A while back, I presented the Board with our financial projections for the next few years. Because of our anticipated growth, I also asked that they begin the search for a new Executive Director or management agency to take over the day-to-day “management” of the NSITSP. Our President, Amy Babinchak, officially announced that decision today.
I want to make sure there’s no confusion on this topic: I am not going anywhere. I take great pride in the work we’ve done. But it has always been my plan to get to the point where we have truly professional leadership. I think I am great at running my company. But I am not trained or certified to run a non-profit association.
At some point in 2023, the NSITSP will have the resources to move to professional association management. So I have asked the Board to start figuring out what that looks like. There is no great intrigue. I am not being kicked out. And, as you shall see, I will work very hard to be a driving force in the NSITSP.
There are three big reasons we are managing this change completely in view of the membership. First, we have had a commitment to transparency from day one. So we are not going to start the process in secret or behind closed doors.
Second, I have been amazed and extremely happy to see the tremendous talent in the SMB IT community and in our membership. We have truly talented people who can make this process better and smoother over time – but not if we keep is hidden.
Third, I personally am very optimistic. Since we are in no hurry – I’ll play the Executive Director role as long as needed – I believe we will figure out the right leadership configuration. And we’ll find the right talent to fill the role going forward.
As I said in the first organizational meeting we held back in 2021: Running an association is not my retirement plan. I will help in every way I can, and that includes making sure we have the best, most professional leadership going forward.
Thank you for your continued support. I look forward to an amazing 2023!
If you have comments, you may post them here or in our Leadership Feedback forum: https://nsitsp.org/forums/discussion/conversations-with-the-leadership/
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