October 2011

WELCOME TO THE NEW NORTH TEXAS CHAPTER

I am honored to greet you as the first President of the North Texas chapter! Our new name truly reflects our identity in the Southern Region which is much more inclusive than just the D/FW Metroplex. Our focus this year is on Members. My goal is to add value with improved member contact and introduce great program content that supports the CEFPI mission.

The mission of CEFPI is to be "the primary advocate and resource for effective educational facilities". Our primary mission as a chapter is to bring value to our members. Our members serve in every capacity of educational facilities operation, maintenance, construction, design and planning. Reaching beyond traditional membership lines is a priority in North Texas.

In August we began with a board retreat to focus attention on the value of CEFPI membership and how we can both enhance the value and effectively communicate the value to our members and potential members. We’ve increased the number of programs and plan to deliver superior program content. The program schedule is on our chapter website at www.cefpi.org.

October brings beautiful weather to North Texas and our first annual Golf Tournament on October 19. There is still time to sign up -- and sponsorships are available -- golfers come join us! Perhaps a practice round this weekend is in order.

November will bring us an opportunity to tour Irving ISD's Lady Bird Johnson Middle School, which is a net zero campus. This is a special Saturday event in conjunction with the 2 day Net Zero Symposium. Check back soon on the web site - there will be a registration for tour only available to North Texas chapter members on Saturday November 12.

December 7 we will gather for networking, holiday celebration and refreshments from 5- 7 pm look for an email soon with details. Your input is an important part of achieving our goals for the year. Join us and share your ideas for chapter programs and outreach. I challenge and encourage you to give us feedback so that we can bring the value you are looking for in the months ahead.

I encourage you to go to the website! www.cefpi.org Check out the Southern Region, North Texas chapter section where you will find the calendar of programs for the coming year, board roster and our by-laws. We are committed to providing value in this resource - continue to check for up-dates as we add research white papers and other information in the future.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your North Texas Chapter President.

Sincerely,

Lisa W. Lamkin, AIA, CSI, LEED AP Principal BRW Architects [email protected]

214.528.8704