On last Tuesday I was honored to receive the ISPI 2010 Honorary Life Member Award at the Conference in San Francisco. Here is page 2 of the program from the Awards Luncheon from day 1 of the conference.

That award is easily confused with being a Lifetime Member. I’m that too. In fact, I was the first to sign up and pay $1,000.00 to “never pay dues again” when that program started years ago.

But this Honorary Life Member is another thing altogether.

This year’s conference – 2010 – was my 29th conference out of 31 starting with 1980 in Dallas.

I missed the next one in a job change in 1981, and then another in the late 80s due to a death in the family. This is my professional home. It’s had four names (but only 2 acronyms) since 1979 when I joined at the chapter level. NSPI. NSPI. ISPI. ISPI. National Society for Programmed Instruction. National Society for Performance & Instruction. International Society for Performance & Instruction. International Society for Performance Improvement.

I was a CPT – Certified Performance Technologist. Because I believe in it. So I was willing to be an early adopter and cheerleader. My certificate is numbered 95 and it is dated September 23 2002. I’ve been a reviewer – but only once. I wanted to know what it was really like. And then I got out of the way. I ended my participation after 2014.

There are many active members in the Society who want the opportunities that I have had. I encourage them to go for it. It is still there for them. Get on a committee and meet and work with people. And keep doing it.

On another note…

I was already doing what Judy Hale asked her assembled CPTs to do at her 2010 conference session for CPTs only (which I have a good portion on video to share with all others): to use CPT in their electronic signature and on their business cards.

I’d been doing that for years – until 2014.

It all began for me back at – NSPI – now ISPI – at the local chapter level – way back in September 1979 – where three of us drove from Saginaw to Detroit for the evening dinner (rubber chicken) and the meeting program.

My boss signed me up for the Newsletter Committee (they did things like that back in the day and I found out about it on the drive home) and I’ve been on a committee every year since then, either at the chapter level or the International level.

MSIT – The Michigan Society for Instructional Technology.

This was 1979 – when IT meant Instructional Technology to most and MIS meant Management Information Systems – which is now IT Information Technology and Instructional Technology is now ISD or ID – Instructional Systems Design or Instructional Design. Of course ISPI was NSPI back then.

I hope that each of you can find a community of practice as valuable as I have! And I hope that it can be ISPI for you too!

And if you are in the Charlotte NC area, consider joining us at ISPI Charlotte!

No matter what level you participate at – you always get back more than you give, once you hit that personal sweet spot of engagement! Find that for sweet spot for yourself!

Cheers!

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