AICI OH/PA Update September 2009

For those of you just starting your business, they say that make up sales have gone up since the recession because when people are down, they still want to look good. This means that if you are in the business for helping people to look good, feel good, or become more successful because of one of these, this is a great time to get in the business.


The new board has been working hard on getting things ready for this new chapter year. We are currently working on a schedule for the entire chapter year so that all of you can make preparations ahead of time. We are looking at scheduling one meeting in PA in November, one meeting in OH in April, and at least two teleclasses. We are in the process of trying to book speakers and offer CEU’s at both the PA and OH meeting. The speakers will receive a portion of the event fee so if anyone is interested in doing a workshop or knows of anyone, please forward the information to our VP Education, Jennifer Betts at jmbohio@aol.com.


The board is committed to bringing our two states together in order to combine our strengths and talents which will only enhance the value in our membership and networking capabilities for our businesses and clients. We respect your time and commitment so therefore these education day meetings in PA and OH will only be half days. This will allow for those that may need to travel to avoid any overnight expenses and will be located near an airport. We look forward to meeting new members, interested parties, getting to know you better, and being more collaborative in our efforts!

Board of Directors 2009-2010 AICI OH/PA Chapter Year

Congratulations to the new Board of Directors for the 2009-2010 AICI OH/PA Chapter year.

President

Erica Torres-Dudziak

President Elect & VP Education

Jennifer Betts

Treasurer

Brian Lipstein, AICI FLC

VP Marketing/Communications & Secretary

Mary Kot

VP Membership

Beth Strange, AICI FLC

Teleclass "Networking for Business" 6.29.09

When: Monday, June 29th 2009

Time: 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. ET

Topic: Networking for Business

Speaker: Brian Lipstein, AICI FLC

AICI Ohio/Pennsylvania's last quarterly membership meeting for this chapter year will be a teleclass on how you can increase your business opportunities with networking!

Where are the best places you should be going to network for your business?

Are you meeting the right kinds of people at events but then never hear from them or follow up?

What are the 5 essential pieces of information you need to obtain from a person for a successful business networking interaction?

Join us on Monday, June 29th from 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. and hear from one of the very few certified image consultants, Brian Lipstein, AICI FLC, provide us with what has helped make him a success through "Networking for Business"!

Conference call details will be sent out before the event. Please contact Erica@positiveperceptions.info for any questions.

AICI OH/PA Chapter Meeting Minutes 5.02.09

Meeting Location: Youngstown, OH
Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Speaker: Danielle Turcola
Topic: Dining Etiquette and Business Entertaining

Attendees:
Board of Directors: Chapter President- Erica Torres-Dudziak, VP Education & President Elect- Michelle Pratt, VP Membership - Tonya Woods
Francoise Litch, Jennifer Betts, Kurk Shelton, Danielle Turcola
Welcome & Introductions- all introduced themselves and why they were interested in this topic

Featured Speaker- Danielle provided each participant with a workshop guide. Workshop covered: Business Entertaining, The Gift of Diplomacy, The Art of Hospitality, Wine Connoisseur, Your Manners Are Showing, Place Setting Savvy, Stimulating Conversation, Tipping, Credibility Robbers, Food Challenges, and Mealtime Taboos.

Danielle's workshop included information, demonstrations, and concluded with Q&A on this topic and other tips on business-related topics (e.g. where to find pictures for purchase, public speaking, and body language).

This course was conducted over lunch at a Youngstown restaurant.

"DINE IN STYLE"

When: March 20th, 2009 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Where: Brant's Bistro - 375 E 4th St - Mansfield,OH 44902
Speaker: Danielle Turcola
Topic: Dining Etiquette
Register at: aici-diningetiquette@eventbrite.com

Join us on Friday evening to learn from a well-known and respected consultant and coach who specializes in business presence. Discover how you can increase your business opportunity & sales in a dining situation.

As the founder of Professionalism International, Danielle Turcola provides Fortune 500 companies and major associations a variety of customized programs to increase their revenue by making their business memorable and influential.

Dining etiquette is a must for those of us involved with any aspect of image and presence. It's the one skill set that separates the classes. Because we work in the image field, we are highly scrutinized on appearance, behavior, conduct and communication. Even if you don't teach dining etiquette, clients know the rules and expect you to also!

Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn from one of the best in the industry!

This meeting will be educational and fun with the opportunity to learn about and network with your colleagues across the state. Dress Preferred: Casual Elegant

4 COURSE MEAL INCLUDED IN WORKSHOP FEE

First 15 to register will qualify to win a gas card gift card in a drawing that evening.

Color Training-Cleveland, OH- Summer 2009

Many of you have been waiting for some local color training... well, here it is! Pat Henshaw MFIC is co-author of Colour me confident, Image matters for men published in January 2006, Colour me younger published May 2008 and Be a beautiful bride to be published in 2009. Pat is the founder and CEO of Niegma Consulting Ltd. and her company is contracted on a regular basis by CMB Europe to write, develop and run training courses for them. Training with Pat on color and style will be held in Cleveland, Ohio in June 2009.

Full Color Analysis - June 15 - 18
$2000 (includes full set of drapes and your own color wallet)

Abbreviated Color Analysis (for consultants trained under different programs) – June 19-20
$1000 (drapes not included)

Women's Style - June 22-24
$1500

Men's Style - June 25-26
$1000

Location: Crowne Plaza Cleveland Airport with a special rate of $99.00 per room per night

Class size will be limited, so please contact Candace Bradfield at aumentestyle@gmail.com
ASAP to reserve your spot. She will get back with you to let you know when deposits ($500) will be required.

New Committee Positions for 2008-2009 Term

Our VP of Education/President Elect is looking for individuals who would be interested in being on the Education Retreat Committee. This committee will assist with planning our 2009 Education Retreat which will be held in PA.

If interested, please contact Michelle Pratt at michelle.pratt@chellebelle.com .

Our VP of Membership is looking for individuals who would be interested in being a part of our Membership Committee. This committee will be working on putting together and implementing a strategic recruitment plan for our chapter as we plan for the next couple years.

If interested, please contact Tonya Woods at firstimpression-id@hotmail.com .

AICI OH/PA Chapter Membership Meeting Minutes 12.06.08

Akron, OH

9: 00 a.m. – 9: 30 a.m. Breakfast & Networking
The meeting began promptly at 9:00 a.m. Erica Torres-Dudziak welcomed everyone to the meeting and started the icebreaker and introductions. Those present at the meeting included:
Candace Bradfield
Michelle Pratt
Erica Torres-Dudziak
Amanda Levy
Tonya Woods
Jennifer Betts
Francoise Litch
Brenda Johnson
Latasha Morgan

At the beginning of the meeting attendees led a discussion on networking and ideas to increase business. Some ideas included participating in social media outlets, women’s events such as trade shows and bridal fairs, weight loss programs and senior citizen living center programs.

Other ideas included possibly hosting an “Image Consulting Convention” that includes different specialties of image consulting and have outside vendors in the beauty industry pay to be part of the event.

Attendees also talked about business referrals. Some helpful sources included the AICI Web site, data service and working with vendors in the beauty industry. To help with challenges of gaining new clients attendees shared their innovative ideas on how to increase their business.

9:30 a.m. – 10: 30 a.m. Association/Chapter Updates

VISION
Erica started off the chapter and association updates by providing the following information to attendees:

a. Changes: The OH/PA chapter has undergone several changes in the past couple of months. The rest of 2008 and all of 2009 will be about planning and setting “long term” goals to sustain the chapter and its projected growth.

b. Expansion: We have expanded by having meetings in the PA area for members who could previously not participate--Historically our OH meetings have been in Columbus. We are going to try new locations/topics/events this year to see what works. The chapter is also pleased to announce that membership has been expanding since 2007. The following expansion goals were given:

The chapter’s current membership: 34
Chapter Board Goal for this year: 50
Average # of participant per meetings: 5-10 (between OH & PA meetings)
Number of attendees per meeting goal: increase to 40% of membership

d. Chapter meeting schedule: Our next meeting is planned for Friday March 20th, 2009 and we are planning to have a social event at a restaurant in the evening and get some dining etiquette training from one of Ohio’s most sought after Business Image Consultant’s, Danielle Turcola!

