NAFA CEO Phil Russo, CAE: You Have To Have A Mission

I'm going to come right out and say it: change is hard. Change comes fast and, very often, change comes without warning. When you work with an association as close-knit as NAFA can be, changes of relationships can temporarily knock you off balance, like a bike rider caught in the slipstream of a large vehicle passing you by. It is unsettling.

Fortunately -- and quite intentionally -- NAFA has a specific mission. If you have not seen our "About NAFA" page on www.NAFA.org, I encourage you to check it out. As a digest of this, NAFA's mission statement is:

"NAFA is the association for the vehicle fleet management profession. Our purpose is to promote the highest levels of professional management of vehicles, enabling all members to improve their ability to contribute to an employer’s success. We seek to accomplish our goals through quality educational endeavors, sharing of fleet expertise, government and industry relations, and a broad range of direct services to members."

We recognize that this is helpful to you, the NAFA member, because it gives you a clear understanding of what we're here for, and just as important, why we're here. At the same time, it is equally helpful for us at headquarters. When change causes that slipstream to happen, knowing our purpose and commitment to you helps right us again and keeps us steady. In the end, you have to have a mission, a purpose, something that re-orientates in the face of change.

In the coming weeks and months, you will hear of changes occurring within ranks of the Association, but thanks to this steadfast goal -- this mission statement -- we believe that you won't feel these changes. We will be charging ahead with our efforts in sustainability, and encouraging your fleet to take part in the Sustainable Fleet Accreditation Program; we'll be staying right in the thick of legislative and regulatory decision-making with the Government Affairs Committee; we'll continue to provide the most comprehensive fleet education in the profession, via the CAFM^® program; and we are already getting the 2016 Institute & Expo up to speed. NAFA members require that determined focus and continuity, and we intend to bring that to you.

Let me take a moment to thank two people who will soon be off to new adventures outside of NAFA, both of whom have made invaluable contributions to this association and to countless members within it. Chief Operations Officer James R. Marks, CAE, CPCU, took on the most daunting of tasks in 2014 when he said "yes" to helping me steer NAFA's reorganization process. He was able to step in with fresh eyes, to see where NAFA's working relationships were making the most sense, and determined how to best build upon these. Equally as important, he could see where some of our efforts had calcified, and could initiate changes that others might not be able to.

Jim will be leaving NAFA at the end of July, and while I will miss his insight and strategic consideration, I am gratified that he was able to share his experience with us this past year and a half. I'm also gratified that he was instrumental in choosing his successor, Sheryl Martin, NAFA's new COO. Sheryl is an accomplished tactician at both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, most recently with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Sheryl spent approximately 12 years with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and was the Director of Firm Practice Management for that organization approx. six years. She is a CPA and has a strong background in process management. She is a high-energy, "can do" leader, and will be a great resource for NAFA.

NAFA also says goodbye to Senior Manager of Member Experience Christine Stay, formerly Christine Hamershock. For the past seven years, Christine has brought boundless enthusiasm and a friendly demeanor to our members. She was possibly one of our most visible team members, as she performed yeoman's service as Booth Captain on the I&E expo floor. In her role as Senior Manager of Member Experience, which she took on as part of the reorganization, she made a commitment toward building up our Chapters and making them stronger. I think I speak for everyone who has attended a NAFA Chapter meeting in the past six months in saying that she has done well.

On another level, a personal level, I was fortunate to see her as she progressed through important phases of her life. I am glad that I had a chance to share in a small part of it, and I know that she will bring all of those phenomenal qualities to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in Long Island, New York, where she will now work. There is, I must admit, a bit of that "empty nest" feeling about this occurrence.

And that's why having a mission is necessary. We will be bringing on new professionals, making more friends, and moving into ever more positive territory as we go. Change, as they say, is the only thing that never changes...but if you know what you need to do, and are beholden to your constituents as NAFA is to its membership, it helps a great deal.

Here's to new frontiers!

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