Come see how bright the future is for speakers!

Have you ever walked a labyrinth?

Speaking Colleagues -

We've all been through a most extraordinary year, haven't we?

I've never been more grateful for the wisdom and support of speaking colleagues than I have in the past year. What we hoped was the short-term crisis of COVID-19 transformed into a paradigm shift for our industry, forever changing how our messages reach the world. Chapter leadership and volunteers worked tirelessly to provide you with timely and relevant programs, chances to connect and problem-solve, and inspiration to keep going.

​I hope you will all join me in extending our thanks to the 2020-21 Board of Directors:

• Jeannie Walters 
• Cindy Tschosik 
• Rob Biesenbach 
• Bill Guertin 
• Shanita Akintonde 
• Kevin O'Connor
  

If you've ever done the spiritual practice of walking a labyrinth, you know it is a unique experience. You enter into the pattern of twists and turns, heading for the center where you hope to find peace and focus. The path is designed so that you never know how close or far you are to your destination. You are forced to trust the process, be in the moment, and look for the lessons awaiting you. The only way to know you have arrived at the center is to find yourself there. In that moment, you pause and collect yourself, then turn to begin your path back out.

The center, the turning toward the journey back out, is the only moment you know exactly where you are.

I believe we are at the center of our labyrinth. We've wound our way through the journey in, and are at the center, at the sure moment of turning, ready to find our way out. Many of us are already on that journey, some are just beginning. Like the labyrinth, there's a fair amount of uncertainty ahead. Still, the path has many lessons if we will just stay open to them. And one thing is for sure: those who embrace the journey come out changed.    

Your NSA-IL chapter stands ready to be your companion on that journey. Great and exciting things are already in the works, thanks to the incoming 2021-22 Board of Directors:

• Jeannie Walters 
• Shanita Akintonde 
• Kevin O'Connor 
• Dean Heffta
  
• Jenny Hamby 
• Meg Bucaro
  

It's been an honor to serve as your President. Believe me when I tell you the chapter is in excellent hands as Jeannie Walters takes the helm as President for the coming year. Keep watch in the next few weeks for exciting news, including a brand new membership structure designed to meet your needs in innovative ways like never before.

The future is indeed "so bright, we gotta wear shades!" (If you attended our June awards ceremony, you know just what I mean!)

With gratitude,

Allie Pleiter

WATCH YOUR INBOXES!

NSA-IL MEMBERSHIP IS CHANGING TO SERVE YOU BETTER

With the shift in membership structure on a national level, we're taking this opportunity to overhaul our local chapter membership model to give you

greater value more options new benefits

Stay tuned--details will be coming your way very soon!