PMI Westchester

Chapter members are invited to nominate candidates to run for the following Board positions:

• Chapter President
• Vice President of Programs
• Vice President of Career and Professional Development
• Vice President of Communications & Marketing

The winners will serve 2 years, from 01 Jul 2018 to 30 Jun 2020, with the option to run for a total of 2 terms.

Chapter bylaws specify that only current and past Board members with at least 2 years of service may be a candidate for the office of Chapter President. Current and past Board members, Directors, and Program Managers with at least 1 year of service may be candidates for the three Vice President positions.

Nominations should be sent to Gil Harris, gilharris@hotmail.com, and need to be sent by 11:59 p.m. on 14 Apr 2018.

It’s finally here!! We are going all out for our 15th Anniversary this month. Whether you have always attended or never attended a Chapter meeting with us, this is NOT one you want to miss. We are starting at 5:00 p.m. on March 13th at the Stone Manor 101 on Route 9A in Hawthorne (across from the new Audi dealership (the old movie theatre)) with a cocktail/networking hour in which we will have games, prizes, a special 15th Anniversary gift for everyone in attendance, and a lot of other things - but I’m not going to spill the beans. You will have to be there to see it, but I promise you this it will be a night to remember. However, you must pre-register so we can get a headcount for the event; you will pay at the door. This event will only be $15 for Chapter members.

Another exciting part of March 13th is our speaker: an award-winning, nationally-recognized keynote speaker, author, and change management consultant who is passionate and skilled in engaging a company’s greatest asset: its people. Scott Carbonara helps organizations and individuals create and live the stories they want to have told by stakeholders, employees, and customers. This month, Scott will discuss how “Engagement Starts with You”. Whether your goal is to increase your personal engagement, maximize the engagement of your team, navigate change, or improve the culture with which you face your customers, this humorous, uplifting, practical, research-and-story-based session inspires audiences to reignite by using Scott’s W.H.I.P. philosophy (What you Have In your Possession).
YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS EVENT ☺

I want to thank Phebe Arouni for hosting our very first virtual Lunch...

Early-Bird registration for the 9th Annual PMIW Symposium is now open -
register before 15 Mar 2018 to take advantage of the Early Bird discount!

Due to popular demand, the Symposium this year will be held again at Manhattanville College. We will also follow a similar format to last year's Symposium, due to the positive feedback: fewer speakers, with more extensive presentations.

Get details as they become available on the Symposium event page;

Register here!

Sometimes, as project managers, we go about performing our daily routine tasks just as we always have for so long. We tend not to question things because, well, we’ve always done it that way or we rely on someone else to tell us different. We forget to pick our heads up and question ourselves, “Is this everything? Am I missing something? Is there a better way of doing this?” Unfortunately, unless you experience a certain situation that tells you otherwise you may not know if there is a better or different way.

At our Chapter meeting this month Professor Patricia Tyre, faculty at New York University and University of Connecticut, will present an engaging program for anyone who has started their Agile journey, stalled in their Agile journey or anyone who is planning to implement Agile this year. During an interactive workshop, Professor Tyre will discuss the “10 Hidden Hurdles Causing Agile Dysfunction” or otherwise known as “10 Agile Gotchas – 10 reasons why your organization is not moving forward with Agile”.

I am also very excited to announce our very first virtual Lunch & Learn session on February 21st, our Breakfast Roundtable on February 28th, and the news that our bylaws are officially approved...

Happy New Year Everyone!!! I hope you enjoyed some time off with your friends and family to celebrate the holiday season. This is the start of a BIG year for all of us at PMI Westchester, as our 15th Anniversary is coming up. As we work to finalize plans, keep an eye out for e-mails from us.

As we begin a new year, it’s a good time to think about...

A heart warming "THANKS!" to the PMI members and family who volunteered their time to wrap gifts for underprivileged children the Saturday we had the first snowstorm of the season! It wasn't even for PDU's; just for the joy of giving! Eight of us sorted, wrapped and boxed gifts that were generously donated for boys and girls from infant to 14 years old. Alicia Ward, Manager of Volunteer Programs for the Open Door Foundation, does an amazing job coordinating the donations, the volunteers and distributing the gifts. It was a fun and fulfilling event.

Thanks again to Annesa Seemungal, Ken Kamber and his wife Donna, Priti Khatri, Richard Ferricane and his wife Mary Ellen, and Shauna Thompson for showing up for PMI Westchester, Open Door, and the children!

Next volunteer activity: Site Captains for MLK Day on January 13th.

As we approach the end of the year, it’s the perfect time to celebrate all our accomplishments this year. Our membership is soaring at 700 members, all of our programs have been well received, and we are slowly building our volunteer base. However, as we know, there is always room for improvement, and that’s exactly what I will be focusing on as I reflect on our accomplishments over the holiday.

This month we have a special event...

We have returned from attending PMI’s Leadership Institute Meeting in Chicago, IL. We had the opportunity to hear, meet, and network with other chapter leaders from all over the country and the world. As the leadership team starts to work through all the potential ideas, I want to hear from you about how we can make your chapter more valuable. In the meantime, a few items I’m contemplating are possibly a lunchtime conference call by industry, networking events at a local business (hey, beer and wine making are projects), or partnering more with other volunteer organizations. If anything I’ve said sparks an interest...

While the weather cannot make up its mind if it should still be summer or the start of autumn, PMI Westchester knows exactly what our forecast will be this month. We are back at Manhattanville College for our monthly Chapter meeting. If you did not have the chance to experience the beautiful setting of Reid Castle, you will this month. We have a live workshop entitled “The Memory Switch”, developed and presented by Matthew Goerke, one of America’s leading experts in the field of Memory Development. He will instruct you in the new advances in memory technology, as well as help you gain insight into how these methods are in direct alignment with helping you achieve both business and personal goals.

Also starting this month...