2010 President's Letter
It’s a new year and, as the new President of the Columbus Compensation Association, I want to welcome our new members and welcome back our returning colleagues. We look forward to another year of stimulating programs, WorldatWork courses, and networking opportunities. With our first two meetings of the year completed, 2010 is off to a great start!
I would like to sincerely thank the 2009 Board for their service and our immediate Past President, Julie Hurley, for her leadership, guidance, and wisdom. Julie will continue to be a key advisor and resource to our members and Board in 2010. In addition, we are excited to have four new members join the CCA Board of Directors:
- Judith Juodvalkis: Committee Chair, Communications
- Mark Briggs: Committee Chair, Technology
- Fran Wahrman & Holly Bush: Committee Chairs, Facilities
The Columbus Compensation Association (CCA) is a member organization dedicated to serving, promoting, and educating compensation and benefits professionals in the Columbus area. We are proud to be one of the largest and strongest WorldatWork local networks in the United States and our role has never been more important than now. As compensation and/or benefits professionals, I hope you find this association as fulfilling and helpful in performing your role as I do.
In the total rewards field, we know these truths about our work:
- Our decisions have a direct impact on the businesses we serve.
- The key to problem solving is creativity.
Based on the economic outlook, 2010 looks to be another challenging year. As a human resources, compensation, or benefits professional, you will be required to use your knowledge, experience, and creativity to build programs that attract and retain the best talent for your organization. Changing business conditions may require you to modify policies and practices so that your company remains competitive while doing more with fewer financial resources. It will be more important than ever to build relationships and work collaboratively with your peers both within and outside of your company.
While the time ahead may be difficult for many companies and individuals, as with every period of market upheaval, opportunities still exist. During these times, it is important that we continue to learn, grow, and stretch ourselves both personally and professionally to stay on the front edge of our profession. CCA will help you do this by providing current information on best practices, leading issues, hot topics, and legislative changes impacting our Total Rewards environment. CCA will also offer educational courses and networking opportunities that will enhance and drive professional growth.
As I think back over the ten years that I have been a CCA member, it amazes me how much our organization has grown and changed. Change will continue, both in our profession and in our individual organizations. However, one priority that will never change is the Columbus Compensation Association’s focus on providing quality presentations that are educational and relevant. Our goal is to present a mixture of national-caliber and local speakers, whose expertise ranges from one end of the total rewards spectrum to the other.
In addition to quality programming, our WorldatWork certification courses continue to be well received. We have planned four 2-day courses and one 1-day seminar this year. You can find all the details on our website and/or in our newsletters.
One area of change this year is the Columbus Compensation Association website (www.columbuscomp.org). We plan on making significant improvements to the website in an effort to make it more professional, easier to navigate, and more informative. In addition, we are very optimistic about having online payment capabilities by the end of the year. This is something members have been asking about for some time now.
Lastly, our annual membership campaign is underway. If you have not done so already, please renew your membership and invite colleagues who are not currently members to consider joining CCA.
Your continued involvement in CCA will offer learning and networking with professionals who share the same challenges and can generate dynamic ideas and creative action that will only make us stronger in our field. Thank you for your dedication to the compensation and benefits profession and your membership in the Columbus Compensation Association. The Board strives to make your membership valuable and welcomes comments on how we can serve you better as an organization.
I look forward to the rest of the year and to meeting all of our new and returning members. I am honored to be serving as the President of an organization with such talented members. I welcome you to contact me with ideas or just to say hello.
Sincerely,
Michael Kalan
