This has been a post that I’ve been dreading to write. It’s a goodbye of sorts, and those are never easy.
The CASE District IV Conference this year is my public goodbye as chair of our district. I spent two years in that role, and two years as the chair-elect. I’ve spent nearly 20 years in some volunteer capacity with our district. While I still have a little over two months left in my term, it feels like this is the ceremonial goodbye. I will still be involved as the past-chair, which is an as-needed advisory role. However, it’s time for someone else (a great someone, Baleigh McCoin) to shine.
A Little About My CASE Journey
This was never the plan. After getting my degree, I planned to work for a year or so at a college while the economy got better and then find something else. Instead, I found a career. My boss at the time “voluntold” me to go to the conference and get involved.
I left the first conference with a volunteer spot the next year. The rest, as they say, is history.
Since that time, I served in multiple cabinet and conference roles for nearly two decades. In 2020, I had the honor of chairing our district conference, and in 2022, I was tapped to be the chair-elect for the Cabinet. I’ll conclude my time as chair later this year.
What has stuck with me about my journey is the opportunities CASE afforded me. I came in as a wide-eyed, eager kid. Yet, people kept inviting me to the table, a table my title said I had no place at. The conversations were the same. They were on a different, higher level than I was. I was tactically focused. However, being in that room as a young professional had a profound impact on me and my strategic and systems thinking.
Five Ways CASE Has Impacted Me
As I’ve been reflecting, there are many ways CASE has impacted my career, but here are some of the biggest:
Projects I Like
I like opportunities to build and fix. My first cabinet role was awards. No one else wanted it, so they gave it to me. It was a paper system, and my office looked like a post office during the height of awards season. The following year, with some encouragement, I convinced our district to change to a digital system and worked with a developer to build a platform. I found a credit card processor and allowed our district to take credit card payments. That change increased our revenue 150%, paid for the investment, and significantly contributed to the fiscal success of our district.
The experience also helped me to understand my strengths. I love to build, and I like creating where something doesn’t exist or something needs an overhaul. I’m not as happy maintaining the status quo. Learning this early has helped me seek out personal and professional experiences that align. Now, I can count dozens of times I’ve said yes to building something for CASE or my employer.
Strategic Thinking
As a young CASE volunteer, I didn’t have much experience with big insights and industry challenges. I remember sitting in CASE meetings about the strategic plan for our district, and it was the first time I’d ever been part of a strategic planning process. I was incredibly focused tactically on what we could do and far less focused on the goals and objectives.
Getting to be part of strategic conversations was a good use of a muscle I didn’t get to flex much in my current role. Through listening and being in that room, I saw how to think about things strategically and really enjoyed the deep-thinking opportunities. I think it made me better at strategy when I had opportunities within my own organization.
Project Management
Managing awards and conference programming was all about organization and project management. There were multiple moving parts, and I had to keep up with where things were in the process. With the awards role, I had multiple judging coordinators to check on, make sure they had review access, and follow up with for finalists. With the program chair role, I had to check on session scoring, ensuring track chairs were communicating with speakers, and manage scheduling the sessions.
Being in those leadership positions taught me skills that I use to this day. I learned how to use spreadsheets, how frequently communication is needed, when/how to escalate if something isn’t working well, and how to have conversations about resetting. Those are skills that serve me well on a daily basis.
Community Matters
CASE friends became family. I felt that most when my dad passed. I was at a shopping center with my mom looking for outfits to wear for his celebration of life when my boss sent a note to the cabinet letting them know my dad had passed. The myriad of phone calls, emails, texts, and cards that came next have stayed with me. In that moment, I knew this was different. It was family. Since then, I’ve celebrated the milestones of CASE colleagues and others have done the same for me. Additionally, I’ve shared meals, laughs, and lots of life with CASE friends.
Having a network of people supporting me gave me confidence. As a newbie, I was incredibly green and didn’t see the value of what I added to the conversation. CASE helped me see my worth, and knowing that I had a community of support, I felt empowered to push myself to try new experiences.
I Used My Voice
CASE helped me move from that green novice to a seasoned professional. I remember a conversation in a cabinet meeting about the difference between steering and rowing. That was a defining moment for me and helped me recognize I needed to adjust my approach. That guidance helped me move from focusing on the tactical details of each conference to sharing ideas, influencing conversations, and creating opportunities for others.
Because of the access to industry conversations, mentorship, and networking I gained through my volunteer service, the transition to being a leader was easier. The relationships I built and the perspective I developed gave me the support to step into leadership roles more effectively than I otherwise would have. CASE gave me the foundation to confidently lead and succeed.
Not Goodbye
The great news is that this isn’t a goodbye. CASE volunteer service happens at many levels. While this chapter is closing, I will still stay involved with CASE. Still, my time with CASE District IV will always hold a special place in my heart because of the opportunities it gave me early in my career. I’ll be forever grateful.
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