e. Increase membership involvement and expertise: We want to have more CEU education topics and bring awareness about certification opportunities—if anyone is interested in a phone study group please let Erica know. For a local study group for FLC exam email Erica@positiveperceptions.info and we can gauge interest and see how we can set something up.

f. Increase membership: The chapter will offer a Member of the Year Award to help increase chapter involvement.

g. Increase media presence: In order to continue to grow the chapter we will look to add a VP of Marketing for 2009 to focus on creating a voice for the chapter through press releases, publicity through AICI publication and connecting with philanthropic opportunities. If you are interested in this opportunity for next year please contact Erica.

h. Increase board 2009-2010: As mentioned we would like to add a VP marketing and have committee sign ups with voting. Erica will be bringing “Role Descriptions” to the next meeting in March to start gauging interest.

CHAPTER BOARD
Erica introduced the current board members:
President- Erica Torres-Dudziak
Treasurer- Brian Lipstein
Secretary- Amanda Levy
VP Education/President Elect- Michelle Pratt
VP Membership- Tonya Woods

Michelle led a discussion on her role as VP of Education. Michelle will plan the 2009 Education retreat as well as create innovative programming to increase chapter involvement. She also talked about and how members can get CEU’s as well as participate in an upcoming Education retreat and Education committee:

a. Michelle outlined the benefits of attending AICI’s annual conference and that it is the best venue to earn CEUs.
b. Michelle also reminded attendees that our local chapter can host CEU events and topics can be certified ahead of time by AICI. Topics can vary and can include working with outside organizations/individuals to increase attendance at events.
c. Having certification by taking the FLC or earning your CIM or CIP is a great way to establish credibility for yourself and your chapter. Visit AICI’s Web site at www.aici.org to learn more.
d. Michelle is currently planning the 2009 Education Retreat and is looking for volunteers to be on the Education Committee.

Tonya Woods, the chapter’s current VP of Membership talked about her role. She will welcome new members and reinforce benefits of attending meetings and being part of AICI. Her recruitment strategies to help increase involvement in 2009 include:

a. The chapter’s goal is to increase membership to 50 members and to keep moving forward as a chapter.
b. Tonya’s goal is to find interactive ways to make recruitment fun. Meeting attendance has been a challenge and she is currently looking for ideas to help increase involvement.
c. Tonya challenged members to try to recruit at least one person to the chapter to help reach 2009 goal.
d. The chapter has completed a membership feedback survey to help determine recruitment needs/opportunities.
e. Please contact Tonya directly if you are interested in being on the Membership Committee to help with the 2009 Recruitment Strategy.

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. “Branding”- Michelle Pratt
The meeting’s guest speaker was Michelle Pratt, MBA, founder and principal of Chelle Belle, The Image Advocate, an image consulting and special event planning company. Michelle is also the current VP of Education and President Elect.

Her presentation titled “Branding” offered the following learning objectives:
Understanding branding; Assessing your business mission; Analyze your market; Understand benefit vs. feature; Define your Unique Selling Proposition (USP); Determine your brand message; Create a tagline and Develop brand identity.

Throughout her presentation Michelle asked attendees to participate in writing exercises that helped give attendees an objective and tactical view of their own current business practices. After the presentation attendees understood how to create effective message to help strengthen both their personal brand and their company’s branding.

11:30 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. Color Training Opportunity
The chapter has received several requests to offer color training locally. Candace Bradfield presented a color training opportunity through Colour me Beautiful which will be taught by Pat Henshaw co-author of “Color Me Confident”. This color analysis system is different from the “four seasons” color technique and offers clients wallets with their selected colors.

The color training opportunity is still in the planning stages but will be a three-day course held tentatively in Cleveland in June 2009. The specific location of the meeting is still being determined. Please continue to check the chapter Web site and blog for updates.

11:50 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Wrap Up/ Surveys
Membership feedback surveys were given out to all attendees and were filled out before the end of the meeting. Erica provided closing comments and thanked everyone for attending. The next OH/PA chapter meeting will be held on Friday, March 20 in the evening. The location is to be determined.

The meeting concluded at 12:00 p.m.

AICI Ohio December Member Meeting

When: Saturday, December 6th, 2008

Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12: 00 p.m.

