The year is moving along and our chapter continues to provide quality services to our members.   Our bi-monthly dinner meetings continue to grow.  At the last meeting we had about 150 attend, our training courses continue to sell out and the Professional Development Days on September 8-9 promises to be bigger and better this year.

However, we do not want to stand still.  We would like to offer more services to members.   We need your ideas.   What additional services would you like to have available?  Networking breakfasts or lunches?  Dinner meetings north of the river or downtown?  Lunch meetings at business locations downtown? 

Please let me know your ideas.   We have the resources available to try some new things.  We just need to know what to do.  Please e-mail your feedback to president@kcpmichapter.org. 

 Thanks for your support.

July 14, 2008 - Kansas City PMI Chapter Meeting

To register for this month's meeting please click here:
Meeting Registration

If you have special dietary needs please click here:
Special Dietary Needs
 
We look forward to you joining the July Kansas City PMI Chapter Meeting!  We welcome all for dinner and to hear our guest speaker - John E. Nobels, President of the Process & Industrial Division at Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc.  The evenings topic is Enhancing Stakeholder Management, which covers:
 
• Identification of Project Stakeholders and Varying Agenda's

An informative look at varying stakeholder roles, expectations, objectives and interests. John will encourage the identification of key stakeholders and provide insight on recognizing their individual objectives. John will also offer approach techniques and highlight the importance of being easily accessible to these stakeholders.
 
• Nurturing the Stakeholder Relationship

Discuss how to build and maintain strong stakeholder relationships. This portion of the presentation will also address both the significance of aligning stakeholders and the importance of measuring satisfaction levels on a routine basis. John will touch on the subject of promoting individual leadership and the ability to go above and beyond to show your commitment to the stakeholder.
 
• Enhancing Strategies & Techniques

Discuss common obstacles, inner fears, and the key strategies he has implemented over the years to overcome them. He will also provide helpful tools to promote appropriate communication, individual assertiveness, and the overall importance of making the stakeholder successful.

Biography:
Guest Speaker: John E. Nobles
President, Process & Industrial Division
Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc.
Kansas City, Missouri
 
Mr. Nobles joined Burns & McDonnell in 2000 and currently serves as President of the Process & Industrial Group, a position he has held for the last 8 years. John oversees the group’s professional and support staff who engages in oil refining, petrochemical, grain processing, food processing and pharmaceutical projects. During his tenure, John has significantly increased the group’s revenues and performance by building strategic relationships with new and existing clients.

Prior to joining Burns & McDonnell, he served as President and CEO of Black & Veatch Pritchard (formerly the Pritchard Corporation) in Overland Park, Kansas. He began at Pritchard in 1974 as a Process Engineer and held progressively responsible positions, including Project Manager, Manager of Process Design, and Vice President of Domestic Sales, before being promoted to President and CEO.

John is a member of AIChE. He is very active in the Construction Industry Institute as Board Member and past Chairman. He is also a member of the National Academy of Construction and a member of the Academy of Distinguished Alumni of his alma mater, Georgia Institute of Technology, from which he received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 1974. John is very active in the Kansas City community and currently serves on the Kansas City Ballet Board of Directors.

Mr. Nobles and his wife Linda reside in Overland Park, Kansas. The couple has one adult daughter, Jenna.

Meeting Location: 
Marriott Overland Park, 10800 Metcalf Avenue, Overland Park, Kansas 66210

Agenda:
5:30 - 6:30     Registration and Networking - - - Cash Bar
6:30 - 7:30     Dinner
7:00 - 7:30     Business PMI Board Messages
7:30 - 8:30     Speaker: John E. Nobles
8:30 - 8:45     Door Prizes
8:45            Meeting Adjourned
__________________________________________________
"Project Managers Make it Happen - Help for Harvesters"

Please bring food donations for Harvesters to the KC PMI Dinner Meeting! We are supporting a Harvester's Food Drive!
__________________________________________________
Menu: Mexican Fiesta Buffet

