Drive Innovation – Attend the Education Programs Planning Session

“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world” – R.W.

A few months back, I was approached by Chapter President Jack Campion – a man for whom I have great respect – and was asked to help support the ISPE Education Planning Committee (EPC) as Co-Chair alongside Bob Lucas.  Having found tremendous value in the EPC since the day I started my career in Biotech, I was thrilled at the opportunity to give back to those who helped me gain relevant knowledge. In my mind, there was only one problem: How do I, someone very young in my career, help drive innovation and improvement in an industry that already hosts some of the most brilliant, innovated and motivated people around? So unsure of where to start, I started with one thing I know how to do well –talking to people. I began asking people what challenges they are experiencing within their companies, and received input from various perspectives in the industry. Very quickly I learned that you do not need to be the smartest person in the room or a subject matter expert to create transformation.

On Wednesday, July 18^th, the EPC will host its 2019 Educational Programs Planning Meeting to discuss the upcoming topics and meeting strategies for its 2019 Educational Programming. To best support our members we will consider industry trends, innovation, and regulatory needs as well as the committee’s initiatives, strengths, and areas for improvement as we select educational speakers and topics. The meeting will commence around 5:30 PM with dinner (did we mention free dinner?) followed by introductions to give everyone a chance to meet the each person in the room. We’ll kick-off planning by reviewing the mission and vision for the upcoming year to get grounded on our key initiatives as well as looking at outreach programs and other ways to engage in the community. After reviewing the 2018 Program Year including feedback from surveys, past events, and observations, we will use the results of the annual survey – as well as input from those in the room – to inform our collective building of a high level plan including topics, potential venues and speakers for successful education events in the upcoming year.

So what does success for the EPC look like? Industry leaders sharing relevant information with their peers. People having an open platform to ask questions. Opportunity to develop connections, and ways to volunteer in an organization dedicated to continuous improvement. I firmly believe that the only way we will accomplish this is by listening and turning words into actions. HOWEVER, the most important aspect of our mutual success comes from YOU – the members of the industry: those who question; those who have tried and succeeded and tried and failed; those who want to share their experiences and those who want to learn. Being a volunteer for the EPC is as much about community & industry growth as it is about personal growth. As a new volunteer, you will work alongside mentors to put together education and networking programs. The skills required to do this include high-level event planning and the ability to navigate the ever changing world of deadline. Beyond just the tasks of planning, EPC volunteers also need to help determine the best approach to a topic and to give and receive direction to make our programs the best they can be, not just the way they’ve always been. Lastly, volunteers have a chance to work with top tier industry leaders on building a strategy, and taking a step out of the day-to-day activities to really look ahead. Whether one has these skills or wants to improve upon these skills, EPC is the right place to volunteer. The ability for people to learn from others is what drives innovation quickly. I can honestly say I am very excited to see what will come of this planning session, and I’m looking forward to being there.

So I have a call to action – let us not keep our ideas solely in our minds! Share your great thoughts and ideas with me. E-mail me, call me, LinkedIn me, add me on Slack, Teamsnap, Groupme, Sharepoint or anything else you use and let us know you think, or attend the meeting on the 18^th so your voice can be heard in person. Hope to see you all there!

• Additional ways to get involved:
• Volunteer to help analyze the Meeting Survey Data (completed in early – mid July): e-mail office@ispeboston.org to volunteer
• Call in or join us in person on Wednesday, August 1 for our first Educational Programs Committee Meeting of the 2018-19 year