"No one can 'get' an education, for of necessity education is a continuing process. "

IAMC Committee Supports Member Productivity and Preparedness

Professionals must routinely update their skills so that they provide their employers with state-of-the-art capabilities in their field. Companies expect this. The same preparation keeps managers ready for the next job, whether it's in the same company or elsewhere.

Putting a point on this, an article on CareerBuilder.com says, "Thirty-six percent of workers reported they change jobs every three to five years," and "More than half (55 percent) have worked for five or more employers...."

Doyle Shea, co-chair of IAMC's Program Delivery Committee

IAMC's Program Delivery Committee (PDC), which is responsible for Professional Forum education programs, takes this challenge seriously. It identifies the topics of greatest current need, plans the workshop format best suited to each, finds members and others who are the experts to serve as presenters and choreographs the programs on-site at Forums.

PDC's leaders and foot soldiers are IAMC members. Doyle Shea of 3M and Chuck Manula of Wyeth co-chair the committee. Other members are Marty Collier of Caterpillar, John Dues of Binswanger, Stevie Field of Project Solutions Group, Margaret Grissom of Peake Consulting LLC, Lane Johnson of The ServiceMaster Company, Jennifer Lantz of Wilson Economic Development Council (NC), Karen McClellan of Square D/Schneider Electric, Michael McDonough of Maersk, Pat McKee of UGL-Equis Corp., Jill Miles of Oregon Economic & Community Development Dept., Sherry Vance of Dell, Jim Winter of Alcoa, Sam Foster of Jones Lange LaSalle, Mary Jane Olhasso of City of Ontario (CA), Melissa Bauer, Jim Harbaugh of Bristol Myers Squibb, Mert Livingstone of Johnson & Johnson, Sean Nugent of Pfizer, and Bleecker Totten of CB Richard Ellis.

Hazel Pankey is the PDC staff liaison, a job she has had in one incarnation or another for 18 years. She served the same role for the IDRC organization before IAMC. Pankey says "the most challenging part of the job is ensuring that Forum content is timely." And its most fulfilling aspect is "working with and learning from members and other professionals who are experts in their field of work and delivering information that our members need and can readily use," she says.

The PDC also benefits from IAMC staff interaction with the editors of Site Selection, represented on the PDC by Mark Arend, editor in chief.

The planning process for each Professional Forum begins many months before the event. First, the committee reviews previous Forums' comments and evaluation ratings. Then, it selects the theme or topic of the upcoming conference based on member input and what's happening in business and the economy. In preparation for this, Pankey reads widely to learn what topics and issues will be at the forefront of water cooler and board room discussions in the months to come. From her ideas and those brought forward by PDC members and others, the committee proposes a Forum theme and content. The proposal is circulated among IAMC staff, volunteer leaders and IAMC's board before a final decision is made.

With the theme in hand, PDC begins framing supporting program topics for workshops, luncheon and general-session presenters. The process is complicated because the planning cycle of one Forum begins while work on the previous one is being completed. PDC is often working simultaneously on two conferences.

PDC's success over the years in presenting educational offerings that help members do their jobs better and prepare them for their next one, if needed, is demonstrated by IAMC's growth and the Forums' popularity. New members join in large part because they are attracted by the Forums.

A recent survey of IAMC's Active member finds that over 92 percent feel that they receive high value or some value from their Professional Forum participation. This strong rating results from a number of factors, but education programming certainly weighs heavily among them.

The Program Delivery Committee is committed to helping members be more productive in their jobs and prepared for the next. As suggested in the Louis L'Amour epigraph, professional education is a process, not an event; PDC is committed to member education over the long haul.