Chicken Salpicon (Chicken Salad w/ carrots, potatoes, green peas & cilantro dressing); Garden Salad w/ a choice of dressing; Tortilla Soup; Beef & Chicken Fajita Bar; Cheese Enchiladas; Refried Beans; Mexican Rice; Margarita Mousse; Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee Soft Drinks & Bottled Water Bottled Ice Tea
_______________
Dinner Meeting Fees Schedule:

• KC PMI Chapter Members - $25 ($30 when register after July 10th)
• Public - $35 ($40 when register after July 10th) Join KC PMI Chapter
• PMI Student Members - $15 ($30 when register after July 10th)
• KC PMI Board Members - Free
• Guest of Board Members - Free ($40 when register after July 10th)
Full refunds (minus $2.50 administration charge) will be given for registrations cancelled before July 10th. After July 10th, no refunds will be made. Please find a substitute to attend if you unable to attend.
  
If you have any questions, please contact VPPrograms@KCPMIChapters.org.

The Membership team kicked off the Membership Drive at the May Business Meeting.

Steve Holtman, Director of Regular Membership announced the goals of this year’s membership drive.

Nancy Petersen, Director of Student Membership has the following update:

Student Membership has surpassed its 2008 goal to add five new student members by three new members!  This is great progress and we are thrilled to welcome these students and ‘working’ students to our chapter.  But like all metrics, project managers need to look at other trends. 

While Nancy and her volunteers rejoice over adding eight members, they are saddened and somewhat bewildered to lose seven student members during the same time period.  We should expect student members to convert to regular chapter memberships when they complete their programs, so ‘Why are these student members dropping out?’ 

Mary Ann Wieczkowski and Christine Foo are reaching out to these former student members to ascertain what the chapter can do to retain them.  If any chapter member has suggestions, please send them to nancypetersen@earthlink.net. 

Please continue to share the benefits of PMI with your co-workers, bosses and other associates.  This is the best way to get the word out about the PMI organization.

Again, thanks for all your support and commitment to our KC PMI Chapter.

Please welcome the following new members for the months of April and May 2008.

April
Terrance A. Brown, PMP
Jerry L. Burks
Brent Duran
Eric Matthew Fleming
Billy G. Goodin, III
Allan G. Haverkamp
William James Heideman
Janet Kay Hines
Tamara Marie Jones
Donna R. Maskil
Elizabeth A. Mims, PMP
Patrick Michael O’Hare
Chad Perry
Peeyush Rajput
Douglas H. Reed
Barbara J. Smith
Kevin Tillock
Nathan Whitney

May
Beth Braden
Janice L. Caler
John Cassida
Jocelyn A. Chadwick
Monique Alexis Faros, PMP
Jackie L. Faust
Briana Hooi
Jannette Jorgensen
Udayan Mukhopadhyay
Lisa A. Murphy
Amy Nemiccolo
Daniel J. Peters
Leslie Ann Quillen
Matthew Rankin, PMP
Eileen D. Sargent
Sara Louise Warder
William Mark Webb
Juanita Woods, PMP

Congratulations to those who completed PMP certification April 22 - June 14, 2008!

Jocelyn Alexandria Chadwick, PMP
Devin Dodson, PMP
Michael Anthony Epperson, PMP
Michael T. Hadlock, PMP
Edward G. Johnson, PMP
James Walter Joyce, PMP
Joseph H. Lokay, PMP 
Craig E. McKnight, PMP 
Cheryl M. Nelson, PMP
Austin Pearson, PMP
Daniel J. Peters, PMP
Katherine A. Ritchie, PMP
Kevin Scot Swagerty, PMP
Ricardo Vazquez, PMP 
Anthony Wageman, PMP 
Rebecca Wenberg, PMP

This year we will again host a ‘Volunteer Recognition’ event in conjunction with the November chapter meeting.  We are already making plans with Leslie Kupka, VP Programs to make this a special event to recognize our great volunteers.  Volunteers will receive a certificate to identify the PDUs earned in 2008 and will be invited to attend the meeting at no charge.  More Details coming soon!

Current Opportunity:

We are seeking a volunteer to organize and plan charitable events congruent with our chapter meetings.  Please contact Nancy Jewell, VP Volunteers at vpvolunteers@kcpmichapter.org for more information.

