3 minute read
Alumni Council Update
BY DEANNA VAN KLAVEREN (32), CALF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT MANAGER
The strategic planning process for the foundation is complete and the Alumni Council (AC) is now working towards supporting the key performance indicators (KPI) for alumni engagement that resulted from the process.
KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT
• Understanding More About our Alumni
We are currently updating alumni contact information. This started with an audit (thank you to our class liaisons, regional directors and more than 450 alumni who shared information). This led to a website directory that allows our alumni to continue to update information as they move, change and grow. We are also excited about an opportunity to send out a commemorative 50th anniversary directory. The directory will list contact information for our more than 1,300 alumni, along with reflections from several classes. As we continue to connect with our alumni, we hope to learn more about each one and share about our community with others.
• Sustain and Grow Lifelong Learning
Opportunities
We have three alumni learning opportunities that support this KPI: the Leaders are
Readers Book Club, First Fridays and quarterly learning seminars. We are excited to have more than 50 alumni participating in the book club! These alumni will read one book each quarter and then have an opportunity to synthesize the book with each other. Find more information about the book club on page 5. The First Fridays monthly online sessions have reached more than 300 alumni this year. Monthly session topics have ranged from crisis communications to emotional intelligence to learning about change. The Alumni Learning Committee continues to look at topics that expand upon or touch back on areas that were learned during the program. Lastly, we will begin offering quarterly learning seminars with a two-day workshop focused on teachings from the Arbinger Institute. The first workshop will be facilitated by Karen Timmins, who was a First Fridays speaker in March. This event will be held Dec. 2-3, 2021 at the Western Growers office in Irvine. More information about these and other opportunities will be shared in In Touch and on the Ag Leadership website.
• Optimize Communication, Collaboration and Connection Between the Foundation,
Alumni Council and Alumni
The regional directors and class liaisons have been working hard to support this
KPI through email connections, social media, Zoom meetings, in-person regional gatherings and class reunions. We are grateful for the work our directors and liaisons have done to keep alumni connected. The AC will continue to support this good work and find more ways to communicate, collaborate and connect during their upcoming retreat in
November.
The final two KPIs – Facilitate Relationships Between Alumni and Related Organizations and Tell a Story that Sets Clear Expectations for Giving, Makes the Ask and Provides Tools for Alumni to Ask Others to Contribute – will be discussed more during the November AC retreat. We know that many alumni already support the foundation in doing both of these KPIs and we hope to gather stories and build relationships with the help of our alumni and supporters.
The AC is grateful for the guidance that came from the strategic planning process and we are looking forward to supporting it! More to come!
REGION 4 DIRECTOR CHANGE
Outgoing Director, Matt Toste (41) Thank you to Matt for his servant leadership in Region 4. We are grateful to him for his commitment to the foundation and our alumni.
New Director, Yvonne Sams (45) Yvonne Sams works as senior director of logistics for G3 Enterprises in Modesto. In addition to Ag Leadership, she is active as an alumni association director for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She also supports Alpha Omicron Pi Fraternity, Saint Stanislaus School and the United Way of Stanislaus County. Yvonne lives in Oakdale and is looking forward to connecting with alumni in Region 4 to create opportunities to gather and support Ag Leadership.
