Happy New Year 2021 from the GAPNA Great Lakes Chapter
By Ruth Ann Pendergrast
Some great news to start the year! Our own, Nina Ganesh-Nandish, Past President, has been chosen by GAPNA to attend the GAPNA Leadership Institute where she will become a fellow. Nina will learn the foundations of a great leader and polish her inner abilities to be a successful leader within GAPNA. Congratulations Nina!
It has been a long year with a lot of work and learning the meaning of virtual! Like many chapters, we are working to reach more nurse practitioners and recruit new members. The chapter held its first virtual conference on November 6-7, 2020. Most of us did not have experience with this type of presentation, so the learning curve was huge. Overall, the meeting was a great success. There were 64 attendees for the Saturday conference, which was impressive. The feedback was also positive. I would like to thank Tom McConnell, 2020 Conference Committee Chair, and committee members for a job well done. Welcome to Iryna Wolberg, 2021 Conference Committee Chair.
We have also been trying to reach more people with our virtual quarterly meetings. Some meetings are well attended and other meetings not so. We are looking for creative ways to get members to attend. We are considering offering contact hour credit and prizes as incentives.
I have been fortunate to attend the Leadership meeting every month under the direction of Nina Ganesh-Nandish. This meeting allows chapter leaders to connect in a very encouraging and accepting way. We discuss ideas, concerns, and problems that confront our chapters. We encourage each other and discuss frustrations. It is also a way to learn to become better leaders and develop creative marketing ideas and strategies to engage and appreciate our members.
Welcome and congratulations to new GAPNA-GLC Board members Maria Contreras, ANP-BC, President-Elect, and Laura Schipper, DNP, AGPCNP, Secretary. Laura is also Chapter Website Moderator.
I hope you remain steadfast in this pandemic to your commitment to GAPNA. Enjoy every day, smile, and encourage others to do so!
Ruth Ann Pendergrast, AGPCNP-C, CWOCN
Chapter President
ruth.pendergrast@beaumont.org