President's Monthly Message

Deby Covey

Deby Covey, MBA PMP CSM

PMI-LA 2023 President

E-mail: president@pmi-la.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deby-covey-mba-pmp-csm-539288/

March 2023

Our first in-person event, the March Flagship was well attended – with 40 registered – it was a full house! Our very own VP of Programs gave a talk about how to better identify and work with the team and build trust and long-term relationships. We had 2/3 of attendees attending for the first time or as new members and several new credential holders!

Let’s start with our goal to increase members …. at the end of February, we are at 1866 members. Hopefully, it is just the winter doldrums and as spring approaches more members will be attracted to our events! For those who have their PMP – consider taking on some more responsible roles within the chapter. Our Volunteer Recruitment is coming on April 6 and we are always looking for fresh ideas. LinkedIn and most resume workshops say that a majority of hiring companies are looking for that balance between work and volunteering.

Our retention statistics are holding even at 78%. For those who are considering leaving the chapter, I implore you to let us know what it would take to retain your membership. As you are now aware, we are retaining our quality virtual programs and career development opportunities, so even if you leave the area, you can still benefit from being a member of the chapter.

As mentioned, our third goal for this year is Project Management Impact across Los Angeles. We will have a two-pronged approach: look for a website link to tell us about any projects you are personally already engaged in, the number of hours, and if you reported them to PMI already. Let’s see if Los Angeles Project Managers can contribute 10,000 hours to this initiative! As a member, if you have an idea that you would like to put forth please send an email to info@pmi-la.org and let us know.

The chapter has planned a special event for Members on April 26! Cirque Du Soleil Corteo is coming to Los Angeles and the chapter has secured Loge seating for its membership. For those that are volunteers, please reach out to volunteers@pmi-la.org to get a discount code to save 20% off the member price!

The next in-person meeting will be held on June 8 at Raffi’s Catering in Pasadena. Then, in August we have Lee Lambert coming to speak. For those who don’t know Lee, he is one of the founders of PMP, and here is his LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lelambert/ . I look forward to seeing you there!

January 2023

All members – Welcome to 2023! Flashback to 2013 when I was sitting at my computer trying to determine what words would inspire members to come out and support the PMI-LA chapter. Back in 2013 – we had 8 Programs sites all around the Los Angeles area and we gave members time to network and meet peers in various locations and industries. We had impactful Flagship events and I got to meet so many members in person! Since then, Programs and Career Development events established a regular cadence and then 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns occurred and we had to pivot fast.

What did the Covid-19 lockdowns teach us? We can still provide quality Programs and Career Development events virtually and at a lower cost to our membership. Networking was different and challenging, and the fun and social aspects of membership were put on hiatus. However, while some of us are ready to return to pre-COVID events, there are still others of us that COVID impacted negatively in our families, children, and social world which has left us a little wary of meeting in person. Keeping these pandemic challenges in mind, 2023 is our chance to “change the model” and let PMI-LA once again reach out to provide those same services, programs, career development options, networking options, and volunteering opportunities to a much different membership than 2019.

I met with the incoming 2023 board on December 3-4 to discuss our vision and goals for 2023. COVID impacted the chapter in a big way. We were well over 2000 members in 2019 and dropped down to a low of 1687 – and are just now regaining our membership. One of the 2023 goals is to increase our membership back to over 2000 members.

Another goal for this year is to continue refining the lower-cost virtual offerings while committing to a minimum of 4 in-person programs events. I am looking forward to meeting you at these events. If there are other ideas that you as a member feel would help you re-engage with the chapter, please reach out to the board and let us know.

Our third goal for this year is Project Management Impact across Los Angeles. The board agreed that we would like to set up a framework for Project Managers to meet and network and also have an impact on our world by working on projects related to the 17 UN Sustainable Projects. Ideas like helping out with Project Management at Food Banks, Homeless Assistance Pop-Ups, Marginalized Youth programs, and Project Management programs for K-12 to help bring kids back from the years they missed – are all ways we can contribute. If you have an idea that you would like to put forth please send an email to info@pmi-la.org and let us know.

Stay tuned each month for updates on upcoming events, and a short summary on the chapters 2023 initiatives.

February 2023

Our Annual Business meeting was well attended – with over 120 registered, at one time there were 80 people online! PDUs have been posted, and thank you very much for the feedback. This year’s board has a lot of feedback and will continue to work towards making this a chapter that members enthusiastically want to join, and stay.

Let’s start with our goal to increase members …. In December of 2022, we had 1862 members. At the end of January, we now have 1869 members! Let’s keep up the momentum and tell your friends and colleagues the merits of joining PMI. A quick trip down memory lane, back in the early 1990s, I got my MBA while working for GE. Despite the positive merits of an MBA, it did not net me 1 thin dime in my paycheck, nor recognition of my career goals. Fast forward to 2007 when I was PMP Certified, 2009 when I joined the PMI-LA board, and 2010 when I was CSM Certified. My professional career has moved from Team Lead/Project Manager to Program Manager, to Manager of an RMO (Results Management Office), up to Senior Manager, and most recently Director. Was it the PMP alone? No, but it got me the visibility I needed to move into more responsible positions. It’s a start! For those that have their PMP – consider taking on some more responsible roles within the chapter. LinkedIn and most resume workshops say that a majority of hiring companies are looking for that balance between work and volunteering.

Our retention statistics are not as positive as the membership increases. We went from nearly 80% retention down to 78%. For those that are considering leaving the chapter, I implore you to let us know what it would take to retain your membership. As you are now aware, we are retaining our quality virtual programs and career development opportunities, so even if you leave the area, you can still benefit from being a member of the chapter.

As mentioned, our third goal for this year is Project Management Impact across Los Angeles. WOW! The feedback on this goal was tremendous. I have reached out to our VP of PMO/Admin and we will be looking for volunteers that want to a) Help organize the PMO with intake forms, evaluation criteria, PM assignment, and goals tracking, b) Work as a Senior/Junior Project manager on one of these projects, c) Work as a project team player and/or participant. As a member, if you have an idea that you would like to put forth please send an email to info@pmi-la.org and let us know.

The next in-person meeting will be held on March 9 at the Cambria Hotel in El Segundo. I look forward to seeing you there!