Dear PMI Phoenix Chapter Members,

I hope you all had a great holiday season and are making steady progress on your 2024 professional development goals. It saddens me to inform you that I need to step aside as PMI Phoenix Board Chair due to health issues. Shane Cretacci is assuming the Board Chair role. I will become the Past Board Chair and support Shane as I can. I have been so honored to be your Board Chair and to be part of this incredible Chapter. 

Help me welcome Shane Cretacci who is stepping in as the Board Chair. Shane has been the Past Board Chair, having served as Board Chair from 2021 – 2022. In addition, Shane has been involved as a volunteer with the Phoenix Chapter since 2016, and has been on the Board of Directors in some capacity since 2018. He also received the 2023 Chapter Leader of the Year Award, so I know you are in good hands.

So far this year, we have been working with the Board of Directors to finalize our strategic objectives and 2024 budget so we can submit to PMI for our annual Chapter renewal. Each year our Chapter must be renewed, and this key milestone brings with it increased opportunities for collaboration and funding from PMI.

As we look ahead into 2024, our strategic goals include:

• Monthly Phoenix Fusion Networking for new members to join and connect with existing chapter members. These lively evening events are rotated around the valley in different locations, and are designed for those who've recently joined, those who've been with us for a while, and those curious about our community. These new events average 40-50 attendees each month.
• A Project Management Summit, again with our ASU PM Network and PMI Tucson Chapter partners, planned for this fall to have a virtual day of speakers and a full day of in-person speakers. Our goal is to expand the attendees and breath of topics - more to come!
• Social good events both in the Phoenix metro area as well as in areas around the state. Our goal is to expand our reach!
• Outreach to military members as they transition from military life into a project management career.
• Increase collaboration with our university and academic partners to engage students in project management principles, practices, and careers.
• Continue the programs and events that are foundational to our Chapter, such as our Breakfast Meetings, Study Group, and Mentorship Program, along with many others.

Watch our newsletter, Facebook page, Instagram, LinkedIn, and website for details on all these programs and events, along with much more. If you are interested in volunteering, click here.

To stay up to date on everything your membership provides you, keep an eye on our monthly calendar, as we add new speakers and events throughout the month.

Thank you for joining the PMI Phoenix Chapter. You are a valued member, and we want you to get as much benefit from your membership as you can. 

Stephanie Hanko

Outgoing 2024 PMI Phoenix Chapter Board Chair

Shane Cretacci

Incoming 2024 PMI Phoenix Chapter Board Chair

Dear PMI Phoenix Chapter Members, 

Happy holidays! Since last I wrote, we were selected by PMI as Chapter of the Year in Category III (>1500 members)! That’s out of the 300 PMI Chapters around the world! I am honored to be part of this incredible Chapter. The PMI Chapter of the Year Awards program recognizes and celebrates those chapters that have made significant contributions to members, the project management profession, and Project Management Institute. Our Chapter builds opportunities for all our members to engage, learn, grow, network, give back, and support each other in our project management journey. Thank you for being part of this journey with us. It is all of us together that has made this a truly special Chapter that PMI has recognized.  

Help me welcome Heather Cardosi, Aaron Jang, and Sean Ryan to our Board of Directors. These three outstanding individuals have committed their time and energy to our Chapter to help support the vision and mission and ensure we continue to execute our strategic objectives to continue to carry our chapter forward. 

I want to once again thank our corporate partner, Nextiva, for providing space in their beautiful training facility for the PMI Phoenix Board of Directors to meet during day-long strategy sessions. Their hospitality and partnership have been invaluable to allow us to plan and move forward on many initiatives this past year. 

As I look back over 2023, our Chapter has held many programs and events: 

Our monthly virtual breakfast meeting, hosted by Paul Bartal, on the last Friday of each month (with adjustments for holidays) is regularly attended by 100+ participants. The breakfast meetings are speaker events to address current topics and trends in project management, but so much more: They provide a forum for networking, recognition of certification achievement, and a place to share if they are looking for jobs or have jobs opportunities to fill. It’s a community of project managers and project management professionals coming together to network and grow. 
We’ve launched monthly Phoenix Fusion Networking for new members to join and connect with existing chapter members. These lively evening events are rotated around the valley in different locations, and are designed for those who've recently joined, those who've been with us for a while, and those curious about our community. These new events average 40-50 attendees each month. 
Our Social Good Team just completed a full year of events, with five events this year. In addition, during our 45th Anniversary Celebration picnic the Social Good Team organized building hygiene kits to distribute to local non-profit groups serving the homeless. 
The PMI Phoenix Chapter participates in two collaborative chapter meeting programs that bring different content and viewpoints outside the Phoenix Metro Area:  
We are in our third year of participating in the PMI Chapter Xchange Program and were only the second US-based chapter when we entered the program. The PMI Chapter Xchange has grown to include 26 chapters and provides a unique, diverse, and worldview experience to our chapter members.  
We began collaborating with the PMI Los Angeles multi-chapter meetings in 2022. These meetings currently include eight chapters and are offered monthly to our members. These meetings offer differing regional views and are very popular with members who travel between chapter cities. 
Watch our newsletter, Facebook page, Instagram, LinkedIn, and website for details on all these programs and events, along with much more. If you are interested in volunteering, click here. 

To stay up to date on everything your membership provides you, keep an eye on our monthly calendar, as we add new speakers and events throughout the month. 

Thank you for joining the PMI Phoenix Chapter. You are a valued member, and I want you to get as much benefit from your membership as you can.  

Stephanie Hanko 

2023 PMI Phoenix Chapter Board Chair