April 2008

Professional Development & Education Conference Recap | NALS Mentoring Program | From the Certifying Board

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Professional Development & Education Conferece 2008 Recap
By Patti Infanti, PP, PLS, NALS Secretary/Treasurer

Tulsa welcomed arrivals to the 2008 NALS Professional Development and Education Conference as we joined The Theatre of Leadership with Dee Beardsley, PP, PLS, for 2008-09. Tulsa weather was surprisingly cold this first week in March 2008. However, members
arrived energetic and ready to learn, network, and share.

Pre-Conference Activities
The conference officially began on Thursday afternoon with orientation for the 2008-09 NALS Leadership Team, consisting of board members and committee chairs led by Mary Baldecchi, PP, PLS, CLA. Later in the afternoon, Mary led committee members, task force members, NALS Foundation trustees, and staff through their responsibilities as part of this year’s leadership team.

The Hum-Vee limo made its return this year, ferrying members to Top Dollar (where the Foundation jewelry is purchased). There was a lot of sparkle and shimmer on display the rest of the weekend as everyone showed off their latest find.

Opening Announcements
NALS President Kathy Siroky, PP, PLS, opened the conference by thanking the 2007-8 NALS Leadership Team which consisted of over 120 members serving as board members, chairs and vice chairs, committee and task force members, On-Line Learning Center presenters, and NALS staff. There were ten NALS Past Presidents in attendance:

Anita Cottrell, PP, PLS
Donna Dendy, PP, PLS, CLA, TSC
Mary Jo Denman, PP, PLS
Jill Hale, PP, PLS, CLA
Cathy Hankins, PP, PLS
September Holmblad, PP, PLS
Deborah Nickerson, PP, PLS
Marie Ringholz, PP, PLS
Marty Schiff, PLS, and
Elaine Sumerel, PLS.

President Kathy Siroky encouraged attendees to plan to be in Norfolk in September for the NALS education conference and national forum. She noted that the room block is quickly filling up and to make hotel reservations as soon as possible. All the appropriate registration information may be found on the NALS website.

The 2009 NALS education conference and national forum will be held in Irvine, California, at the Hyatt Regency on October 8-11, 2009.

The marketing committee held a special Truth Booth asking members to fill out a short questionnaire and receive a special flashing button. In addition, the marketing committee distributed fliers for both Norfolk, Virginia, and Irvine, California.

NALS Executive Director Tammy Hailey, CAE, delivered sad news. NALS Past President Ivy Person passed away March 6, 2008. A wall tile in the new NALS Resource Center will be purchased to honor her. Anyone wishing to make a donation towards this tile should make their check payable to NALS and send to the Resource Center. Condolences may be sent to Ivy’s son, Mr. Pat Person, 7307 Condor Street, Bakersfield, CA 93306.

Strategic Planning Chair, Julie Abernathy, PP, PLS, shared the results of the Board of Directors strategic discussion by the adoption of the following resolution:

WHEREAS, NALS recognizes that generational issues are leading us to re-evaluate and reconstruct our methods of delivery of association services;

WHEREAS, NALS must embrace the generational changes to remain a viable association for the future;

WHEREAS, NALS recognizes that the profession has become diverse with varying areas of expertise, resulting in the need for NALS to develop new strategies for promoting its services.

WHEREAS, NALS recognizes that the profession is evolving with the increased need for competent legal support professionals; and

WHEREAS, NALS is the solution.

BE IT RESOLVED, that NALS will allocate the resources to research, develop, and provide appropriate programs and services to the legal community.

Keynote Speaker

NALS Foundation Chair Mary Jo Denman, PP, PLS, introduced Keynote Speaker John Marshall Irvin, founding President of Lifestyle Enhancement Services, who presented The Honor System: Lessons in Leadership & Attitude. Mr. Irvin involved attendees in activities and discussions based on the body of science known as “attitude enrichment,” inspiring all to explore and develop vital issues of leadership, attitude, and vision.

