Members and guests of the Binghamton Local Chapter gathered on June 25th for a professional networking meeting at the Groundwater Sciences Corp. conference room in Vestal. It was the first official meeting of the newly launched Chapter, which is the latest of NAPW's nearly 400 Local Chapters around the country. Many items were discussed at the first meeting and members and guests continued the momentum at Chapter's second meeting on August 23rd when Chapter's Mission, Board, and Goals were established.
Domonica Creeley, the new Chapter President, kicked off the inaugural meeting by warmly welcoming everyone and setting the evening's agenda. She invited members and guests to introduce themselves and talk about why they joined NAPW and what they would like to gain from this experience. Members were asked to drop their business cards in the Grow bin for a networking exercise and a chance to win a prize.
"The members then discussed some of the member benefits that NAPW has to offer and what items they have taken advantage of," said Domonica.
At the launch meeting, the Binghamton Local Chapter's Mission and Goals were discussed. The
Chapter reviewed local charities that the Chapter may support and enlisted member Rebecca Zeeuw as the Charity Chair to review the list of charities and narrow it down to three. It was determined that the top three choices would be presented at the August meeting.
In addition to Rebecca, other members elected to the Chapter's Board include Betsy Dunda, Communications Chair and Gerri Harrison, Guest Speaker Chair. There are still two open positions, Meeting Coordinator, which is being temporarily held by Gerri Harrison and Secretary, temporarily held by Domonica Creeley.
On August 23rd, NAPW Binghamton Local Chapter members and guests once again gathered at the Groundwater Sciences Corp. conference room for a networking meeting. At the August meeting, the Binghamton Chapter's Mission was formally established: To help foster growth for professional women in the Binghamton and surrounding areas.
After welcoming everyone to the meeting, Binghamton Chapter President Domonica Creeley briefly spoke about the agenda and how the meeting would progress. Members were invited to introduce themselves and talk about their expectations about being a member of NAPW. Many members spoke about the positive experiences they have had as members of NAPW.
"One of the members shared her wonderful experience at the 2012 NAPW National Networking Conference in New York City and highly recommended that everyone who had not attended this year, attend next year's function," said Domonica.
A discussion about the myriad of member benefits that NAPW offers its members then ensued and two members shared with the group how they have taken advantage of the regional and national seminars, webinars, teleconferences, on-line training, and certifications that members have access to at great discounts.
"Two members shared their positive experience with the Star 12 Programs, one member has been attending classes in Syracuse put on by the Star 12 Program and another has taken advantage of the webinars," said Domonica. "Both recommended that the other members in attendance check them out."
With the help of Binghamton Chapter Charity Chair Rebecca Zeeuw, a list of three charities that the Chapter would support was presented to the group. Members went around the room and discussed the different charities, personal connections to each, each charity's goals, and how the Chapter could help each one. Members voted and agreed to support Mom's House, which offers young single mothers a safe place for child care, helps them with finishing school and finding jobs, and offers a wonderful support system; the National Breast Cancer Foundation, which promotes and supports early breast cancer detection, research, and education, and the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women, which encourages and supports awareness, research, education, and community programs to help women understand their risk of heart disease.
"Rebecca will be looking into the charities' events and pulling together a list of dates. We would like to attend these events as a team and help out each of these wonderful causes," said Domonica.
Chapter members also discussed plans for future meetings, meeting locations, and guest speakers. Currently, the Chapter is researching women-owned local restaurants for upcoming meeting venues. Several members volunteered to be guest speakers at future meeting. On September 27th Betsy Dunda will speak on the topic of Transitions; the October 25th meeting will feature Cassandra Carter, who will speak about self-esteem, and at the November 15th meeting, Diane Lange will offer a presentation on stress reduction.
"We have tapped into our wonderful Chapter for our future guest speakers," said Domonica. "We are all looking forward to these wonderful guest speakers and topics."
The Binghamton Chapter also discussed reaching out to other local chapters in the area, to hold a meet and greet with other NAPW members, to help grow its network of professional women, and help showcase the wonderful businesses, people, and opportunities available as a NAPW community.
The Chapter discussed their Facebook page and the Chapter President shared the helpful tips that were discussed on the President's conference call on August 22nd. She offered to email those out to Tips: Find Street Fashion Online(may be you can find what you want on the oasap.com) the Chapter members, with Sara's NAPW contact information. Also discussed were Linked In and the business benefits that some members have had. The Binghamton Chapter brainstormed ways to engage other members to attend meetings, and discussed venues and locations. The members also discussed the importance of sales materials for businesses and different types of business cards that act as sales material.
Members who attended the summer meetings were: Domonica Creeley, Rebecca Zeeuw, Betsy Dunda, Gerri Harrison, Diane Lange, and Cassandra Carter.
Domonica Creeley, Binghamton Chapter President, works for Groundwater Sciences Corporation as an Administrative Assistant. Groundwater Sciences Corporation's principal services include hydrogeological consulting, focusing on solving complex groundwater and soil contamination problems, and development of water resources for public and private use.
Rebecca Zeeuw's works for EMA as an Account Manager. EMA of New York specializes in Drives and Automations in the HVAC and Manufacturing Industries. An industry that is always evolving and changing keeping informed and up to date on the new technology is critical.
Betsy Dunda recently became a Women in Transition Coach. She specializes in helping women transition through different situations or experiences: entering the workforce for the first time after college, changing jobs or careers, leaving a job to start a business, or re-designing life as an empty nester, as a result of a divorce, or for retirement.
Gerri Harrison is the President of Ever Evolving Enterprise, which specializes in Tax Preparation and Financial Services and offers small business consulting, financial coaching, financial education workshops, and debt management.
Diane Lange is the Founder, Coach, and Consultant of Proclivity LLC; and was just recently internationally published. Proclivity specializes in leadership/management development, employee morale and performance, training initiatives, speaking engagements, and so much more.
Cassandra Carter is CEO/Founder/Information Technology Specialist at Dabar, LLC/NY State, which specializes in plus size fashions and information technology. She has wonderful changes on the horizon for Thick Madame ? and is working on her launch of a specialized clothing line with her designs for plus size women. Cassandra also publicly speaks on the topic of self-esteem, and its effects on all people.
The National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) is the largest and most recognized network of female professionals. NAPW provides a forum where women can interact, exchange ideas, educate, network, and empower. NAPW Local Chapters allow members to maximize their experience through meetings, networking opportunities, and professional events.
For additional information regarding the NAPW Binghamton Local Chapter and/or NAPW, please visit http://www.napw.com.
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