Mid-Atlantic Chapter 

Includes Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington D.C. and Delaware

Mid-Atlantic Updates and Changes

In March, the Mid-Atlantic Chapter gathered at IGNITE: Minneapolis 2018 for discussion and fellowship. At this chapter gathering, we acknowledged and discussed dwindling chapter participation and engagement. Our chapter attendees agreed that it made sense to reorganize the chapter to best address the needs of our members.

Future of the ALDE Mid-Atlantic Chapter
 
Rather than dissolving, we will move forward with a plan that places the chapter on hold as an active chapter, keeping our resources intact while allowing members the opportunity to connect with other chapters that better fit their individual needs. It is our hope that this arrangement will best benefit your individual professional development now, and leave the door open to a revived chapter down the road.

What does this mean for you?

Your membership with the Mid-Atlantic Chapter will continue, but changes in our membership database will affiliate you with an additional primary chapter - Mid-Atlantic will become your secondary chapter. The Big East Chapter will be the default primary chapter for all current Mid-Atlantic Chapter members.

You may also choose to affiliate with a different chapter as your primary instead of Big East. Those further south in Virginia may want to consider affiliating with the Blue Ridge Chapter, and members further west may find a good fit in the Great Lakes East Chapter. I recommend conferring with other local ALDE members to decide which chapter would be best for you. Please let Phyllis Wiederhoeft ([email protected]) know of your primary chapter choice. With this new arrangement, you will receive notifications about news and events in your new primary chapter, widening the opportunities available to you as an ALDE member. 

Mid-Atlantic Advocates

Also discussed at IGNITE 2018 was the launch of a new model of membership engagement. Each chapter will have designated Advocates to engage and steward prospective or new ALDE members. This presents us an excellent opportunity for Mid-Atlantic-specific engagement, even as our chapter is transitioning.

I have volunteered as a Mid-Atlantic Advocate, and I welcome others to join me in the role! As Advocates, we will reach out to new members and help spread the word about ALDE in our own local networks. It is a low-commitment role with the potential to help strengthen ALDE engagement locally. If you are interested in acting as an ALDE Advocate, please reach out to Phyllis for more information.

Next Steps

If you have any questions, comments, or would like to discuss this transition further, you can reach out to me ([email protected]) or Phyllis ([email protected]) directly. Consider which chapter you would like to choose as your primary ALDE affiliation, and if you are interested in participating as a Mid-Atlantic advocate.

Thank you for your membership and all that you do in our communities! I look forward to seeing how we all can strengthen the ALDE network together.

Peace,
Michelle Steiner
KenCrest, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania