“If you worry about yesterday’s failures, then today’s successes will be few. The future depends on what we do in the present.”
Mahatma Gandhi
I am humbled yet extremely excited about the honor of leading this incredible association. I have been personally connected with SETA for 6 years…first as an attendee at our conferences, then as a workshop facilitator, and finally, as a board member since 2020. I have had the distinct pleasure of serving under the leadership of three great association Presidents, Don Scott, Rob LeBeau, and Napoleon Bracy, and I plan to utilize lessons learned from these leaders in my tenure as President. In addition, I would like to acknowledge Stephanie Deese, Sydney Raine, John Helton, and Shela Stewart-Lucas, all Past Presidents who have personally mentored me in my journey with the association. I would also like to thank past and present board members for their tireless and valued contribution to our membership and region. It has been a pleasure to serve with you, and I look forward to another year of impact as we lead the premier workforce development association in the industry. I must also acknowledge Mr. Knowlton R. Atterbeary, President & CEO of KRA Corporation, for affording me the opportunity and platform to serve in this capacity. To my KRA team, thank you for sharing me with SETA…I truly appreciate you.
This year we are “Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Present, and Envisioning the Future” as we commemorate 50 years of excellence serving workforce development professionals in the Southeast. We started the celebration during our 2023 Spring conference in Memphis, TN, where we honored the past. We will continue the celebration during our 2023 Fall Conference in Orange Beach, AL, where we will envision the future for the association and the overall workforce development industry. We are planning an incredible experience that you don’t want to miss.
As I look to this year as President, I have three strategic goals for the association:
- Increased membership value – We are working to increase and improve the benefits for our membership. Our new website will be a core vehicle for this expansion. We envision a platform that will be a robust resource for our members. In addition, we plan to expand learning opportunities via access to webinars led by industry thought leaders, on-demand video-based learning and industry-focused white papers.
- Improved Conference Experience – We are working to make our conference the premier workforce conference in the industry. There are three core metrics that we are utilizing to measure our success in this endeavor:
- Conference Attendee Satisfaction and Engagement
- Number of Conference Registrations
- Number of Sponsors and Exhibitors
- Modernized Association By-Laws – Based on feedback from our recent strategic planning process, we have begun the process of reviewing and revising our by-laws, policies, procedures, and protocols. We will engage the membership in this process through virtual town hall discussions and surveys. It is our endeavor to strengthen the association as we look to expand our influence and impact in the region.
Lastly, it is our desire to engage our membership in a more robust and consistent manner. We invite you to follow us on all Social Media platforms, visit our website, and look out for emails with association and industry updates. Once again, it is my honor and pleasure to serve you in this capacity. Let’s make this a landmark year for SETA…see you all soon!!!
Joseph L. Seymour
SETA President
