The candidates that submitted to be considered for the Board of Directors position with the PMI Metrolina chapter are listed below. Please review the biographies that are listed in preparation for the electronic voting that will take place in the coming weeks. All chapter members will receive a voting ballot and our encouraged to vote. Chapter President JENNIFER BAKER, PfMP, PgMP, PMP Jennifer is a PfMP, PgMP, PMP, MBB and ITIL certified manager with more than 25 years of experience in delivering both complex technical infrastructure projects and strategic business development programs on time and within budget. Her experience includes many business sectors including finance, government, hospitality, education and energy. She is currently an Enterprise Project Portfolio Governance Manager at Duke Energy and an Adjunct Professor at Northeast University in the MSPM Program. She is also very active with several non-profit organizations including serving on the Board of Directors for her local PMI chapter. Through Duke Energy, she was both an Alpha and Beta Contributor for PMI s Navigating Complexity guide. In 2013, she was featured in a portfolio management article called Going the Distance in PM Network magazine. She recently completed a chapter in the Portfolio Management compilation edited by Dr. Ginger Levin entitled, Portfolio Management: A Strategic Approach which is scheduled to be published this summer. Speaking engagements include local and regional PMI events including the PMI Palmetto Chapter s 2014 IT-ology, the PMI Midlands Chapter s 2013 PDD and the 2012 PMI Region 5 Conference. She has also led multiple program and risk management workshops for both PMI chapters and client events in NC, SC, FL, IN and OH.
Vice President of Administration (Candidate A) ROBIN COVINGTON, PMP Robin Covington, PMP is a project manager with Varrow, a management consulting and technology company. She earned her PMP in 2002 and has worked in the telecom, manufacturing and IT industries managing all sizes of project from small to complex. Robin has been a member of PMI since 2001 and has served at the VP of Communications in 2003-2004 and VP of Programs 2013-2014 for the PMI Piedmont Triad Chapter. She currently serves the PMI Metrolina Chapter as the Director of Surveys. Robin spent 11 years volunteering with the Boy Scouts of America in roles as den leader, committee member for both the BSA and Cub Scout and has planned many adventures and project for them. She has also served on the board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation managing volunteers in 51 counties. Robin has also served on many school and church committees. Her latest passion is the backpack ministry at her church which provides weekend food for over 80 children. She is married to Mark with two teenage sons Ben and Sam who are both Eagle Scouts. Robin has earned degrees from both Wingate and High Point Universities.
Vice President of Administration (Candidate B) JOHN RUSH IV, PMP Originally from Jacksonville, FL, John Rush currently serves as logistics chair for the Metrolina chapter. He believes in continuous education and development of his skills. In 2013, he earned his PMP certification and is sitting for his PMI-PBA certification in August. He is experienced in change process development, process implementation, and scheduling management. He has excellent understanding of organizational, interpersonal, analytical, and problem resolution skills. He serves as a project manager at Brackett Flagship Properties, managing day-to-day operations of more than sixty medical office buildings. He works closely with property and asset managers to improve returns for stakeholders. He regularly coordinates building projects and other building activities including inspections and maintenance efforts. Since joining the company, he has created a change order system and implemented several processes that have increased response time and provide stakeholders a clear picture of the condition of the building. He thrives in independent roles as well as collaborative environments. Prior to becoming a project manager, he was a goalkeeper for Queens University s men s soccer team where he earned allacademic team honors multiple times. Since finishing his playing career, he began coaching at WCWAA where he serves as head coach for U12 and U13 boys teams. He looks forward to building more connections and growing the Metrolina chapter.
Vice President of Finance DWAYNE CHAPITAL, PMP Dwayne Chapital is a Client Services Manager at NWN Corporation. I received my PMP certification in 2011 and immediately joined the Metrolina Chapter as the Logistics/Audio Video Chair Person. Since 2012, I was voted in as the VP of Membership for the chapter and have assisted in the 12.25% increase of membership as of June 2014. I have also assisted in creating asset management, coordinating the Board of Directors monthly meeting for the chapter and am involved in the financial aspects of the chapter. I have over 25 years in the IT Service Industry and can bring more growth to the chapter as the VP of Finance. I am submitting my BIO to apply for the VP of Finance to assist in the development of our financial processes and health of the chapter.
Vice President of Marketing (Candidate A) DANI BECKMAN, PMP I have been a member of PMI Metrolina chapter for almost 2 years. I currently hold the position of Chairperson of Prep Classes under the VP of Professional Development. In my tenure, I will have hosted 4 PMP Prep classes and 1 PgMP Prep class here in the Charlotte area. I love giving my time to an organization that provides so much for their members. Currently, I am taking Masters classes from Northeastern University in Project Management and love to promote the chapter to my classmates. Prior to moving to the Charlotte area, I was in Indianapolis working as a Marketing Assistant for a small banking institution. I found the research into marketing practices very interesting and promoting the bank with competitive offers was my responsibility. I created newsletters for member and print material for new and current customers. It is my hope to be able to promote the Metrolina Chapter further in the role of VP of Marketing. There are many potential members out there to reach and we need a strong, confident person to go out and make those connections, meet those industries who could use the benefits of Project Management but are not sure where to start. This chapter has been a tremendous resource for me and I want to continue to hear others say the same thing.