Location

Yocono's Italian Foods

1666 W. Exchange St.

Akron, OH 44313

Education Topic: "Branding"

Cost

Members $21.00 (Breakfast Included)

Non Members $35.00 (Breakfast Included)

RSVP

By December 4th, 2006

Join us for networking, fellowship, and information on how you can grow your business!

Our education topic speaker, Michelle Pratt, MBA, is founder and principal of Chelle Belle, The Image Advocate, an image consulting and special event planning company.

Register at http://aicidecembermembermtg-emailinvite.eventbrite.com

Recent Chapter Transition & December Member Meeting

Greetings,

Our OH/PA AICI Chapter is very excited to bring new workshops and opportunities to you!

Due to a recent change in our board of directors I am excited to present our chapter’s 2008-2009 Board of Directors to you:

President: Erica Torres-Dudziak

President Elect/VP Education: Michelle Pratt

Treasurer: Brian Lipstein

Secretary: Amanda Levy

VP Membership: Tonya Woods

This is going to be an exciting year for our chapter. Our chapter has grown in size by almost 100% in the past year and we are striving to continue to see new faces and hear new voices.

With new people comes new ideas, and creativity is definitely a characteristic of our chapter. This chapter year we are going to try different city locations so that more of you can have a chance to participate in an educational session.

If you would like to learn more about image consulting, network with other consultants and affiliates, promote your products or training programs, than you will definitely benefit from our next chapter meeting being held on Saturday, December 6th 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 12: 00 p.m.

This meeting will consist of networking, AICI national and local updates, an educational component, and the last 20-30 minutes will be reserved to learn about local training providers or products that could benefit your business.

The meeting location and details will be sent out via Event Brite within the next few days. If you would be interested in talking about your training/product please email me so that I can add you to the agenda.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Erica Torres-Dudziak
President
AICI OH/PA Chapter

AICI OH/PA 10.12.08 Meeting Minutes

AICI OH/PA Chapter Meeting
Meeting Minutes

October 12, 2008
Attended: Kristen Kaleal- Chapter President, Erica Torres-Dudziak- Chapter Vice President, Tonya Woods- Chapter VP of Membership, Michelle Pratt- Chapter VP of Education, Danielle Turcola, Jocelyne Elyse, Jennifer Betts, Dawn Zima, Theresa Olson


Survey Results
We went over the Survey Monkey results on increasing meeting/chapter participation (results on spreadsheet distributed)

Adding CEU’s
 Michelle Pratt will look into how to get programs certified for CEU
offerings

Distance
 Have the 2 larger groups (OH/PA) meet quarterly
 Have nearby cities have more informal meetings throughout the year
 Ohio’s central meeting location will be in Mansfield- locations for
secretary to research are: Comfort Inn, Ashland University, Libraries,
nearby Amish restaurant (Camp Mohican for longer OH events)

Day/Time
 Alternate quarterly meetings from Friday evenings to Saturday mornings
 2 meetings on Friday (6pm- 9pm) evenings and 2 meetings on Saturday mornings (9am-12pm)
 Shorter meetings with snacks included (i.e. Friday meeting 3 hrs with a snack during meeting)
 Erica Torres-Dudziak will send out a revised tentative meeting schedule for 2008-2009 AICI OH/PA Chapter year.

Topics
Suggested meeting topics:
a) Product Development
b) Business Development (insurance, umbrella policies, LLC vs. Partnership, etc.)
c) Best Business Practices
d) Dining Etiquette (Danielle volunteered to give workshop at no cost to the chapter)
e) Personal Branding, Internet marketing, Dressing Men

Mentorship Program
 It was suggested to have a mentorship program for OH/PA Members ONLY
 Members should email Erica Torres-Dudziak their availability and expertise they could share as a mentor to other OH/PA members
 The idea would be we would learn and grow from each other

FaceBook
 Important media tool
 You can link YOUTUBE on it
 Twitter is another great networking in conjunction with Facebook (microblogging service)

Education Day
 We are looking to have an education day on a Saturday in October 2009 potentially in Pittsburgh
 All day program offering CEU’s
 Potentially 1 key CEU speaker and a couple non CEU presentations from our members (topics may be on: Basic Color Theory/Principles, body/style, dressing men?)
 Education Committee will have a teleconference call scheduled for November to sstart the planning process