Installation, President’s Reception and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

NALS Past Presidents Donna Dendy, PP, PLS, and Jill Hale, PP, PLS, CLA, installed the new board, using an installation theme based on the numerous behind-the-scenes careers in the theatre, fitting perfectly into President Dee’s theme for this year: The Theatre of Leadership. Donna and Jill reminded the incoming Board plus all NALS members that as with the musical A Chorus Line, we all must but aside biases and personality conflicts to perform in unison as one perfect production.

Donna and Jill presented each Board member with a NALS Star as the “lead” actors in this year’s NALS production and then administered the oath of office to the 2008-09 NALS Board of Directors as follows:

President, Dee Beardsley, PP, PLS (CA)
President-Elect, Julie Abernathy, PP, PLS (TX)
Secretary/Treasurer, Patricia E Infanti, PP, PLS (PA)
Certification Director, Caryn Wolchuck, PP, PLS, CSP/CAP (CA)
Education Director, Helene Wood, PP, PLS (TX)
Marketing Director, Kathleen R. Amirante, PP, PLS (MI)
Membership Director, Rose Carter, PP, PLS, RP (HI)
Region 1 Director, Marion Sarcuni (NY)
Region 2 Director, Karen A. Jackson, PLS (VA)
Region 3 Director, Marion R. Stone, PP, PLS (MI)
Region 4 Director, Nancy T. Harris, PP, PLS (AL)
Region 5 Director, Kathy Cline, PP, PLS, CLA (SD)
Region 6 Director, Doris Compton, PP, PLS (AR)
Region 7 Director, Ann Lang (ID)
Region 8 Director, Karen McElroy, PP, PLS (AZ)
NALS Foundation Chair, Faynell Poe, PP, PLS (TX)
Immediate Past President, Kathy Siroky, PP, PLS (WY)
NALS Executive Director, Tammy Hailey, CAE (OK)

Kathy J. Siroky , PP, PLS presented the president’s pin of office to NALS 38th President, Dee Beardsley, PP, PLS along with the traditional gavel. Dee reciprocated by presenting Kathy with her past president’s pin, gift, and plaque before the past presidents welcomed her into their fold.

Dee spoke to the attendees on “The Theatre of Leadership,” noting shared terminology between the theatre and NALS, such as act, perform, collaborate, and lead. Dee provided us with inspiring quotes from various theatre giants and asked all to put themselves “on the line” each and every day by embracing professionalism. Dee shared the poem Desiderata by Max Ehrmann and encouraged each of us to take the lead in the longest running production in the legal support professional world.

The President’s reception followed Dee’s inspiring presentation. Attendees enjoyed sharing Dee’s special day as she was honored by her NALS family and friends.

Following her reception, Dee asked all the NALS past presidents to the front of the stage where they ceremoniously cut the ribbon officially opening the new NALS Resource Center.

Then the trolleys shuttled members to and from the Resource Center throughout evening. The NALS past presidents acted as guides to greet members and point out NALS’ history.

Leadership Sessions

Leadership training was jointly conducted for both Chapter/State presidents and presidents-elect and State and Local membership chairmen beginning Friday morning with “From The Ordinary to The Extraordinary Leader” session conducted by 2007-08 NALS President, Kathy Siroky, PP, PLS. Kathy stressed two steps necessary to becoming an extraordinary leader: (1) keep it simple; and (2) master the fundamentals. She encouraged incoming leaders to create organizational clarity through mission statements, goals, objectives and values. Kathy also suggested using personality tests to help build and maintain a cohesive leadership team.

The joint leadership training session held Friday afternoon was conducted by NALS Past President Marie Ringholz, PP, PLS. Marie led incoming leaders through and around the NALS website, concluding her presentation by asking questions about NALS, its leadership structure, and its programs.

