President's Message & Press release

Well, I for one was fooled by the warm weather. I was all ready to praise global warming and what it has done for the Buffalo climate, when we quickly returned to our regular scheduled rain and wind. Since we’re all indoors, waiting for the sun to return, I thought I’d update you on your Chapter.

PMI Buffalo has continued its string of successful events. Since the beginning of the year, our dinners have been very well attended. January’s topic was Creative Leadership and we were thrilled to see our old friend Dr. Puccio again! 

He was also kind enough to present a full-day session on creative leadership skills, which attendees thoroughly enjoyed. In February, we learned from Drew Cerza about managing major social events like the National Buffalo Wing Festival and the Powderkeg Festival.

In March, Tres Roeder talked about intuition and project management. The following day, Tres presented Dynamic Leadership Skills for our Spring PDD. Tres is a nationally known consultant and speaker, and we’re glad he was able to make time for us again.

In February we also launched our Toolbelt Training. These are a series of classes meant to give project managers additional skills (“tools”) to help provide value to their employers. The classes are only a half-day long, so you can still put in a half-day of work, and they’re priced at $99 for members to keep them affordable. Morning classes always focus on basic topics and afternoon topics focus on advanced topics. Both sets of classes are eligible for PDUs. Check out the upcoming topics and see if you can add that skill that will set you apart. Both classes on the same day are separate events, so if you’re interested in both, you’ll have to register for both. Also note that we’re selling discounted packages, allowing you to buy a bundle of registrations that you can use any way you need.

In January, we started another iteration of our PMP Prep class, and we’re excited that so many people find value in this offering. We’ve added another new offering, an Agile Certification Review training program, to be offered in May. We’re the first in our area to offer training that is specifically designed to meet the PMI requirement for formal review training. It looks like this will be another winner for us.

Of course, we can’t forget our Breakfast Roundtables, focusing on such valuable topics as Metrics, the Triple Constraint, and Leadership Skills. Roundtables are a great chance to learn from your peers in a small setting. Remember, the coffee and danish is always on us!

So it’s been a busy 2012 so far (see what nice weather can do?), and the coming months will be just as exciting (I didn’t even talk about the Volunteer Recognition event, the upcoming dinners, or the Fall PDD). I’ve mentioned a couple things we have planned, but I encourage you to check out our website and newsletter for more information. In addition to events, you can also learn about volunteer opportunities, because we could always use more help to plan and execute these exciting programs.

Take care and talk to you soon. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, be sure to let me know.