Action Steps
 Michelle will get details on how to get programs CEU certified
 Erica will send out a tentative 08-09 chapter meeting schedule with new location
 City leaders will take initiative to set up mini meetings (if desired) in their area with local members
 Members will email Erica their expertise and availability for Mentorship Program
 Erica will coordinate with Michelle to set up Education Committee teleconference for November

Saks Fifth Avenue Tour
Kristen Kaleal set up a tour of the Saks Fifth Avenue Club Tour with Dixie Lee Davis. We learned about the protocol of geographical inventory, tips on dressing the cost conscious man, and we were able to see how our clients could benefit from working together with an image consultant and a Saks Personal Shopper.

For information on AICI's OH/PA Chapter please contact Erica Torres-Dudziak at Erica@positiveperceptions.info

Congrats!

Congratulations to our members who completed
New Member/Image Review Training!

Jennifer Betts

Kathy Callan

Amanda Levy

Brian Lipstein

Theresa Olson

Jocelyne Walker

How to blog with Blogger

1. Create a Gmail account


2. Go to www.blogger.com and log in with your gmail account.


3. Click on the blog you want to contribute to. It will most likely be the Chapter
Archive.


4. Click “new post” and type away or paste text. Sometimes you will have to alter the
layout of the text, but it shouldn’t be too difficult.

The blog defaults to the correct font and size.

You can add photos, links, etc with the toolbar.


5. Include labels. Click “show all” and pick the labels that apply to your post. Or create a new label if you need to.


6. When you’re finished, click “publish post.”


7. You will have the option to view the blog in a new window or edit your post.

Definitely check on your post and see if it needs edits. If you edit, just publish and check again until it looks right.

Board Meeting - September 8, 2008

1. Ethics

2. Goals

- Increase Membership

- Increase Revenue

- Support Tools

3. Chapter Records

4. Member of the Year

5. Positions & Responsibilities

- President / Kristen Kaleal

- Vice-President / Erica Torres-Dudziak

- Treasurer / Brian Lipstein

- Secretary / Amanda Levy

- VP Membership / Tonya Woods

- VP Education / Michelle Pratt

6. Education Weekend

7. Planning Ahead

8. Chapter Survey

9. Notes

Board Meeting - 7/29/08

Brief History of Chapter

GOALS

Grow & sustain membership

Increase profitability from meetings and

Education Weekend (August 2009)

DUTIES

All

Participate in AICI counterpart calls 2-3 times a year

Attend quarterly board teleconference

Learn to utilize the chapter blog (need a Gmail account)

President – Kristen Kaleal

Main contact

Marketing & Communications officer

Vice-President – Erica Torres-Dudziak

Education Weekend point person

Plan & promote quarterly board meetings (week before or week after meetings)

Manage Member of the Year program

Treasurer – Brian Lipstein

Fiduciary contact

Budget

Secretary – Amanda Levy

Books venue for Ohio meetings

Records chapter meeting and board meeting minutes

VP Education – Michelle Pratt

Coordinate speakers and programs for events

Lead Education Committee (Jennifer Betts and Kathy Callan)

VP Membership – Tonya Woods

Create and manage prospect database

Send welcome note to new members

Member/prospect surveys

Check our chapter email and respond to requests

2008 Member of the Year

Congratulations to our 2008 Member of the Year, chapter president Kristen Kaleal!

Cool Careers You've Never Heard Of - Image Consulting

From MSN Careers

Image consultant
Image consultants advise people with discretionary income how to make positive impressions -- through appearance, wardrobe, etiquette and communication skills -- in order to get ahead in their careers and social lives, and boost their self-confidence. You don't need a college degree, but organizations such as the Training Institute School for Image Consultants (http://www.newyorkimageconsultant.com/) in New York City offer course work in color analysis, wardrobe and style analysis, and personal shopping.

Want to make this your dream job? Join the Association of Image Consultants International (http://www.aici.org/) and see if you can work as an apprentice to someone who has already established herself in the field.

New Member Training Course

If you are planning to participate in the new member training course, here is some info you will need.

- Training will be via conference call and will be two 45-minute sessions per month for three months. (Cell minutes or normal long distance rates will apply.)

- Teleclass sessions will be on Tuesday evenings, 8-8:45pm (that is the only evening I have available on a regular basis).