Presidents/President-Elects

Saturday morning found Chapter and State presidents and presidents-elect attending NALS University. Ten class topics were offered and each “student” attended six classes. Topics and instructors were:

Governance Documents –Beth Walker, PP, PLS
Motivating Members –Kathleen R. Amirante, PP, PLS
Finance – Cindy Lane Hughes, PP, PLS
Overcoming Negativity – Julie Abernathy, PP, PLS
Negotiating Contracts – Tammy Hailey, CAE
Communication Skills –Donna Dendy, PP, PLS, CLA, TSC
Fundraising –Cathy Hankins, PP, PLS
Marketing – Faynell Poe, PP, PLS
Programs with a Punch – Caryn S. Wolchuck, PP, PLS, CPS/CAP
Leading Effective Meetings – Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS

Following class, each student then graduated and received a diploma from 2008-09 NALS President Dee Beardsley, PP, PLS, recognizing their accomplishments.

On Saturday afternoon, the students continued at NALS University by attending a “Graduate” Class. Julie Abernathy conducted the session with the state presidents and presidents-elect, and Patti Infanti conducted the session with the local presidents and presidents-elect.

These sessions covered the basics of running meetings, setting agendas, forming a leadership team, motivating members, dealing with difficult people, and making difficult choices.

Membership

The Membership Session kicked off with Membership Chair, Misty Lewis, PP, PLS introducing the new Membership Campaign for 2008-2010 "Gotta Have It...NALS." The "NALS Store Directory" was reviewed in great detail with the members in attendance per their request to learn about the nuts and bolts of being a SMC or LMC. Membership Director Rose Carter, PP, PLS, RP, and Tara Hughes, CP from Phoenix, Arizona presented a hour on Marketing your Membership and how to use MySpace and Facebook to advertise your chapters. After lunch the members came back for a final wrap up on how to recognize your members and Kateri Jordan, PLS, from Arizona won the grand prize for coming up with an idea for a membership drive that was outside of the box revolving around a Fourth of July party and posters advertising that "NALS Wants You." All in all the members had a great time and learned a lot.

Regional Meetings

Regional meetings were held Friday morning before the Networking Luncheon. With the large number of first timers in attendance, this was a wonderful opportunity for getting acquainted and learning more about the upcoming regional conferences.

Networking Luncheon

NALS 2008-09 President Dee Beardsley, PP, PLS, introduced and swore in the 2008-09 NALS Foundation Trustees:

Faynell Poe, PP, PLS, Chair
Mary Burns, PP, PLS
Mary Jo Denman, PP, PLS
Mary Lenhart, PP, PLS
Cindy Lane-Hughes, PP, PLS
Meri Nelson, PP, PLS, TSC
Marie Ringholz, PP, PLS
Nikkie Rice, PLS
Kathy Siroky, PP, PLS, as Board liaison

Working with the trustees is Foundation Deputy Executive Assistant, Jennifer Reed and Executive Director, Tammy Hailey, CAE.

Foundation Chair Faynell Poe talked briefly about how the NALS Foundation “Puts Your Dollars” to work. Since last March, the NALS Foundation has presented $20,350 in grants to NALS itself as well as to various regions, chapters and state associations. She continued stating that donations received by the NALS Foundation funded Atlas Lee and Briana Walker, the keynote speakers in St. Louis and will also present two keynote speakers in Norfolk.

In addition to increasing the educational opportunities available throughout NALS, the NALS Foundation is championing the profession through its recognition awards. The Foundation Scales of Justice Award, recognizes the positive contributions the legal profession makesthroughout the country. The Foundation Leadership Recognition award recognizes the contributions NALS members have made within their communities.

Faynell recognized the Silver Circle contributors:
NALS Past Presidents
Region 2
Region 4
Region 6

The Bronze Circle contributors:
Region 5

The Founder’s Circle:
Marie Ringholz, PP, PLS
Debbie Nickerson, PP, PLS
Mary Lenhart, PP, PLS
Tina Hurley, PP, PLS
Katherine Van Der Kamp, ALS
Nancy Harris, PP, PLS

The Visionary’s Circle:
Carol L. Pyle
Mary Jo Denman, PP, PLS
Nikkie Rice, PLS
Lori Stewart, PP, PLS
Julie Abernathy, PP, PLS
Kathy Sieckman, PP, PLS, CLA
Jeanne Shaw, PLS

