From HQ

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE

This year, under the direction of our Senior Community Manager, Korie Twiggs, we are simultaneously developing and piloting a new program aimed at providing exclusive professional development for our many volunteer leaders across the country. Our goal with this training is to provide valuable learning opportunities that will empower them in their work as community leaders and enhance their practical skills in professional settings. The training provided by IDSA’s new Community Leadership Institute is an exclusive benefit for Chapter and Section Officers as well as members of our various Committees and Councils. Courses will be held quarterly throughout 2022 and will cover a variety of relevant topics.

I am delighted to share that we held our first Community Leadership Institute class on March 21, 2022, on diversity, equity, and inclusion, a topic of utmost importance for IDSA. Facilitators from CultureWizard (www.rw-3.com) led participants through an interactive workshop titled Mastering an Inclusive Mindset. During the 90-minute session, the audience listened to presentations about understanding (and overcoming) implicit bias and how to promote best practices in workplace inclusion. Afterward, small groups were formed for discussions around specific prompts before returning to the full group to share findings and hear perspectives from other participants.

Many in the audience also took part in an individual selfassessment, which provided a detailed and personalized report across three dimensions: inclusive behaviors, exposure to diversity, and cognitive flexibility. The results create a framework to understand one’s own unique experiences related to diversity and belonging with highlighted areas of strength and for personal improvement. I believe all of us aspire to be an inclusive leader, but perhaps we are unsure of exactly what that means or how to implement inclusivity as a daily habit. This thought-provoking experience allowed for inward moments of personal reflection while also delivering tangible insights into how each of us can become a more inclusive leader in our professional practice.

Looking ahead, our next Community Leadership Institute class will focus on sponsorships and partnerships specific to Chapter and Section events. All chapters are provided funds from IDSA at the start of each year, which are available to use at the discretion of chapter teams for the production and delivery of programming for their local community. Sometimes, however, opportunities may exist to engage with local businesses to bring additional value to the event experience. This could take form of in-kind food or beverage donations, venue rental agreements, or direct financial support, to name a few. We want to help our community leaders understand the best practices for building these kinds of partner relationships and provide the tools needed to successfully secure them. Other topic areas we are exploring for future Community Leadership Institute classes include volunteer recruitment and engagement, chapter finances and budget planning, communications, and event management.

Over time, we plan to bring some of these courses out of the virtual world and incorporate them into our larger in-person events, such as the International Design Conference. In this way, we can provide greater professional benefit to our community leaders who travel to participate in IDSA conference programming. I’ve often said that one must experience IDSA firsthand in order to truly discover value. This program builds on that idea and presents a compelling offering for those who choose to take advantage of it.

IDSA deeply appreciates the commitment our members demonstrate daily in their work as volunteer community leaders, and this is one way for us to say thank you for all you do on behalf of our society.

—Chris Livaudais, IDSA, Executive Director chrisl@idsa.org