First, I am deeply honored, not to mention very happily surprised, at being named the IABC Topeka Chapter Communicator of the Year at today's luncheon. The award is presented each year to a communicator who excels in his or her field in a variety of ways. I was going to say I hope you will join me in congratulating the winner for an award that is well deserved, but instead I wish to offer my sincerest gratitude to our past president, Janie Rutherford, who managed the nominations and award selection, and also kept this a secret from me up until today when she made the announcement. Our board and committee members sure know how to keep a secret! I am very proud to accept it and happy to be in the company of past winners of this prestigious award.

I am also excited to tell you about our new IABC/Topeka chapter website, www.iabctopeka.org, that launched today. Our board has been working hard to transition to the new website, which will have several new features that will help us communicate better as an organization both internally and externally. It may seem a bit sparse at first, but as we get settled into our new home, the new website allows us to present more information, pictures, payment options for meetings and special events and membership news, creating additional opportunities for us to learn more about each other and our work.

We will also be looking for businesses to sponsor the website, not only to help defray our costs, but also to give them additional exposure to a target audience of communication professionals in our community and beyond, as well as other businesses. If your business or organization is interested in being a website sponsor, please let me know.

Stay tuned for a message with login instructions for the new website. We welcome your feedback on the content as well as the features.

I look forward to seeing you at our May meeting.

Best,
Mary