Wow! Has it been more than I have imagined. I would like to give my sincere appreciation to SDA for granting me a PPC Scholarship as a first-time attendee to attend EDSymposium23, and SDA Seattle Chapter for their inclusion and continued support.

Contract Administration workshop was such a livening session for me. Clauses that I have learned from my contract manager to look out for such as indemnity and uninsurable languages were knowledge reinforced. When I saw “to the extent” in indemnity clause, lightbulb went off my head. This is a clause that my contract manager pays particular attention in client-provided agreements, as he explains, per comparative liability in accordance with ORS 30.140. Yes, it needs to be “to the extent they arise out of”, not “arising out of or resulting”. Indeed, didn’t I raise my hand high and asked questions. Shy Eunoh in the past would have struggled to ask questions. Applying Path2Success, I command myself to be vulnerable. Choose courage over comfort as so beautifully crafted bookmark Path2Success team had put together, because of vulnerability, I am writing this very essay right now.

As Jennifer Stutts from the Marketing Edition pointed out and reiterated by Vincent Lafitte during the roundtable discussion, ‘Pick one thing and do it well’ will resonate with me when I am pulling my hair, inundated by multiple requests all at once. Think about this. If you are the recipient of the services, you’d want them to give their undivided attention, and your clients will keep coming back to you for your best work.

From Emily Meyer’s Leading from the Second Chair and Leveraging Your Influence, with my keen eyes to catch incorrect total contract fees and the job numbers, I am asking project managers to take a look at their projects again, hence falling under the Integrator category. I hear from project managers, “Oh, what did I miss?” I point them to the direction of, “Your previous add-serve indicates this. I am not sure where this comes from. I believe it should be…” “Thanks for catching that. Please fix as you addressed.” Yep, the voice of reality, the voice that project managers may not want to hear but is necessary because I try my best to get correct contracts issued out of house.

Let me dwell on what is SDA’s purpose to have PPC scholarships. What would they like to see happen for recipients? What’s in it for them?

Simply saying how inspiring the testimonials of FSDAs of how they started their careers and worked their way up to where they are now would be another cliché. It’s time to return the favor.

Just do it.

I will start.

I will do a knowledge sharing with my firm which intimidates me; nevertheless, Michael Davis from WGI expressed that one should be nervous to do the right thing. As Anne McNeely’s poignant President’s Acceptance Speech left me with the question of what’s your horizon, I will “go as far as you can see, and then you will be able to see further” and the journey of my horizon has begun.

What a joyful week.  Full of learning, laughter and reconnecting.  I’ve been in SDA for 7 years and have attended 4 wonderful EDSymposiums.  I feel honored to have received the PPC Grant.  Thank you!!!!!

The last time we were supposed to get together, it was to be in San Diego (SD).  So, when I saw the first notice of where this EDS was going to be, I saw SD….oh yippee, San Diego.  But then I saw a notice of a bus tour of the badlands....badlands????  Badlands in San Diego....oh wait, South Dakota.  South Dakota?????  Ok, South Dakota.  But what a joy it turned out to be.  The people were delightful.  The location was amazing, the hills were beautiful, Mount Rushmore was unbelievable, and, bonus, $7 cocktails. 

It started when I got to my room, unpacked and took a shower….and then there was this noise.  Loud noise.  A storm blew in and man it was crazy.  It blew in and blew out, and the skies turned blue.

The bus tour was loads of fun.  We had Pastor Bill as our tour guide and driver.  Through the mountains and vanilla scented pine trees (no, I didn’t sniff the trees), but we were told they smelled like vanilla.  The tunnels through the mountains were fantastic, just the right size for our buses to pass through.  We learned that all the tunnels were designed so that you could see Mount Rushmore (and the boys), like a framed picture.  Pretty cool.

Wednesday’s “Unlocking the Leader Within” with Danielle Kennedy was an eye opening day.  It wasn’t just sitting and listening, it was interactive.  We learned about ourselves and each other.  I had a lot of “aha” moments.  We were asked to call 3 people and ask them for 3 words that describe us at our best and 3 words that describe us at our worst.  My first call was to my bestie…he took a moment to think about 3 words to describe me at my best.…so after a minute he says “ride or die!!!” Ha.  I loved that.  He finally figured out I meant 3 words, not necessarily a sentence.  But what a hoot. 

We also created a Wheel of Life ....8 spokes.…we listed all the aspects of our lives (family, home, work….that sort of thing).  The important things in our life.  And we rated them from 1-10 on how we felt we were doing in each category.  Another eye-opening moment.  Mine was a bit lopsided and certainly not round.  But I got to see how my life looks and where to spend more time to improve.  And seeing it in writing was especially meaningful.  Not just a thought in the back of my mind, but a visual. 

Simon Goodhead presented “Talent, Technology, Timing, What’s Coming Around the Corner”.  Very inspiring.  Scott Butcher presented “The Future of A/E/C Marketing.”  I’ve seen him before and really appreciate his style and what he shared.  I have to say that Brian Flynn’s “Financial Metrics for Improving Business Operations & Profitability” was a bit over my head.  He was engaging and funny, but beyond my little “non accounting” brain. 

