Greetings! and happy 2013 to you from all of us on the ASTD San Diego Board of Directors.

We have so much planned for this year!  And I'm excited because our plans are focused on upgrading who we are as an ASTD Chapter so that we offer greater relevance and more value to all of you in the San Diego Training & Development community.

We heard from many of you that you enjoy learning from panel discussions and case studies, so we'll be offering more of both in our Chapter programs this year.  We have our calendar of events already outlined, and we'll start putting it up on the website within the next few weeks.

We're focusing on technology and e-learning this year (of course not exclusively; there will be plenty of other interesting material).  As you may have already seen, we have a one- or two-day (your choice) workshop on Articulate in April.  People are actually travelling from the East Coast to attend this workshop.  (Yes, that's a hint to book your spot early, because it's expected to fill up quickly.)

We're upgrading our website to be more attractive, interesting, and useful, and we have a host of new communication and member engagement plans that will (we hope!) intrigue and inspire you to actively participate in your Chapter events.

Speaking of actively participating, we have key volunteer opportunities available for our members.  If you’d like to help with our annual Your Turn to Learn conference, the award-winning Mentor-Protégé program, on the Programs Committee, or with our PEAK awards, just drop me an email at grace@svahaconcepts.com, and I'll make sure you get the information you need to know if our volunteer opportunities match up with your personal goals.  Volunteering within the Chapter is a fantastic way to gain professional experience that looks great on your resume, as well as broadening your network of personal friends and professional colleagues.

We're finalizing sponsorship and advertising opportunities even as I type these words, making it much easier for corporations and individual practitioners to find a way to promote their businesses at a level that makes sense for who they are and what they offer while providing real value to our members.

And from an internal Board perspective, we're defining repeatable processes so that future Board members will be able to jump right in at the deep end without needing to spend a lot of time figuring out what's happening.  This will include increased transparency with the Chapter as a whole about just what it is that your Board does to keep the Chapter running.

Please know that all of us on the Board are open to your questions, comments, and suggestions at any time, so feel free to email or call us.  We are here to help you grow and develop within your careers and businesses, professionally and personally.  The only way for us to be effective is with your feedback – and yes, with your volunteer help as well.  This is a volunteer-run organization; we need you to participate!

Best wishes for 2013, and I hope to see you soon at a Chapter meeting, Human Permance Alliance get-together, or other Chapter event!

Grace Judson
ASTD-SD 2013 Chapter President