And the Friends Circle:
Jeanne Preston, PP, PLS
Anita Campbell, PP, PLS
Susan S. Turner, PLS
Rita C. Alesi, PP, PLS, TSC
Debra Coulbourn, PLS
Linda Kelley, PLS
Ruth Schaub, PP, PLS
Robin Wilson, PLS
Patti Infanti, PP, PLS
Misty Lewis PP, PLS
Rose Carter, PP, PLS, RP
Beverly Bishop, PLS
Helene Wood, PP, PLS, TSC
Cynthia Lane Hughes, PP, PLS
September Holmblad, PP, PLS
Dee Beardsley, PP, PLS
Cathy Hankins, PP, PLS
Marty Schiff, PLS
Brenda Johll, PP, PLS
Reba Peden, PP, PLS

Faynell concluded by presenting 2007-08 Foundation Chair Mary Jo Denman, PP, PLS, with a Leadership Recognition Award and Certificates of Appreciation noting the contributions of former Foundation Trustees Marlene Oiler, Tina Hurley and Katherine Van Der Kamp.She encouraged all attendees to visit the NALS Foundation table and to give the Foundation Trustees your TWENTY BUCKS!

Recognition Luncheon, Closing and Networking Dinner

The Awards Luncheon is always one of the most anticipated events of the conference as the successes of our leaders, chapters, states, regions, and members are announced. Due to the database conversion, presentations were made for two Get-a-Way trips under the “Let the Journey Begin” membership campaign.

NALS Membership Director Rose Carter, PP, PLS, RP, announced the winners and NALS Membership Chair Misty Lewis, PP, PLS, distributed the winnings as follows:

The Grand Canyon Award and the Rio de Janeiro Award is presented to the winners of the drawing of all new members during this trip. The winners will receive $25 in NALS bucks. The winners are Tina Rachal, NALS of West Michigan and Kimberly Sandstrom, NALS of Greater Seattle.

The Yellowstone Award and the Sydney Award is presented to the winners of the drawing of all renewing members during this trip. The winners will receive $50 in NALS bucks. The winners are Luella Cozad, PLS, South Dakota Member at Large and Barbara Schmidt of Greater Milwaukee ALP.

The Yosemite Award and the Cairo Award is presented to the winners of the drawing of all sponsoring members during this trip. The winners will receive $75 in NALS bucks. The winners are Nanette Green, PLS of Nashville ALP and Robin Holbert, ALS, Richmond LSA, VA.

The Mt Rushmore Award and the London Award is presented to the top recruiter in the nation during this trip. The winners will receive $100 in NALS bucks. There was a tie for the winner of the Mt Rushmore Award and the winners are Linda Hanley, Monmouth LSA, NJ and Arlene Wright, NALS of West Michigan for recruiting 8 members each. The winner of the London Award is Beth Gravley PP, PLS, of NALS of Greater Minnesota for recruiting 20 new members.

The Grand Tetons and the Rome Award is presented to the winners of the drawing of student members who join or renew during this trip. The winner will receive $19 in NALS bucks towards their next national dues. The winners are Terrie Shannon, NALS of Pierce County, WA, and James Hutchinson, Union-Essex LPA, NJ.

The Smokey Mountains Award and the Athens Award is presented to the region with the highest percentage of retention and will receive one free NALS Conference registration. The winners are Region 7 with 85% retention and Region 2 with 79% retention.

The Redwood Forest Award and the Paris Award is presented to the state with the highest percentage of retention and will receive one free NALS Conference registration. The winners are NALS of Oklahoma with 100% retention and again NALS of Oklahoma with 100% retention.

The Destination of Choice Award for both Get-a-Ways is presented to the winners of the final drawing of all remaining names. The winners will receive $100 in cash and the winners are Maureen Campbell, Lane County LSP, OR and Tammie Balmer, Roanoke Valley LSA, VA.

Rose offered her congratulations to everyone who participated in “Let the Journey Begin with NALS” campaign. NALS membership currently totals 4035 with retention at 74%.

