Hi ATD San Diego,

Wow!!! What an incredibly hot August! It’s nice to see the hot summer weather get back to being more normal for San Diego. One thing the hot weather did do, is get me an air conditioner for my office. I guess there was some good that came from the seemingly endless 90+ degree days.

Looking towards the fall, I have a couple updates and a few requests. Let’s start with the updates. First, the board completed our first task of updating our vision/mission/values. You will find these on our website as the first listing in the About menu. These statements will help guide us in the leadership of this chapter. Whatever your role is in ATD I hope you will be able to connect to these and know that as a leadership team, we will do our best to fulfill the expectations that have been set.

Next, I would like to welcome Chelsea Logan to the board as Programs Co-Director, working with Bridget Randall. They are both in the process of identifying a couple programs for the remainder of the year. I hope to get these on the calendar within the next few weeks. Thank you for your patience. I know we have been lacking events and working hard to turn that around.

Now for the requests. As an organization that is run primarily by volunteers, from time-to-time we need to reach out for help. It is important for us to identify our volunteer needs and be clear when reaching out. Here are three immediate needs:

1. North County HPA – our central HPA led by John Alexander is a great success. In August we had 20 people attend. This is a great way for people to get together informally to discuss the topic of the hour. However, we know it can be difficult for north county residents to attend a meeting in La Jolla on a regular basis. So, we are looking for a volunteer to pilot a meeting in the north county. If it works out, it could also become a monthly event. Responsibilities would include selecting a venue, greeting attendees, purchasing food, and managing logistics. If interested or would like more details, please reach out to me at president@tdsandiego.org.
   
2. Social Media Volunteer – for the past few months Bridget, our Co-Programs director, has been posting chapter information on our LinkedIn and Facebook pages. We are looking for someone who could take over that responsibility. Content would mostly be program announcements, and other chapter events and needed communications. If you are fans of both social media platforms and could help out, please reach out to me at president@tdsandiego.org.
   
3. Board Positions – within the next couple months we will be launching our annual board member elections. If you have served a minimum of six months in a volunteer capacity you are eligible to apply for all positions except President-elect, which requires having served in a Director or Committee Chair position within the last three years. More info along with open positions will be posted on our website soon. Please consider a leadership role with ATD San Diego. It is a great opportunity to learn new skills and engage with your fellow members.
   

Thank you all for your support and please give these volunteer opportunities some thought. I am happy to meet with you to talk it through, no commitments.

Should you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out at president@tdsandiego.org.

Best Regards,

Mary Jane Riccardi
Chapter President