- You will need to order the text we will be working with:

Looking Good: A Comprehensive Guide to Wardrobe Planning, Color & Personal Style Development by Nancy Nix-Rice. It is a standard text in the industry and touches on almost every aspect of style and image. Amazon.com has them new and used.

- Any AICI OH/PA member is welcome to participate in any of the sessions. If you are not yet an AICI member, we ask that you join the organization before April 15^th if you would like to be a part of this course.

- If you have been an AICI member for under a year and participate in at least 5 of the classes and complete all of the assignments, you will receive a certificate of completion.

- Having this course under your belt will be a great foundation for your business and will get you off to a strong start. In addition, if you wish to sharpen your skills and build on your knowledge base, this is a great (and free!) resource we're providing for our members

SYLLABUS

Session 1 May 6 Intro to Image Consulting

Session 2 May 20 The Basics of Color

Session 3 June 3 Personal Style Evaluation/Fashion Personality
Session 4 June 17 Working with Clients – Wardrobe Evaluation
Session 5 July 8 Working with Clients - Shopping

Session 6 July 22 Marketing & Business Basics

About the Facilitator – Kristen Kaleal
I am a full-time image consultant and personal stylist. I present seminars to corporations, colleges and women's organizations on the topics of professional image and personal style. My personal clientele include television personalities, professional athletes, business people, and women looking to improve their self confidence.

I trained with a former Hollywood wardrobe consultant and at the London Image Institute under Lynne Marks, one of the seven Certified Image Masters in the world.

I teach fashion consulting at Virginia Marti College of Art & Design and am an online and print columnist. I am regularly featured as an expert in the local media. My newsletter goes to over 16,000 people on 6 continents.

Future Leaders Conference Call - March 11

AGENDA

Advantages to serving on the Board

What to expect in the next Chapter year

Meeting Attendance

Surveys

Monthly Conference Calls for Chapter Board

Support – International Board, Intl. conference calls

Broadcast emails and posting archives to the blog

Education Weekend - Summer 2009

Position Descriptions
Below are the best descriptions we have of each position. Please understand that since we are a small chapter, we sometimes need to be “jacks of all trades.” Some of the duties listed are simply what has worked for us in the past.

President

Acts as chief communication officer

Establishes meeting agenda, leads meetings

Promotes certification process to members

Coordinates marketing efforts aimed at media and prospective members

First contact point for prospective members – passes to VP Membership to start recruiting process

Oversees Chapter blog and archives

Vice-President

Supports president in Chapter initiatives

Chief Researcher

Oversees Board positions

Co-leader of meetings

Ensures compliance with Corporate (Chapter Accord, Bylaws, etc)

Secretary

https://www.aici.org/membersonly/kit_sec_duties.asp

Keep accurate the history and records of the association.

Send out minutes within one week of meeting.

Schedules meeting room locations, food service, room set up

Record all minutes from:

Annual Membership Meetings

All Board of Director’s Meetings

International Board Conference Call meetings

Strategic Planning Meetings (SPM)

Treasurer

https://www.aici.org/membersonly/kit_treasurer_duties.asp

Act as chapter financial manager and advisor; ensuring that proper accounting procedures are established and accurate financial records are maintained.

Act as liaison to AICI Headquarters and the International Treasurer for chapter financial business.

VP Membership

https://www.aici.org/membersonly/kit_vp_membership_duties.asp

Leads recruiting activities

Create and maintain Membership Database (ongoing duty)

Welcome new members on behalf of Chapter Board

Receive updated membership lists from President who receives them from International Board

Follows up with prospective members

VP Education

https://www.aici.org/membersonly/kit_vp_education_duties.asp

Plans programs with Board approval

Determines budget with goal to be at least self-sustaining

Books speakers

Has CEU credits approved

Leads Education Committee in planning of Education Weekend (Summer 2009)

Communicates with International VP Education to brainstorm ideas and ensure compliance for CEU’s

Sends thank you letters to presenters

Education Committee

3 Chapter members plus Board members who wish to participate

Supports VP Education in planning Educational programs, Education Weekend (Summer 2009)

Participates in quarterly conference calls to plan Education Weekend (calls will become monthly an then weekly, leading up to the event)

Researches speakers, CEU-approved programs

Meeting Minutes - March 2, 2008

Attended: Kristen Kaleal (President), Erica Torres-Dudziak (Vice-President), Arnita Nina Kindle, AICI, Kristie Burnett, Shawn Ozoglu, Jocelyne Walker, Clarissa Stevens

Introductions
The meeting started with introductions of the AICI members and non member visitors. Kristen gave an overview on the history of our chapter and we welcomed Nina Kindle as our newest member (previously a member of the Chicago chapter). Some of the visitors are looking to get into the image industry where as others have been in the industry for several years.

