By Regina Griego
Hello, members of the New Mexico Press Women (NMPW). I chaired my first board
meeting on June 29, 2024. We engaged in filling necessary board positions, reports
from the treasurer, the historian, the vice-president, and our chapter representatives.
We are financially healthy and all is well with our NMPW organization. We also have
very strong participation and regularly scheduled regional meetings held by the
Albuquerque Press Women’s (APW) and Northern New Mexico Press Women’s
(NNMPW) chapters.
The board approved a revision of our Procedure Manual. Loretta Hall led the effort and
had several modifications she knew needed to be made. I looked at it through the eyes
of a newcomer and suggested several changes coming from my background in
Requirements Engineering. After reviewing changes with those most affected by them,
we asked for input from the board and ultimately the board approved the new
Procedures Manual with minor changes suggested at the board meeting. You can find
the Procedures Manual on the website.
At a more strategic level, we approved three initiatives:
1) changing the way the Broadsheet is produced and distributed,
2) standing up a Tech Committee whose goal is to decide on the portfolio of tools
and applications we use and their role in the operations, communications and
marketing of NMPW, and
3) moving ahead with developing a bid process to upgrade our website.
These actions align with my vision for NMPW moving forward. We need to
enhance our visibility. We need to provide valuable information to our members.
To maintain our viability as an organization, we must integrate social media, the
Broadsheet, and our website, for outreach to new members, contest entrants,
and other people we touch in our activities at the state and chapter level.
Our ultimate goal is to grow our membership and widen our demographics so we
stay healthy as an organization. I would love your input as members in this effort,
please e-mail me at president@newmexicopresswomen.org. Please refer to Léonie
Rosenstiel’s article on the changes to the Broadsheet.
Finally, the board discussed the annual Communication Contests and NMPW Annual
Conference. The NMPW professional and high school contests will begin on November
1, 2024, a month later than last year. The NMPW Annual Conference will be held at
Isleta Resort and Casino, on Mar 21-22, 2025. Our theme will be “Artistic Expression.”
The board approved a Conference Committee that includes the chairs of the board’s
contests, scholarships, and publicity committees. Please send me your input and ideas
for speakers and panels for our 2025 Conference.
The 2025 National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) conference will be held on
September 11-14, 2025, in Golden, Colorado. It’s a great opportunity for all members of
NMPW to attend since it is so close. I’ve reached out to the Colorado Conference
Planning team and told them that we would help in any way we could. Mark your
calendars for the NMPW and NFPW Conferences and prepare your contest entries!