President Dee then thanked the Oklahoma members for their assistance with the conference, and asked all members of the Education Committee and Professional Development Conference Task Force to stand and be recognized.

Immediate Past President, Kathy Siroky, PP, PLS, presented a leadership pin to the 2007-8 leadership team, which included the Board of Directors, Committee Chairs, Committee Members, Task Force Members, NALS Foundation Trustees, Online Learning Center Facilitators, and NALS life members. Also acknowledged were all CLE award recipients in attendance as follows:

Original
Rita Smith
Sherri Watts
Helene L. Wood
Sharon Wotherspoon

Renewal
Linda Adair
Rita Alesi
Cynthia Comer
Diana Hallman
Delana Keehner
Kathie Keys
Karen McElroy
Janice Miller
Doris Peebles
Carol Pyle
Peggy Sullivan
Robin Wilson


all newly certified members in attendance as follows:

New ALSs in attendance
Sarah Easterly
Chee Her
Robin Holbert
Julie Hunter
Susan Matthews
Karen Pyle
Brittany Vauthier

New PLSs in attendance
Laura McDaneld
Temple McLean
Sherri Watts

Newly recertified PLSs
Carolyn Puckett
Karen Wallace
Helene Wood
Sharon Wotherspoon

New certified PP in attendance
Carolyn Lemon
Brynne Williamson

Newly recertified PPs
Catherine Hankins
September Holmblad

and all certified members in attendance stood and were recognized.

NALS Foundation Chair, Faynell Poe, PP, PLS, presented the Jett Awards. Receiving a Cornerstone award were Tri-County (Mississippi), Small Chapter, for their First Annual Court Observance Reception. This was a CLE Series of Related Topics; and Chattanooga Legal Professionals, Small Chapter, for their 50th Annual Celebration and Legal Professionals Night Out which was Membership Development.

Receiving a Keystone Awards were NALS of Phoenix, Large Chapter, for their Fall Social which was Membership Development; and San Antonio, LSA, Large Chapter, for their Day-in- Court Luncheon which was a CLE Series of Related Topics.

The coveted Founder’s Award, recognizing the best of the best, was presented to Austin LSA, Inc., for their CLE One-Time Program of the Nuts & Bolts of Grammar and Written Communication. In addition, this year’s Founder’s Award winner presented a session on Saturday afternoon focusing on their program. Fay Jordan, PP, PLS, TSC presented.

President Dee concluded the Recognition Luncheon by asking attendees if they enjoyed visiting the new Resource Center and reminding everyone that NALS is providing an opportunity to name each of the six Murphy beds located at the new Resource Center. Information and details are available on the NALS website.

Professional Development and Education Sessions

The sessions offered this year covered a variety of Professional Development and Education topics:

Parliamentary Procedure: Who’s Robert? Peggy Sullivan, PP, PLS, provided information on how to conduct an orderly and organized meeting as well as equally and impartially protecting the rights of members. General principles of parliamentary procedure were reviewed including parliamentary terms, standard agendas, different types of motions, and steps to handle them.

Collaborative Divorce. Barbara Bartlett, Esquire, discussed a new method of divorce which resolves disputes without resorting to litigation or strong-arm negotiation. Respect and preservation of dignity are key components to the negotiation and the method guides parties to an agreement that meets both of their needs.

Corporate Sponsor Session – Avery. Karl Schoen (Shane) provided a live demonstration for designing and formatting labels, dividers, card products, and more. Attendees were provided with the new Avery Wizard 3.1 software and learned how quick and easy it is to now do mail merges, format hundreds of Avery products, and easily add graphics.

Disaster Recovery 101. Jeff Hamra, owner and manager of Titan Private Security Vault, explained disaster recovery/business continuity in today’s digital information world and how it can affect law offices. Mr. Hamra stressed how proper planning can eliminate poor performance at the time of a disaster, as well as the newest technologies in the industry.

Tips & Tricks for Managing Stress. Brenda Johll, PP, PLS, provided tips and tricks in helping to reduce stress levels as well as tips on managing time better.