There were lots to learn, lots to soak up, lots to process and I’m still sorting it out.  But I have to say that getting back together was the draw for me.  My friend Judy Beebe has had a devastating tough year, and I was sooo grateful she showed up….and I got to see her smile and laugh with friends.  It brings tears to my eyes just writing this.  Friendship and fellowship can help us heal.  I met new folks that just bowled me over with their kindness.  Susan Lankey was the most generous, genuine and delightful lady.  Brittany Jamison warmed my heart and made me laugh.  I understand when others talk about lifelong friends. 

We got to celebrate wins and the Gala was an especially happy event.  Jennifer Greene stepped up as Master of Ceremony (and big congrats on our new CDFA’er).  She did a great job.  Emily Meyer from Seattle was amazing on stage.  She is soo confident and charming.  We will all be looking forward to when she is our President (yes, I said it!!!).  Sandy Beckel was our Lifetime Achievement winner and what a sweetheart she is.  Congratulations to all who got to celebrate.

Our SDA leadership is smart, dedicated and inspiring.  I’m always awed just sitting in the audience with these people.  Years of experience at the ready to share with us.  I tend to think of myself as leading a small life, not a bad life, just a small one....and yet there I was sitting and laughing with the current and past leaders of SDA.  WOW.  Just WOW. 

I got to see the newbies stand up and share like they were old pros, giving of their hearts and energy.  Ready to be the next leaders.  My heart just fills up at the thought of this. 

I figured with the economy the way it is, everyone would be applying for everything.  But what the heck, so I sent off my application and was hoping I would maybe get one of them.  One of the funny things is that there has been several years where no one applied for tour chapter scholarship, and I heard from other chapters that they experienced the same thing.  I tell you this, because our chapters have scholarships to give, apply for them!!!!! I’m grateful to the Past Presidents Council for awarding me their grant and the ability to come to EDSymposium22.  It was truly a wonderful experience.

I can’t thank our Executive Director Stephanie enough for her hard work and dedication to all of us.  She works tirelessly and it shows in the fantastic events we get to attend.  Thank you, Stephanie, thank you Past Presidents Council and thank you to the past and current Board of Directors for all our chapters.  What an amazing group to belong to, and I’m proud to be part of it.  I can’t wait for next year in Tampa, Florida.

Carol Wanda Spradlin, CDFA, is the Office Manager for Baylis Architects in Bellevue, WA. She was the recipient of the Past Presidents Council Returning Member Grant for EDSymposium22.

What was I thinking?

Was I really considering applying for a national scholarship to be a first-time conference goer while dealing with the recent loss of my husband?  Could I honestly put my grief on the back burner and focus on my career right now? Apparently, I can, and I did, and I won. What an incredible gift during an incredibly difficult time in my life.  But what a momentous occasion to attend the conference during my local chapters 50^th anniversary (Seattle Chapter) and SDA’s 60^th anniversary.  It was an opportunity I didn’t want to miss.

Overwhelmed with being a first-time attendee and a national scholarship winner, I braced myself for a mixed bag of scenarios that I’d need to process.  I hoped this conference would give me the tools to move my career forward, the skills to take on new responsibilities, and the support to be successful. But I wasn’t on top of my “social game”, would that be ok?  Would that even matter?  I was going to learn, and take away knowledge – the timing was awful, but I did it, and I was headed to Spokane.

I had the privilege of participating on the Welcome Reception planning committee and working with Gretchen Renz and Emily Meyer of Bernardo|Wills Architects, our host office.  I feel we all understood the importance of setting an exciting tone that would carry over to the rest of the conference.  Our theme, The Great Pacific Northwest, welcomed other members from near and far, and extended a warm and welcoming night of great food, a beautiful space and fun activities.  

I’ve always looked at my membership in SDA as a community of support, encouragement, opportunities to gain more knowledge and a chance to hone my skills; the conference did all that for me. I attended presentations that made me question what I know about writing for marketing purposes, the value of correct wording in your employee handbook and the eye-opening reality of phishing trends and company breaches. 

Walking into the conference Friday morning, still with the excitement from the party the night before, I entered the Welcome Breakfast ready to learn, ready to make new connections and test the status quo on my current job position.

This speaker was spot on; Beth Hanishewski was presenting on Resiliency in the Real World.  Her talk made you believe you could do anything; even during those trying times that may touch your firm, (and in real life). Resiliency was such a perfect topic to start the conference off on, as the hours ahead of us were bound to foster what we know, what we practice and how we would incorporate these new ideas into our work lives.

Her words impacted me greatly; they spoke to my position in my firm and the need to hang in there as I try and expand my duties and responsibilities.  I must remember to be strong when things don’t look that way, when my growth isn’t happening in the time frame, I may want it to.  Her words delivered an impressive theme of finding strength within yourself to overcome those obstacles that litter our paths. 

I needed to hear her dialogue; wanted it to deliver the punch to motivate me forward.  While SDA has always been about my career, this speaker’s articulation spoke to my personal being; what a great gift from SDA.

Things I wished happen at the conference this year, and hope to get implemented in future planning:

§  A short gathering of all new attendees before the conference begins.  While Chapters “should” be making their new members feel welcome and answer any questions, it doesn’t always work out that way.  Depending on how many people there are, it can last 15-30 min.

§  More diverse presentations.  Some Admins don’t have responsibilities in HR, Finance or Marketing.  Let’s embrace making these “front end” super stars count in their contribution to our firms.

Karyn Marks was the recipient of the 2019 Past Presidents Council (PPC) First Time Attendee Grant.

She is a member of the SDA Seattle Chapter.