Reflecting on our Past, Present, and Future 

As I reflect on our upcoming year as well as the past several years of ICF Michigan, I think about how our chapter has changed as well as how it has remained the same.

What has remained the same are some of the programs that we have consistently offered to our coaching community. For as long as I have been administrator, we have offered Core Competency classes each month - they used to be teleclasses, and are now webinars - and they are immensely popular every year. We have also consistently offered virtual classes with guest speakers - again, using the webinar format now instead of teleclasses as they were for many years. These classes are also extremely popular and cover a wide variety of topics of interest to our coaching community.

We offer Coach Cafés in multiple locations. And of course, we always have a vibrant and enthusiastic board of directors who volunteer a great deal of their time and resources to keep our chapter thriving. We're proud of our reputation of being a great community and chapter to join whether you live in Michigan or not.

Most years we have also hosted a conference, typically in the fall and in the Lansing area. We're pleased to announce that we will once again be having a conference this fall on Thursday, October 17th in Okemos (just outside Lansing) so please save the date!  As always when we have a conference, we are in need of volunteers as it takes a lot of hands to make these events happen.  As the saying goes, "many hands make light work" and we work on keeping the amount of work very manageable (and fun!). If you'd like to be a part of our team this year, please contact me and I'd be glad to fill you in and answer any questions you may have.

One of my favorite parts of my job as administrator is correspondence with our members - potential, new, and "old-timers" alike. I love that we have members who have been around since the beginning when "PCAM" (our former name...Professional Coaching Association of Michigan) began back in 2004. It really speaks to the integrity of the organization that many of our founding members and members from the first few years continue to renew their memberships year after year.  And every time I get an inquiry from a potential member or new member, I am always grateful that they have joined us or are thinking about it. I can say with pride that we have a wonderful international group! 

And a bit more about that...yes, we are international. Sometimes people are surprised to hear that you do not have to be located in Michigan to be a member. We now have several members from other states and even countries outside the US as members. With so many virtual offerings, it works well.  We always hope that you non-Michiganders can make it to our in-person events, too!  In addition to our conference, we'll be having some other gatherings where you can meet fellow coaches and board members in person.

In the near future, our members will be getting a survey with questions about how we are doing. We attempt to continue to be the best we can be, and we always value your feedback.  We want to know what is working for you, and your opinion on what we can be doing better or differently.  One of the ongoing challenges we have is that we are a statewide chapter (and again, not just confined to the state) in a geographically large area and we'd love your thoughts on how we can build community. We're looking forward to your input as we continue to strive to be our very best! 

Hope the first couple months of your new year is off to a great start!

With appreciation, 

Kathy Vlietstra
Administrator, ICF Michigan

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS