About Professional Development

Committee Chairs:

 Thomas Bynum, Fran Muskoph, Carl Harris, and Ron Seymour

Events Coordinator:

Jim Andersen

Description and Purpose:

The purpose of the Professional Development Committee is to provide educational and networking programs for the Washington State Government IT community. The Committee collaborates with IPMA Corporate Sponsors, IT vendors, and government agencies to develop timely, educational and informative events with keynote presentations, demonstrations and lively panel discussions.

Objectives:

1. Align programs with Government initiatives
2. Provide educational and training events for IT professional and business managers
3. Increase awareness of the IPMA
4. Improve CIO’s recognition of the value and opportunity to increase attendance by their employees
5. Gain a positive impression of the IPMA by IT Managers and IT Staff
6. Gain contributors and partners (DOP, PMI, and Corporate Sponsors) for these events
7. Hold events that are of high quality, rated by participating attendees
8. Seek innovative/creative ideas for events that draw a large-number of audience participants

Audience Demographics

Typically, the IPMA offers six events per year beginning in January and ending in October. Each event is customized with the corporate sponsors, IT vendors, and government employee participation. All events are held at St. Martin’s University and are designed with this typical format structure:

• 3 hours in length (Begin promptly at 8:30 and end at noon)
• Average audience size may vary from 60-140
• Are professionally orchestrated to encourage and promote audience participation

The Professional Development events are gaining awareness, visibility, and participation:

• Since 1997 through current, 52 Professional Development seminars have been delivered
• Each year, event attendance has continued to grow at a rate of nearly 18%
• In 2005, the IPMA held six events with over 665 participants in attendance:

Areas of Focus Include: Senior/Mid-level IT Managers, Project Mangers, Application Developers, Data Architects and Designers, Database Administrators, Security Managers and staff, Network Managers and staff, Telecommunications Managers and staff and Quality Assurance/Testing Managers and staff, and Business Analysts.

Corporate Sponsors Roles and Benefits

• Roles - Corporate Sponsors have the opportunity to:
  1. Collaborate with committee to develop timely and educational seminars
  2. Focus on practical applications beginning with the "business" problems
  3. Engage in the planning; identifying panel members, and designing the agenda
  4. Provide speakers, presenters, and demonstrations when applicable
  5. Assist in advertising events to agencies, particularly small agencies and those with low attendance.
• Benefits - Corporate Sponsors have the opportunity to:
  1. Gain exposure and work closely with the committee
  2. Experience first-hand real-problems, challenges, and issues facing government
  3. Introduce practical applications, lessons learned, and innovative solutions
  4. Share best practices and industry standards
  5. Meet new government staff, network and share.

2009 Professional Development Events

Ideas and suggestions are welcome!

Questions?

Contacts:

Please contact any of the Co-Chairs above.