many if you get involved: education, access to resources, friendships, professional and personal growth to name just a few. Our membership is made up of a very diverse group of interior design professionals, students, educators and industry partners located all over the state. We have a great group of volunteers who are dedicated to making our chapter strong but we always would like more.
As GE’s Jack Welch said “Excellence is not a spectator sport. Everyone’s involved.”
Help our chapter achieve excellence, get involved.
Sandy Weber, ASID
WI Chapter ASID President 2005/2006