A little word association activity for you.  What comes to mind when you read...  "Membership?"

Anita Goldin, the ATD-OC Vice President of Membership, hopes that some of the words that pop into your mind are: "community," "relationships," "network," and "benefits," among others*.  We interviewed Anita to get some insight into this vital role within our Chapter, and to see how performing this role has impacted her on-the-job skills.

Tell us a little bit about what you do for ATD-OC.  What do you enjoy the most? What challenges you?

My focus this year has been to get an orientation program going and to support our community by driving involvement.  

Working with a board is an exciting venture.  Building relationships and working as a team to accomplish our goals is fun.  As a solo entrepreneur whose only office mate is her dog, I appreciate the opportunity to work with a team.

Balancing my workload with my ATD role can be challenging.  My business is very busy right now, so finding time to attend meetings and SIGs can be a struggle.  Happy to report, I haven’t missed an MLE yet.

What skills do you feel you brought to this position coming in? 

The strongest skill I bring to this role is probably my ability to make people feel comfortable and to build relationships.  When people are made to feel welcome, they relax and thrive.  Coming from the hotel industry, hospitality & service are in my blood – so this role is natural to me.

How does the work performed in this position mirror the work that needs to get done a training/OD department?  

I think being organized and setting priorities is key when working on a board or within a training department. 

There are many opportunities at ATD-OC. What about this position appealed to you?  

I love being part of a community and building relationships.  When I was involved with ICF, I made some fantastic friends and business connections.  At ATD-OC it is the same. I want to share that opportunity of building a strong network with others. 

From a professional standpoint, I also saw the position of membership as an opportunity to build my own network and drive my business.  And I am happy to report, this position has increased my visibility and impacted my business positively.

Tell us about the team you lead.  Who are they? What skills do they bring to the team?

One of the things I have enjoyed the most is working with my Membership volunteers.  We are a growing team of 6 members.

• Fabia Bianco – assists in calling new members, expiring and expired members.  Fabia is a delight to work with: great training background, but most importantly a warm and gracious personality.  When not working her 3 year old son keeps her very entertained!
  
• Ola Fadel  - assists with calls too, but her main focus is to develop and build out the Ambassador Program.  Ola brings to the group a great project management background.  Ola loves traveling and visiting new countries, food and cultures and learn new languages.
  
• Joyce Douglas - has jumped right in and has been assisting with new member calls the Ambassador Program. A wonderful addition to the team.
  
• Marie Medina - a valuable part of the team has volunteered to wear many hats.  She is currently involved in the Ambassador Program development, assists with member calls and is slated to help out with the volunteer recognition event. Marie enjoys discovering the unique qualities of each individual, and in helping people identify and build upon their strengths.
  
• Cortney Radusovsky – a new member who raised her hand high at New Member Orientation to get involved.  She is interested in recruiting student members on Campus.  We are excited to have her join our team.  
  
• Nikki Chin – Is the newest addition to the team.  We are looking forward to meeting her soon and learning more about her passions.
  

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you look forward to doing when you face the day? How do you unwind at day's end?

I was  born and raised in  Massachusetts. What most people don’t know about me is that my background is in animals.  I have a degree in Animal Science from University of Massachusetts and worked with animals the first seven years of my working adult life.  Then I shifted gears and got into hotels, and then eventually human resources.  I landed in California in 1996 when I transferred to Los Angeles with Hyatt Hotels as their HR Director. 

I started my own Coaching and Leadership company in 2006.   What I enjoy most in my work is truly the diversity.  No day is the same and I am the master of its design.  I love going to client sites and working directly with people.  I am a social animal, so I thrive on relationship development.  My business is a combination of training and development, leadership coaching and team-building (the fun stuff – outdoors mostly).

Now at the end of the day -- not sure when that starts -- my new 1-year old Australian Shepherd rescue gobbles up much of that time.  She’s the definition of a high energy puppy.  I love hanging out with my husband Carlos, drinking wine, eating good food and lots of chocolate.  Cycling, swimming, I enjoy the outdoors.   I’m also part of Style Laughter: an improv troupe that does performances to raise money for charities.  Last month we performed in Santa Ana at Original Mike's and raised $600 for Nepal Victims. 

What are you looking forward to doing next?  

In membership, we have several goals in our radar: 

• An ambassador program (welcoming new members and guests to the MLE’s).
  
• A focus group to hear from our members what they are looking to gain from ATD-OC.
  
• A Campus Recruiting effort to get students involved before they graduate and need a job.
  

Want to get to know Anita a little better?  You can find her at our next Learning Event, greeting and networking with our members.  If you can't wait until then to learn a little more about the work Anita's team is doing to enrich our community, visit our Membership Benefits page.

*How about "Power?"