The Program Committee
The Program Committee supports the goals and objectives of the Wichita ASWA
Chapter by planning and coordinating the educational portion of our chapter meetings.
The committee strives to offer diverse subject matter, effective meeting formats and relevant
educational opportunities to promote the personal, professional and economic advancement of
our chapter members. In addition, individual committee members have the opportunity
to refine their own leadership, networking, negotiating and organizational skills.
Program committee members are involved in planning the program year calendar,
sourcing high-quality speakers, arranging excellent catering and facilities, and administrating continuing
education (CPE) credits. The 2007-08 Program year meetings include topics on Volunteerism,
Gender Differences in the Work Place, Tax and Accounting updates, Putting your
Talents to Work, Doing Business Internationally, and a feature Women in Business Success Story.
Programs being considered for next program year include a Resume Workshop, Business Ethics,
and a half-day workshop on Managing/Leading different Generations of Workers.
Contact Information:
Janel Razook
Director (Program Committee Chair)
janel.razook@kbslp.com
The Membership Committee
The membership committee’s primary goal is focused on recruitment of new members.
The committee is responsible for locating prospective members, welcoming them to the organization
, encouraging them to become members, and assisting them in the application process.
The committee accomplishes new member recruitment through the use of our local Wichita
Chapter membership drives and through active participation in the National ASWA recruiting
counts membership drives.
Committee Goals:
- To locate prospective members by promoting ASWA in the community and through acquaintances
- To welcome new members to the organization and walk them through the benefits of being a member
- To increase members retention rate by contacting them on a timely basis prior to renewal
- To manage potential new member inquiries and encourage them to join the organization
- To manage the meeting sign in process in the most efficient way
- To coordinate and manage local chapter efforts regarding the local chapter membership drive and the national membership drive
- To coordinate and manage putting the yearbook together and distribute it to the current members
Contact Information:
Sarah Walbridge
Director (Membership Committee Chair)
Sarah.walbridge@kochind.com
The Website/Newsletter Committee
We seek to improve both the content and quality of the current ASWA Wichita Chapter website.
We will do this by using the current resources allocated to the committee to
enlist a website designer, seek the knowledge and feedback from members on what they
would like to see on the site, and seek support from other local ASWA chapters.
We will add a secure section to the website which allows for leadership to communicate
on confidential board matters and membership information. We also hope to
add a section strictly for the use of the outreach committee. This section will
help to draw attention to the Wichita ASWA Chapter. We hope to increase usage
of the site and provide valuable information to the general membership as well as
potential ASWA members.
The site will include information regarding the membership application process, CPE forms,
corporate sponsorship, scholarship information and surveys. We will post information
regarding current events and committee openings. The site will also seek to
answer questions regarding the ASWA that any potential member would like to know.
The newsletter team is working to improve the content and relevancy of the newsletter and
to make it aesthetically pleasing. We will do this by requesting special interest articles
from the general membership and making sure all information is received in a timely
manner. The newsletter team is also hoping to distribute a version of the monthly newsletter to
targeted organizations to improve ASWA public relations and recruit new members.
Contact Information:
Angie Widener
Director (Newsletter/Website Committee Chair)
awidener@cornejocorp.com
The Public Relations Committee
Committee Goals:
- Renew current sponsorships and recruit additional corporate sponsors
- Recruit accounting students in the Wichita region to expand student membership base and increase scholarship awards
Communication & Launch Strategies:
- Encourage current sponsors to increase their sponsorship to provide additional opportunities for scholarship awards
- Encourage KII to increase sponsorship and fund PR efforts Recruit Spirit AeroSystems as sponsor
Student memberships:
- Each business will have the opportunity of “sponsoring” students membership fees or at monthly membership meetings
- Seek Board approval for discounted student lunch rates – either KII increased sponsorship will cover or business can host students
- With the scholarship committee, continue to build relationship with regional accounting university representatives
- Host events to increase awareness of ASWA, scholarship opportunities and recruit potential members
Contact Information:
Kate Grant
Director (Public Relations Committee Chair)
kate@kscpa.com
The Scholarship Committee
Participation on the Scholarship Committee is a great opportunity for members
to contribute to the mission of our local chapter, as well as that of the national
chapter, by contributing to the future development of the accounting profession.
The Scholarship Committee provides the opportunity for our chapter to reach
out to deserving students to provide financial assistance toward the payment for their
education.
Scholarship Committee members are involved in the development of the committee’s
strategic plan, building relationships with Kansas universities, evaluation of
scholarship candidate applications, selection of qualified scholarship recipients,
submission of candidates for consideration for national scholarships, and communication with
finalists and their universities.
Over the course of the past several years, the Wichita chapter has been
honored to have several local chapter candidates selected to receive national scholarships,
in addition to our local scholarship.
Committee Goals:
- Increase awareness of ASWA with college students and the academic community
- Increase number of scholarship applicants
- Increase number and amount of scholarships awarded
Contact Information:
Jen Church
Vice President (and Scholarship Committee Chair)
Jennifer.Church@ICMINC.com
The Outreach Committee
The overall vision for this committee is to support the Chapter’s goal of
member retention and involvement and to provide feedback from members who do not
attend and remind them of the benefits they receive from ASWA - the
leadership skills, education, CPE, networking, etc. This feedback will be
used to implement any ideas to improve member meeting attendance and chapter involvement and member
retention. As part of the phone calls, committee members will also provide information
to the member about the next membership meeting. The Board’s goal is for
the committee to contact 2-3 ASWA members per month. The current goal is
to contact at least 6 members per month (approximately 2 members contacted by each committee member
per month).
Contact Information:
Sarah Walbridge
Director (Membership Committee Chair)
Sarah.walbridge@kochind.com