Project Management Office Specific Interest Group (PMOSIG) to hold ”Advancing the PMO” Symposium 2008

San Antonio, Texas, April 24, 2008 – The Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Office Specific Interest Group (PMOSIG) will hold the premier Project Management Office (PMO) symposium November 9-11, 2008, at the San Antonio Hyatt Regency Hotel located on the famous San Antonio Riverwalk.

With over 20 sessions, attendees will become engaged in important PMO issues, share insights and participate in Q&A forums. PMOSIG Executive Chairman, Art Drake, announced “…the symposium will fill an important void for all Program Management Office professionals to engage in many sessions by industry focused practitioners.” Mr. Drake also emphasized “attendees will be able to gain insight facing PMO’s from different industries and different levels of maturity…whether you’re considering starting a PMO or already working in an established PMO. This is the premier PMO event for 2008 where attendees can earn up to 19 PDU’s”.  The tracks for the symposium will cover topics on PMO Adoption, Establishment, Maturity, Operational Tools, Strategic, Governance, Current State and Direction of PMO’s.

The PMO Symposium 2008 has announced two recognized keynote speakers who are experts in the project management and PMO community. Craig Letavec, Symposium General Chair announced, “we are pleased to have Dr. Brian Hobbs, PMP, Project Management Research Chair and holds a degree in Industrial Engineering, a MBA and PhD in Management, and has been a professor at the University of Quebec at Montreal in the Master’s Program in Project Management. His PMO article titled The Multi-project PMO: A Global Analysis of the Current State of Practice has been featured by PMI.” Mr. Letavec also announced the second keynote speaker “Hugh Woodward, PMP is the President of Macquarie Business Concepts, a consulting firm promoting the achievement of strategic goals through the application of effective project portfolio management. In 2005, Hugh was recognized by Project Management Institute (PMI) as a PMI Fellow, the organization’s highest award for service to the profession.”

Another component of the symposium is the ability for attendees to engage with speakers and participants, including participant roundtable discussions, expert panels and the unique Sunday Forum. You can network with peers and distinguished group of PMO experts.

Mr. Letavec identified the organizations website www.pmosymposium.org as the single source for information and registration for the symposium scheduled to
start on Sunday, November 9th thru Tuesday the 11th. The website identifies each of the forums, keynote speakers, 18 different presentations in 3 tracks, panel discussions and networking receptions. “The panel discussions are unique where participants can ask questions directly to industry leaders” said Mr. Letavec.

Attendance will be limited to the first 250 registrations. Registration on the www.pmosymposium.org website will be open to both PMOSIG members and non-members. The PMOSIG and its 4500 members welcome all participants. PMOSIG members can also take advantage of a 15% discount for pre-registration before August 1, 2008 and also receive a bookstore bonus and two tickets valid for a boat tour of the San Antonio Riverwalk. After August 1st PMOSIG members will continue to receive just their 15% discount. A corporate discount of 10% will be offered anytime when three members of a company register together. Mr. Letavec reaffirmed “this is a high-value symposium based on the additional events on Sunday before the Monday and Tuesday technical presentations. The PMOSIG, as the leading global PMO focused organization is pleased to organize and sponsor the symposium. I would encourage everyone to visit the www.pmosymposium.org website and register. ”

##

Submitted by: Jim Carras
PMO Symposium “Advancing the PMO” 2008 Marketing and Communications
dir_km@pmosig.org

2nd Annual
Project Management Symposium
University of Texas at Dallas

Aug. 18-19, 2008

Leveraging Project Management

for Business Success

Register Early Limited Space Available

Keynote Speakers

Dr. David Daniel
President, The University of Texas at Dallas

George Consolver
Director of Strategy Process, Texas Instruments

Mike Kennedy
CEO, Targeted Convergence

Ricardo Vargas
Board Member, PMI

Veikko Välilä
President, IPMA

This two-day event will include speakers from some of the most dynamic organizations in North Texas. Topics will cover project management issues facing medical and heathcare organizations, the telecom industry and more, governance issues and emerging trends in project management, global issues, new product development and more.

Symposium Agenda

Vendor and Sponsor Information