2016 WY Annual Convention Yearbook

2016 Wyoming Nurses Association
President’s Message
Anne Raga
Thank you for taking time to read about what YOUR Wyoming Nurses Association has been doing for the
past year. It has been busy and productive!
Following the Annual Meeting and election of officers, The Executive Committee, which consists of the
elected officers, met for a strategic planning session. With the adoption of the by-laws creating the new
regional structure, regional presidents still needed to be elected, so the work of the group was to create a
new strategic plan to be recommended to the full board following regional elections in December. Tobi Lyon
Moore, our ED, led us through a new planning process which helped us to refocus our energies for the future.
We developed objectives under five pillars: Revitalize Brand Identity, Strengthen Grassroots, Organizational
Viability, Leverage the Power of Nurses, and Strengthen Partnerships. The plan was reviewed during a
conference call in January, and approved by the board in February. The 2016-2018 plan is in this book, and
can also be viewed on our website, www.wyonurse.org under the “About” tab. I will highlight a few of our
efforts and accomplishments below.
Revitalize Brand Identity
In looking at our brand identity, we recognized that not many of us can articulate the mission and vision of the
organization, or speak to the value WNA brings to its members. We identified several ways to approach this,
and started with creating talking points around the value of WNA membership. At this year’s annual meeting
we will discuss opportunities to refresh our logo and take advantage of marketing and membership initiatives
through ANA.
Strengthen Grassroots
This focus is all about supporting the transition to the new regional structure. With the adoption of the
by-laws at the Annual Meeting, the districts ceased to exist. We developed a mechanism to hold regional
elections, and called for consents to serve. At the close of elections, we had new presidents in all five regions.
Very few regions elected a full board immediately, but most have accomplished that in the last few months.
We also developed a mechanism for managing the regional funds that brings us into compliance with IRS
regulations for non-profit organizations. As I write this, we are preparing for a meeting for regional leaders to
create a “toolkit” to help in this new model. Making this transition is a big undertaking, and while we have
made much progress, there is still much to do to make it successful.
ANA has recognized the need to reconnect with the grassroots as well, and Dee Gilson will have the
opportunity to participate in the first Leadership Summit in November. With the adoption of the Membership
Assembly, the Constituent Assembly was eliminated. Unfortunately, this impacted the state associations’
ability to bring concerns up from their members, and a new format was approved at the Membership Assembly
in 2015.
Organizational Viability
This area focuses specifically on the work we need to do with technology and communications to keep
our members connected. We have been able to conduct online meetings in most of our regions, which is a
necessity with our large geographical areas. We continue to publish our monthly newsletters, and the quarterly
25