Looking back on our industry makes me think of my dad. He was an accomplished man who served our country and who supported the Intelligence and Defense Communities after he retired from the Army. The joke was always “what did you do at work today dad?” to which he would reply, “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” Jokes aside, my dad came from the old school days where there were no emails or word processors. Attempting to follow in his large footsteps, I have entered the same arena he ended up working in and have always wondered how proposals were done in the (not so distant) past. Were they the same voluminous monsters that we sometimes have to battle? Obviously, they were all hard copy submissions; at least there were no CDs to burn! Perhaps they employed the use of carrier pigeons. My mom has told me stories about his weekend absences where he was onsite at the office holed up in a conference room with his team pulling all-nighters and sleeping on cots until the proposal was complete. I will leave the real war stories to the people who are best to tell them in this quarter’s e-Zine publication. However, I find it fascinating to think about how we are now able to accomplish so much so easily and how the revolution of technology has shaped our profession in to a machine-like beast, cranking out millions of proposals across the world.

The past year has been full of great things for our chapter! After implementing MANY changes in the last 2 years, we are all able to finally breathe a bit easier. As I look back, I think of the board members who worked tirelessly to assist our members and to come up with new and innovative ways to improve our offerings and our association. We hosted amazing speakers and presenters at all our events, sang ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game’ with each other at the fantastic Member Appreciation Nationals game, and had yet another record-breaking Mid-Atlantic Conference where we learned and grew together more than we could have imagined. As we celebrate the holidays I am so thankful for the wonderful people I have gotten to work with this past year and to be a part of the second largest chapter of APMP in the world! I look forward to welcoming the new board members and planning our activities for the 2020 chapter year, and serving as your Chapter President for another term. As always, I welcome you to get involved! Drop a line and share your feedback- I sincerely enjoy hearing from all of you as we strive to maintain our chapter’s excellence and support for all its members. 2020 is sure to bring great things!

Yours in success,

Rebecca Link

Author

  • Rebecca Link

    Rebecca Link, CP APMP, President, APMP-NCA. Prior to joining the industry ten years ago, Rebecca completed her Master’s degree in Public Administration and has since fast-tracked her growth to become a Sr. Proposal Manager and Orals Coach at GDIT. She has served on the Board for the NCA Chapter for four years, most recently supporting as Chapter President, and she has played an integral role in leading the chapter’s functions and improving member benefits and board processes. In 2017, she received the award for “Up and Coming Board Member” and was named one of APMP’s Top 40 Under 40. A member of APMP for nine years, Rebecca has her Practitioner Level Certification.

    View all posts