A Message from Our President

“Sometimes a journey is not about the traveler. It is not about a destination. It is about the bringing together of worlds. It is about lighting a path.”

Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Painted Oxen, 2019

We are at the mid-point of A Hero’s Journey. Let’s take stock and get our bearings for what lies ahead.

Our journey began with new Guides on our board, learning to work together and map a way forward in the face of significant retention challenges. Yet we are now a chapter that boasts one of the highest percentages globally of women members at 30%.

We also added 19 new members and were one of 3 chapters recognized as the most engaged at the recent Nerve conference in Virginia Beach. Thanks to these efforts, we set the standard for creating spaces to belong and grow.

Thank you to all of you who share your feedback to me, Rhonda, and to the Board. Additionally, your actions, such as increasing attendance at our events and the number of healthy forums, are gratifying indicators that we’re going in the right direction.

And yet, this year is about your Journey. The Board and I can only create the conditions that you, and you alone, must experience in order to come out changed and stronger than before. The challenges are coming or already here. How will you commit to taking more value from EO in the months ahead? What will you take from EO for the Journey you, your company, and your loved ones are on? One suggestion: get a Board member to share their experience. They are a potent mix of Communication, Strategy, Doers, and Relationship Builders - chief among them our amazing Executive Director and her growing staff!

I mentioned at the start of our journey, we will not be the same at the end of this year as when we began. The transformation is already underway. Together as a chapter, from Mentorship to podcasts to Learning Events to Chapter Retreats and everything in between, we created the “micro collisions” among places, people, and ideas that allowed us to take from EO the value and growth we seek. We will continue these efforts. If you attended at least 2 of our events, you know what that felt like. If you have yet to do so, get ready - what’s coming will transform you and light the path on our Hero’s Journey.