What JLSA Members Mean to Me…

posted on

Erica Ellis, MDC VP 2017-18

As the leader of the Membership Development Council we wanted to speak with Erica Ellis to learn more about her vision and what JLSA members mean to her. 

Q. What is your placement this year?
Vice President of Membership Development Council

Q. How many years have you been in the League?
8 Years + 1 New Member, so 9 total years 🙂

Q. Why did you decide to join?
I knew that I wanted to give back to the community & get to know San Antonio, as well as make new friends. At the time, I only knew 2 other people in the league. 9 years later I’ve been blessed to work alongside some pretty amazing ladies who I’m also lucky enough to call friends.

Q. Your favorite League placement and why?
This is a tough question!! I’ve truly enjoyed each & every one of my placements for different reasons. I’d say New Member Chair Assistant definitely holds a special place in my heart. It was a year that I was pushed out of my comfort zone & I learned so much about JLSA as a whole. I also formed a ton of really great relationships that have flourished into lifelong friendships. This placement helped me learn a lot about MDC & I feel like it’s already been a huge help in my current placement. I have a feeling once this year is over, MDC VP will be my favorite placement 😉

Q. What made you want to become the VP of Membership?
It’s been a placement that I’ve wanted to serve in since I was a New Member Mentor during my second year as an Active. I also knew that I wanted to serve in various areas of Membership before sitting at the board table representing all of membership so I could understand as much as possible. My league path has taken me to different areas of the league & even took me to a different league in Collin County, TX for a couple of years but I feel like each placement has led me to where I’m at right now. This placement gives me the opportunity to lead a council that interacts with every aspect of our membership and I know that I’m making a difference for our organization which in turns makes a difference in our community.

Q. Why have a Membership Council?
Our council touches each & every member. From recruiting our newest members to keeping our Sustainers involved & engaged and everything in between, this council does so much! We are not only out in the forefront holding various trainings for our membership and community but we are also working hard on the back end making sure our Placement process is a smooth which is really a year-round process.

Q. What exactly does the Membership Council do?
We coordinate the activities that train, orient, accept and enhance the development of all Members. MDC is responsible for generating ideas and suggestions that will improve the satisfaction and retention of all Members. This is done by various committees within MDC.

Q. Why place an importance on League members?
Without our members, we don’t have a JLSA. MDC works hard to assure that our members are enjoying their journey. Placing an importance on them assures that we are trying our best to listen to their needs and evolve with them as our membership is ever changing.

Q. As VP of Membership what are some of your goals for this year and how do you plan to implement them?
Each of our committees has great plans for the 2017-2018 league year. From holding new trainings to target various membership groups to streamlining the Placement Catalog submission process, our team is looking at some big things this year. Implementation is already on-going with ideas taking shape & already moving forward, I’m really excited to see it all happen!

Q. Will the Membership Council be trying out anything new this year, placements or otherwise?
We really wanted to beef up our First Year Actives program & have already started new initiatives like the first ever, First Year Actives Training. There’s more to come from that area!
Our Coach Program is ramping up for it’s first full year. This program is a mentoring program & will focus on our First & Second Year Actives as the protégés (mentees).
Our Sustainer Team is also hoping to add some new events to the calendar. We also increased the number of committee members to their team so we can make sure we have enough ladies to serve are more than 600 sustaining members.
The Placement Committee is hard at work redesigning the form our members use to update their Placement Descriptions. We hope this will make the process faster & also give members the most pertinent info needed when making their placement decisions for the following league year.

Q. What do JLSA Members mean to you?
Our members are the heart of our organization & it’s a blessing to serve them in this capacity! I’ve always said that my favorite thing about JLSA is it’s amazing ability to introduce me to women who I’d probably never have the pleasure of meeting in my normal day-to-day life. Through these relationships I’ve been introduced to new ideas, new perspectives, new food (we have some awesome foodies in our midst), & new friendships that I know have made me a better person & a more confident woman!

 

By Crystal Sperber