Asides: Celebrating 40 years of service
Mem’ries….
Do you still have that binder from the 1992 Delegate Assembly? An award for ASWB committee service that you received in the ’80s? A tote bag with the AASSWB logo? Photos from ASWB gatherings? We’d love to see them! As we celebrate 40 years of service in 2019, ASWB will be displaying and sharing images of items from our history. If you have something to share, email jwood@aswb.org. Look for ASWB history displays at the 2019 Education Conference and the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Delegate Assembly, as well as tidbits from our history in association news throughout the year.
Hoppy to be here
Item Development Consultant GREG WINKLER (WI) (pictured, left) found his way to a local Culpeper taproom for a pint after reviewing exam forms during a January meeting at ASWB offices and ended up competing in trivia night. GREG was drafted onto a team with several ASWB employees who were the defending champs. With his help, the team won again, securing a reserved table and $20 worth of beer for the next trivia night.
Then and Now
Note: During our 40th anniversary year, we’ll be bringing you Then and Now, featuring photos from the archives and current snapshots for a look at how ASWB has changed and grown!
Then: The walls went up in the summer of 1991 on ASWB’s original headquarters building on Southridge Parkway.
Now: Our future headquarters on Mountain Run Vista Court is walled, windowed, and roofed!
Brrrrr!
In response to chair HEIDI NIEUWSMA’s invitation, ASWB staff members JENNIFER HENKEL, DAVE RYCZKO, and DAN SHEEHAN attended the North Dakota board meeting in February.
ASWB at the 2019 FARB Forum
Shout out to those ASWB members and ASWB staff presenting at and attending the 2019 FARB Forum in New Orleans, Louisiana!
ASWB’s Board of Directors; presenter PANRAVEE VONGJAROENRAT, attorney advisor to the D.C. board; ASWB member boards: TOBI ZAVALA of Arizona, RUTHIE BAIN of Arkansas, JOHN SHALETT of Louisiana, HEATHER CONLEY and KATHY LOMBARDI KIMANI of Minnesota, and ANN-MARIE BUCHANAN and TEDDY WILKINS of Tennessee; ASWB staff members: panelist DWIGHT HYMANS, Forum design team member JENNIFER HENKEL, MARY JO MONAHAN, and CARA SANNER; and ROBIN JENKINS, formerly of the D.C. board.
We’re here for you!
In 2019, ASWB Member Services and Strategic Initiatives department is putting particular emphasis on engaging with members. ASWB staff attended board meetings in North Dakota in person and by audioconference in Washington, D.C. In addition, the Washington state board meeting was live streamed at ASWB offices and staff were encouraged to attend. “We want to know what is happening across our membership, so that we are better able to meet member needs,” said JENNIFER HENKEL. “By attending meetings either physically or virtually we can actually hear what is going on in individual jurisdictions. Further, by streaming meetings at ASWB offices a wide variety of staff members are exposed to the real work of boards and can better understand who ASWB members are.”
Celebrating 40 all year!
To kick off ASWB’s 40th anniversary year, the first quarterly staff meeting was modeled on a shareholders meeting. Staff members received a “shareholder certificate” on which to note how they will “invest” in ASWB through the goals that they have set to help ASWB achieve the 2019–2021 Strategic Framework. ASWB CEO MARY JO MONAHAN acknowledged the investment, noting that staff members are ASWB’s most important resource. LATONYA BANNISTER made and decorated cupcakes for the celebration, and all staff members received a vest with the anniversary logo and a choice of a commemorative T-shirt or polo shirt.
Under roof
Winter weather hasn’t slowed the construction crews working on ASWB’s new headquarters building. The walls are up, the roof and clerestories are in place, and the windows are being installed. Brickwork will begin soon. Decisions are being made about interior finishing, technology installations, and landscape architecture. And logistical planning for the move has begun, with the Finance and Administration department tasked with making the transition smooth. The Green Team is pitching in to reduce the amount of material that will need to be moved by helping digitize, recycle, and streamline documents and other items that are currently in storage.