Lunch and Networking
During lunch a large portion of our conversation was on the topic of Color. As color always remains a popular subject Kristen suggested how it would be great to have someone come in and do a workshop on the foundational basics of color theory. We all agreed that having an idea of your personal colors is what disciplines you when you are shopping for yourself and your clients.

Great Tips & Sharing
Clarissa Stevens, previous AICI chapter member, shared the idea of her CBS check; starting with identifying a client’s Color, Body Analysis, and Style. She also mentioned she had been suggested to use a cigarette case to hold your business cards: large enough to carry your cards and other people that you meet with a design to camouflage any scratches.

Conference Call
We will be having a conference call on March 11^th at 8:00 p.m. to discuss our chapter’s upcoming leadership openings and involvement. You have to be a member to participate on the board. We will be nominating for the following positions: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, VP’s of Education, Marketing and Membership, as well as adding an education committee which the VP of Education will lead.

Reasons to get involved in the Chapter Board include looking more established in the industry (even if you're green), increased access to those making things happen in our chapter, increased visibility to the International Board and among high-ranking experts in the image field, and an opportunity to shape the future of the chapter through our decisions and activity.

Member of the Year Award
Last year we started the member of the year award with our chapter. To qualify you must be a member of our chapter and criteria was based on participation and recruitment effort. We will be voting in early April and the winner will be announced at conference this year in Tampa, in our next chapter newsletter, and win a $50 gift card and plaque.

Education and Training
We discussed the idea of having a mentorship program for new members to gain insight into the field and be better prepared as an entrepreneur. The idea would be for them to be paired with an experienced member and have unlimited email contacts and one to two phone conversations per month. This could be accomplished with a drawing to create random pairings. More to come on this. Job shadowing was also suggested by a visitor.

Erica will follow up with the international board to see if it is official that members can put AICI after their name and those who have passed the FLC can put FLC after their name.

We are looking at having the next summer retreat in Pittsburgh in 2009.

The page of links for AICI-approved training programs can be found here:

http://www.aici.org/resources/index.htm

Be sure to seek out the best training that fits your needs. Connect with the trainers and ask questions!

Books were brought in and shared as great ways to get more information on the field and get started with your business:

a. “What’s my Style” by Alyce Parsons
b. “Dress for Success” by John Malloy
c. “Color me Beautiful” by Carole Jackson
d. “Looking Good” by Nancy Nix-Rice
e. “Guerilla Marketing” by Jay Conrad Levinson
f. “Guerilla Publicity” by Jay Conrad Levinson
g. “How not to look old” by Charla Krupp

Ideas to get you noticed by the public

• Letters to the Style Editor-introduce yourself
• Woman Networking Organizations
• Meetup.com-networking
• Fashion week

Workshop

Nina Kindle AICI, OH/PA chapter member, did a workshop for us on Image and Diversity. The group participated in a conversation about what diversity is and how important this topic is in relation to what is going on with our country and its current presidential elections. We discussed how diversity can play an impact on internal communication with coworkers as well as external communications with customers. Nina discussed the Primary Dimensions of Diversity (Age, Race, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Physical/Mental Ability, Ethnicity/Nationality, Religion, and Class) as well as the Secondary Dimensions (Education, Income, Family Status, Organizational role, Geographic location). She stated that as humans, it is the Secondary dimensions we want to be known for.

All of us enjoyed and appreciated the “Paradox of Diversity” statement she shared with us:

-We are each unique and like no one else
-We are each like some other people and unlike other people
-We are each like all other people

The workshop ended with a discussion on how to manage diversity in our lives.

- Submitted by Erica Torres-Dudziak