Are You Styling? (Part 1 and 2). Donna Brown of Software@Law, Inc., conducted an excellent hands-on presentation on the different styles available through Microsoft Word and how best to use styles. The differences between direct formatting and using styles was discussed and many tricks on how to make styles work for you were provided.

Where Does The Time Go? Patricia E. Infanti, PP, PLS, discussed approaches to recognizing technical or emotional difficulties with time management. Based on the book, Time Management from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern, Patti provided tips on how to organize your time much like organizing your closet.

Dealing With Difficult People. Marsha Smitherman, PP, PLS, explored the possibilities of constructive communication, lowered expectations, and the power of time to heal all wounds. Marsha inspired us to look at the difficult person sitting at our desk and provided ways to deal with the difficult people to arrive at successful fulfillment in our lives.

Jett Award – Founder’s Award Winner Session. Fay Jordan, PP, PLS, TSC on behalf of Austin LSA, Inc., presented the specifics of holding the NALS Nuts & Bolts of Grammar and Written Communication seminar.

Ethics 101. Dan Murdock, Esquire, defined ethics as a major branch of philosophy that encompasses right conduct and good living. It is not the thoughts but the acts that are important. The word “Moral” is defined as pertaining to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong.

Scams, Shams, and Shenanigans. Amie Mitchell and Tami Clark from the Better Business Bureau provided ways to help identify scams and shams in our everyday life, as well as provided pointers and guides to help us prevent identity theft.

Wrap Up Session

Faynell Poe, PP, PLS, Foundation Chair, thanked everyone for their support of the Foundation and announced that the auction raised approximately $5,720. She then proceeded to present the March grant awards to the following:

NALS of Greater Minnesota – Education Grant for $625
NALS of Orange County – Education Grant for $500
NALS of Lansing – Technology Grant for $350
NALS Region 8 – Education Grant for $750

Total March 1, Grants: $2,225

The NALS Foundation also presented 17 ATM (“At This Meeting”) Grants as follows:

NALS of Michigan - $150
Baldwin County Association of Legal Professionals - $200
MALS . . . the association of legal professionals, Montgomery, AL - $200
AALS, an association of NALS, Inc. (Alabama) - $250
AALS, the association for Arkansas legal support professionals - $250
Franklin County Assn. of Legal Support Professionals (MO) - $250
Grand Traverse Area Legal Professionals - $250
Spartanburg County (SC) Legal Staff Professionals - $250
Tulsa 2008 Recap
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Springfield Area Legal Support Professionals - $250
Mississippi Division of NALS - $300
NALS of Missouri - $300
Philadelphia Legal Secretaries Association - $300
Wisconsin Association of Legal Professionals - $300
Hawaii Legal Support Professionals - $350
Metro Legal Professionals Association - $350
NALS of Oregon as host to the Region 7 meeting - $500
NALS of Pennsylvania - $500
NALS of Region 3 - $500

Total ATM Grants: $5,450

Grand total of Grants presented in Tulsa was $7,675!

NALS Members help the NALS Foundation through their support of the various sweepstakes drawings at NALS conferences, and in turn the NALS Foundation “Puts Your Dollars to Work” by helping NALS members. Drawings for the Foundation sweepstakes prizes were then conducted.

The final event of the conference was the Italian buffet networking dinner after which the DJ fired up the amps and got the crowd rockin’ and rollin’ on the dance floor.

And A Final Thank You

Special thanks to our corporate sponsors and exhibitors, Legal Directories Publishing Company, Latham & Watkins, NALS of California, Avery Dennison, Liberty Mutual, and Professional Reporters.

Special recognition also goes to the staff of the NALS Resource Center. Without their tireless efforts, our association would not function. Our fabulous Resource Center Staff includes:

Tammy Hailey, CAE, Executive Director
Saundra Bates, Membership Services Manager
Diana Price, Education & Certification Manager,
Jennifer Reed, NALS Meetings & Marketing Assistant, and
Jay Moore, Communications Manager

Words cannot express how thankful we are for each of you and your dedication to our association and its members.