Welcome Letter from CWA President Brenda Aschliman
Welcome to Construction Writers Association (CWA), where ongoing education, networking, and business opportunities form the foundation of our organization. Founded in 1958 and currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, CWA is a non-profit, non-partisan, international organization for professional journalists, writers, editors, photographers, marketers and publicists serving the information needs of the construction industry.
It is an honor and privilege to serve as 2008/2009 President for CWA. I am confident it will be a very exciting and productive time – the beginning of the organization’s next 50 years.
CWA has three important areas of concentration over the upcoming year:
- A successful transition of Executive Directors, which is Phase I of our Strategic Plan. Sheila Wertz is retiring after 12 years of outstanding service to the association, and after an extensive search for her replacement, the association has appointed Deborah Hodges, who will open a new CWA office in Chicago on June 1.
- With the new Executive Director in place, we can begin to move toward Phase 2 of our Strategic Planning and start to develop that framework. This is an important step in the redefinition of CWA as we begin our next 50 years—it is the blueprint for the direction planned for the organization. Like all good design and construction documents, it will probably need “change orders.” But our strategic plan will guide us to work together towards agreed upon objectives without losing sight of the initial design.
- Last but certainly not least, I believe we must maximize our opportunities for recruitment and retention – for sharing with others the benefits of Construction Writers Association. And while recruiting new members is important, retaining current members is equally important, because we must keep those members that have made CWA what it is today.
Membership in CWA offers value in the form of educational workshops and forums, leadership opportunities, and networking, to name a few. All of these benefits are available to every member. I urge you to take advantage of them! When we each contribute, CWA can achieve great results over the next year and in years to come.
For more information about CWA, how to become a member, or any of our activities and opportunities, please contact Executive Director Deborah Hodges at info@constructionwriters.org as of June 1, 2008 or call her at 312 310-7353. And if the CWA board can be of help to you, or you to us, please contact me at BAschliman@walterpmoore.com.
Sincerely,
Brenda Aschliman
2008/09 President, CWA
Director of Corporate Communications, WALTER P MOORE