South Dakota update: chapter expansion
As of July 1st my chapter will be expanding by 6 counties, taking over operations of a CSDU that spans all the way to the North Dakota border. What’s more, this is all occurring as I am being elected chairman of the board of directors. All I can say is bring it on! And am I prepared? Well, no… I’m not quite sure what to expect. No one is.
We are going into that office and dissolving the advisory board and almost starting over. Luckily we have been able to hold on to the office manager who will be our go-to person as we add someone in the office to do mostly public relations. I’m hoping this will all go pretty smoothly. I would be okay if we weren’t expanding, but they will expect me to brainstorm and fix things if we run into a snag during the process. I fear for them if they listen to me!
I also got my first taste of what chairman will feel like at our board meeting this week. Our chair was absent so I stepped in. I felt confident because I have received gold medals at competitions for Parliamentary Procedure (how to run a business meeting) when I was in high school, but oh my did I feel the pressure! I forgot a few things at first. I was the youngest at the meeting by at least 25 years, so I kind of felt apprehensive. Luckily my board is great and just rolled with me as I became comfortable with things.
We are still working on board recruitment for this year’s board. There is talk that the mayor may be accepting our invitation. That makes me very nervous. I know in my past posts I have said stick up to adults and show them you know how to do things, but when it comes to elected officials, I get a little scared and feel way too inferior. It would be great to have him on our board, but the first board meeting I will be shaking in my shoes! My roommate reminded me to that he is just a person. I need to remember that! I know that I know a lot more about how our organization runs than he does, but still! I will keep you updated more regularly as we go through the process of expansion.
Jessica Mueller (age 24)
Brookings County Chapter, South Dakota
