The Excitement is Growing!

Wow!  I cannot believe it has been two months since my last blog!  I admit it - I have been busy with convention plans and getting excited about our time together in Nashville.  I hope you are, too!

After a wonderful leadership weekend in Sweden and another equally wonderful time at a leadership conference in Wyoming, I was also honored to represent the Society in Tennessee.  I continue to be awed by the amazing women who are DKG - no matter where in the world I go, I find phenomenal women who lead the way with innovative thinking and progressive action.

As we turn our attention to the last minute details of the convention, we hope you are planning to join us.  With over 100 breakout sessions, outstanding keynote speakers, mini sessions in the Cyber Center, and a variety of Hot Topics sessions, everyone will find something of interest.  Shop the Marketplace, experience Nashville, and visit with friends - the ones you have not seen in a while and the ones you meet during the week.

Haven't registered yet?  There is still time!  Let's meet in Nashville - see you there!

Warm Enough to Melt the Snow

It was snowing one more time in Akron, Ohio, when I left on Sunday.  But you would have never known it by the warmth of the DKG members there!  What an exciting convention!  From the opening reception with a local band that inspired us to dance to the closing brunch that reminded us of the many ways we impact our world, I enjoyed every moment with the members of DKG Ohio.

With all the exciting happenings in Ohio, it is hard to choose one to highlight.  However, check out the Be Wise Camp in Mason, Ohio.  We heard a few inspirational words from DKG member and Be Wise Director, Jo Ann Benseler.  The camp, held at Denison University, features STEM activities in all of its classes which are designed to stimulate interest in mathematics, science, engineering and technology.  The exciting piece of that news is that the campers are girls!  Visit Be Wise Camp at bewisecamp.org.

Who is Coming to Your Initiation?

It is spring time and so, DKG chapters throughout the Society are thinking about new members. Have you invited someone to membership recently?  Our Purposes include uniting and honoring women educators, as well as advancing the profession.  If you see yourself as the professional educator you are and want to advance our profession, then consider inviting your professional peers to membership in DKG.  What better way to honor other exceptional professional educators for the job they do while strengthening our profession as well?

With approximately 75,000 members around the world, DKG makes a significant impact worldwide. I am proud of the impact we make, but let's double that impact in 2016!

Winter Months Still have WOW!

I have to say that I usually expect the Winter months to be rather uneventful. The weather always keeps us indoors and the skies are often gray - promoting a slower pace and sleepy attitude.

However, January proved to be so eventful that it appears I have failed to keep you all up to date!

DKG launched a new website - have you checked it out?  Members-only areas of the site require log in, so check with your chapter president about the username and password for your first access.  The Presidents' Page provided information for your chapter president to share.  We aimed for a user-friendly website filled with member resources and helpful information.  Let us know what you think!

In addition, a secure and private DKG Community allows members to connect with other members around the world - so opt in and join in.

I was also delighted to attend the CTAUN conference this year.  What a wonderful and informative conference.  Check out www.ctaun.org for information about the Sustainable Development Goals and how they can impact your world.   And next time, plan to attend!

It's going be a great 2016!

Wow!  The new year is off to a big start and promises to be exciting!  Did you know that Society Headquarters will be open longer each day?  We have staggered our work times to allow for extended hours in the early morning and late afternoon:  You can reach us by phone now between 7:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. every day.  We look forward to hearing from you soon!

The new website is also coming within a few days:  after a little more testing this week, we hope to launch the new site around the middle of January.  Some member benefits will only be available after log in (remember to use your member ID as your username and the default password - ask your chapter president to share the Presidents' Page info with you!).  However, the main parts of the website will be public and will not require a log in. Remember, online registration for convention will require a log in.

With these changes and other
exciting happenings, 2016 promises to be the best ever!

Keeping in Touch

My husband and I travelled a little last week to places we had not visited in a
while. It felt good to reconnect with old friends and make new ones in the process.

As we survey dropped members, we are finding that approximately two-thirds found the DKG membership experience to be satisfactory and would consider reinstatement in the future.  So, take some time during the holidays to reach out to former members in your chapter.  Ask them to join you at the holiday social event or even at a meeting.  Or just chat on the phone or enjoy a cup of coffee together.  Reconnecting can lead to reinstating!

For more ideas, check out the blog on the membership committee page at www.dkg.org or look for more in the Making Members Matter column in each issue of the DKG News.

(For the full dropped member survey report, contact me at nitas@dkg.org) 

Coming up: The Future!

A group of young members met recently at DKG Headquarters in Austin, TX, to focus on DKG and the future.  Out of that group grew DKGnext! Even the name makes me stop to think about what may be next for DKG.

I was honored to be included in some of the discussions that took place during that meeting. How inspiring, challenging, exciting, energizing and magnetizing it was to hear them talk about their hopes and concerns for our great Society. As one member wrote in a follow up to the meeting,

We want to create a group of forward thinking members to explore and analyze the best ways we as a Society can recruit, retain, and support our membership. We want to find ways to merge our traditions with new innovative ideas and diverse opinions to create a culture that attracts key women educators.

You can read her thoughtful words at www.dkg.org by clicking on the Rotator item "DKGnext!" (https://www.dkg.org/content/dkgnext-0#node-7749)  I encourage you to check it out - I think you will be inspired, too.  And, after you think about it, post a comment here and tell me what you would hope to be next for DKG!