Vice President of Marketing (Candidate B) JOHN SCHNEIDER, PMP My name is John Schneider and I would like to be considered for the new office of VP of Marketing. In this position, I would focus on promoting our chapter and project management to individuals, businesses, and educational institutions in our area. I became a member of the PMI Metrolina Chapter in September 2011. I began volunteering on the Communications Team in December 2011, where I served as a chairperson for two years. I am currently the VP of Communications for the chapter. Our team is responsible for ensuring that our chapter members and non-members are well informed about chapter news and events via the newsletter, website, social media and direct emails. We also provide support for the chapter s Board of Directors and their volunteer teams with regard to communications, marketing, and website management. I am a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology where I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Information and Computer Science in 1984. I began my work experience in the United States Army where I served as a Signal Corp officer until 1990. After leaving the army, I moved to Charlotte where I worked for 6 years as a team leader and project manager for NCNB/NationsBank. In 1997, I began working on staff at Forest Hill Church here in Charlotte. I worked for 12 years at the church, first as the Director of Operations, and then as the Technology Services Director. During that time, I oversaw two major building construction projects and numerous technology and audio/video/lighting projects. In 2008, I left the church staff and began working as a contractor. I earned my PMP in March 2012 and am currently contracting with National Gypsum Company as a project manager. I have been married for 23 years to my wife, Lisa. We have three children. Our daughter, Rebecca, is 21 and is a senior at Elon University. Our son, Benjamin, is 18 and will be freshman at Campbell University this fall. Our son, Robert, is 15 and will be a junior at Butler High School.
Vice President of Membership SHEETAL PURI, PMP I would like to announce my candidacy to serve on the PMI Metrolina Board of Directors, specifically for the VP Membership position. I am a PMI Professional with a PMP certification and over 12 years of project experience. I have served as the Membership board chair for over one year. I am interested in continuing my service to this organization and specifically to the local Metrolina Chapter. In the past year, I have experienced the growth in our local chapter. I am excited to be part of the new transformations and would like to continue the efforts to invite more project professionals be a part of this great organization. I believe my involvement currently places me in the direct path of filling the position of VP Membership. I am excited about taking a lead position of addressing the Chapter goals for the 2015 year.
Vice President of Professional Development JOSEPH GRIFFIN, PMP Dr. Joseph Griffin, PMP, is a faculty member in the Master of Science in Project Management program. In addition to teaching and designing courses, Mr. Griffin serves as a mentor to adjunct faculty members and participates in development work to reach out to new students and build key partnerships with business leaders. He holds a doctorate in business ethics and workplace leaderships, a masters in project management, and a MBA. Joseph has served as the VP of Professional development for the PMI-Metrolina chapter during 2014. During that time, the Chapter has offered its first PgMP Prep Course and has started offering free halfday quarterly PDU workshops to members. He is also a frequent presenter on project management topics to a variety of groups. Recently, he presented at the PMI North American Global Congress, and he is a frequent speaker at PMI chapters and related industry groups. Previously, Mr. Griffin worked in the residential construction industry as a project manager for numerous construction and land development projects.
Vice President of Programs MARK CICHONSKI, PgMP, PMP Mark is currently the Networking and Mentoring Chair for Metrolina PMI. He is a Senior Consultant with RGP. Mark is a change leader with a focus on business transformation who always exceeds expectations while delivering on critical operations and initiatives. His focus is on enterprisewide projects and programs that optimize business outcomes by reducing cost or enhancing revenue. His key ability is to focus his team s attention on execution through knowing the business, candor, providing line of sight, keeping commitments and rewarding performance. He has extensive international experience, encompassing all of North America, and parts of Europe and Asia. Mark possesses an uncanny knack for finding a common language between people of different cultures and backgrounds. Mark is a Six Sigma Master Black Belt, a PMP and PgMP. He has had diverse experience managing projects, programs and large scale change in consulting, financial services and manufacturing. For the past two years, Mark has been actively engaged in presenting at chapter and PDD events throughout the South. His mission is to raise the bar for change leaders and project management professionals. Mark s blog can be found at http://executionengines.com/gettingitdone. He is originally from Philadelphia, PA and now resides in Charlotte with his wife of 25 years, Jennifer, 2 sons; Mark and Joey and 2 dogs; Darwin and Copernicus.