Are you ready to kick off a great new year with InfraGardNCR?

On behalf of the InfraGardNCR Board of Directors, Happy New Year! With the holidays under our belts, we are all back in the saddle and ready to tackle great things for 2019, both at work and in our InfraGard chapter. As I mentioned in October, your InfraGardNCR leadership has many new faces and fresh ideas for this year. The Board of Directors, as shown on our chapter website under the "About" tab, is excited to see you at this month's annual chapter meeting on January 23, 2019. This year's meeting is being held at Capital One Arena and for those who register early, will include a tour of the arena and a briefing on how Monumental Sports handles security during large events (their security and guest relations were rated #1 by J.D. Power and they have some interesting information to share). Information about the event and how to register can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/infragardncr-2019-annual-members-meeting-tickets-53071382935 Please register soon and join us on January 23rd!

Since October, the Board has been working to review the Chapter's performance and achievements. We carried out a member survey and held a Board retreat to set new objectives and priorities for 2019 and committed ourselves to implement them. For example, nearly half of members who completed the survey indicated they are interested in events, including networking events, occurring after business hours. As a result, we will be working to schedule one evening event per quarter, to include networking time, a speaker, and optional post-speaker networking at a nearby bar or restaurant. At the annual meeting, we will share the outcomes of the entire survey and preview additional proposed new initiatives and events for 2019.

Another new initiative that I am passionate about in 2019 is organizing a "Day of Service" for our chapter. This will be a chance to give back to the community by participating in a locally-driven project to support community needs in the northern Virginia and DC metro region. The planning for this initiative is just starting - if you have ideas for a project (e.g., painting a school, volunteering at a hospital, cleaning a local park, socializing with retired veterans, etc.), please email your ideas to infragardncr@gmail.com or come to the annual meeting on January 23rd and share them in person.

Let me close by saying that I'm honored to represent you and our chapter and welcome your ideas on how we can grow our chapter, develop our members, and better serve our community and the FBI. You can contact me or any of the Board members by emailing infragardncr@gmail.com or you can message me through LinkedIn. Let's make 2019 the best ever!

Steve