The inaugural Chapter Officer Leadership Program took place May 6 in Washington, DC, prior to the kickoff of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) 2017 Leadership & Advocacy Summit. The program was designed to provide chapter officers with the tools they need to succeed as leaders and with an opportunity to network and share best practices with colleagues in similar roles.
More than 30 ACS chapter officers, primarily chapter Presidents and Presidents-Elect, attended the all-day session at the Renaissance Downtown Hotel.
“The Chapter Officer Leadership Program is an important component of the ACS strategy to support our domestic chapters,” said Patricia L. Turner, MD, FACS, Director, ACS Division of Member Services, Chicago, IL. “Chapters provide a significant benefit for our members, and this new approach to leadership education will help to ensure that our chapter officers are provided the support they need to deliver high-quality programs and services to ACS members.”
A range of leadership presentations
Program speakers represented a mix of ACS leadership, former and current chapter leaders, and ACS administrators, and addressed topics aimed at providing attendees with the skills and knowledge they need to effectively manage a chapter. Specific presentations included the following:
• Members Services Pillar Update on Efforts to Support Chapters
• Leading in Your Setting: How Effective Leaders Use Multiple Leadership Styles to Impact Change
• ACS Resources for Chapters
• Strategic Planning Strategies for ACS Chapters
• Panel Discussion: What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Chapter President
• Results of the 2016 Chapter Survey
• Chapter Communications & Marketing
• Volunteerism through Operation Giving Back: How Can We Help?
• Grassroots Advocacy at the State Level: Making Chapters Strong Advocates for Surgeons
• Resident and Associate Society and Young Fellows Association Engagement in Chapters
• Chapter Involvement in Stop the Bleed®
• Funding Chapter Activities through Sponsorship and Philanthropy
The day concluded with an opportunity for program attendees to discuss issues of concern with members of the Board of Governors Chapter Activities Domestic Workgroup, which serves as an advocate for ACS chapters in the U.S. and Canada. This meeting gave chapter leaders the opportunity to provide feedback on initiatives that the workgroup has been working on over the last year. One such initiative is revising the ACS Chapter Guidebook, a living document that is housed on the ACS website and that will be updated as new topics of interest arise, such as how to effectively use social media to promote chapter activities. The guidebook is available at facs.org/member-services/chapters/guidebook.
The agenda and presentations from the Chapter Officer Leadership Program are available at facs.org/member-services/chapters/acs-events/2017-leadership. For more information about chapter support services, contact Luke Moreau at lmoreau@facs.org or 312-202-5737.
Mr. Moreau is Manager, Domestic Chapter Services, ACS Division of Member Services, Chicago, IL.