Happy New Year CREW-St. Louis Members!
Welcome to 2023.
The beginning of the year is a great time to look back on all we have accomplished and look forward to the year ahead of us. Therefore, I would like to start this message by sharing some of CREW-St. Louis’ 2022 accomplishments that our fabulous 2022 President Stacey Kamps empowered us to achieve:
- She guided us to embrace a fully functional strategic board, with our Executive Board Members FINALLY fully engaged as liaisons to our committees. This allowed our committees to be better supported and more functional.
- She empowered the Advisory Board Members with clear authority parameters so they had more autonomy and could better make decisions.
- She led the charge to develop and implement a strategic plan that united the Executive Board’s vision and allowed us to focus on common goals.
- She successfully navigated us through our new normal post-COVID and oversaw over 75 events.
- We rose together and celebrated ourselves as a chapter of 40 years. I hope you had the opportunity to attend the gala; it was an amazing night.
- We had record attendance at the 2022 CREW Network Convention, where 39 CREW-St. Louis Members traveled to Chicago, Illinois, and enjoyed listening to a number of nationally renowned speakers, including a very motivational (and tearjerker) speech from Jill Donovan and learning economic insights from Marci Rossell.
- We met the trifecta in support of CREW Network Foundation.
- We partnered and mentored 14 of our members, sharing ideas and support through our Mentorship Program.
The list goes on and on…and while Stacey was deliberate in announcing the President’s “Word” for 2022 at the 40th Anniversary Gala -
Empowerment - we knew it all along. We felt it. We felt her lift us up and empower us as a Chapter to move forward, out of COVID, and remember why we are here.
We are here for each other.
We are here to be empowered and empower each other.
And personally, I have learned so much from her leadership and friendship, and I have watched as she showed us the value of:
- Listening;
- Delegating;
- Being Empathetic;
- Encouraging New Ideas; and
- Being there for the Members professionally and personally.
Please join me in thanking Stacey for her leadership and to celebrate a successful 2022!!!
Many of you were at the 2022 CREW-St. Louis Holiday Party, where I shared my CREW story. However, many Members were not able to make it on that rainy night, so I am once again going to share it.
Twenty years ago - in 2003 - I was in Law School at Washington University in St. Louis and went to a CREW-St. Louis event with a friend. I have no recollection of why we went, what it was about or where it was. But what I do remember is listening to the then president, an attorney, Marsha Niedringhaus, speak. I thought - I want to be her. I want to be a real estate attorney and be the president of CREW-St. Louis. That became one of my
Dreams.
Years later, after I had joined CREW-St. Louis and had been serving on the Ambassadors Committee for a while, I went to a lunch with Ann Schmelzle, a Past President, who asked if I liked golf. I said, “Yes, I play.” (And by “play” I meant “ride around in the golf cart while enjoying nice weather and a cold beverage.”) I also casually mentioned that maybe I should join the Golf Committee. The next thing I knew, the Nominations Committee had nominated me to Co-Chair the Golf Committee.
A couple years later, when my term as Golf Committee Chair was coming to an end, I met with the leadership of CREW-St. Louis at the time. I recall Michelle Yates, another Past President, asking me what I wanted my next role to be. I said, “I would do anything CREW-St. Louis needed of me – just absolutely
not Sponsorship Committee.” Next thing I know, the Nominations Committee had nominated me as Co-Chair of the Sponsorship Committee. From there I served as Secretary, Delegate, and last year as the President Elect.
As you can see, through the years, the women of CREW-St. Louis saw something in me and empowered me to take on these new positions. Positions of which I had no experience or knowledge, but with the help and support of all the people in CREW-St. Louis, I was able to fulfill. Therefore, it is incumbent upon me to acknowledge that I stand here only because of all of you – and you empowering me to achieve one of my
Dreams. For those reasons and many more, I am honored and humbled to serve as your 2023 President.
Stacey’s presidential word –
Empowerment– is too important to have but for a few months. So, I decided to combine it with mine –
Dreams. Because, as CREW-St. Louis has empowered me to achieve one of my
Dreams, all the Members of CREW-St. Louis are here for you to do the same. I am here for you. We are here for each other. Encouraging each other professionally and personally and
Empowering each other to achieve our Dreams.
The bar for acting as your 2023 President is high, and I am grateful to have Stacey and many of our Past-Presidents as active Members and resources as we continue to grow and enhance the foundation formed by our first 40 years.
I look forward to 2023 and serving as your President.
We started the year off with a BANG! The Annual Speed Networking Event on January 10th was widely attended. We learned so much about each other and left with new connections and friends. Let’s continue that momentum by attending our other upcoming events, including the March 30 –
CREW-St. Louis Circles Launch Party. (More exciting information to come!)
You can visit our CREW-St. Louis website and read our Friday emails to learn more about these and all our events and to register.
Angie Drumm, CREW-St. Louis President