Mary Schmidt and the Certain Trumpet
December 4, 2008 by Mary Ellen
The Board of Directors for the Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance, AIBA, conducted its combination November/December meeting yesterday and sent 2008 President Mary Schmidt on her way with a round of applause.
Unbelievable? Yes. Unforgivable? Hopefully, not! On a small board (eight people) spontaneity typically wins over agendas. Without a formalized ceremony, no one thought to prepare a thank you event; after all, the leader (Mary) usually set the agenda for the meeting.
All volunteer organizations have the challenge of acknowledgment, a challenge made even more difficult on a small budget. How do you say thank you? What gift heralds the unsung heroine? How do you express appreciation for a job well done, for countless hours willingly committed and seldom recognized?
Answer? You make sure as many people as possible know the story. Here’s the Mary Schmidt story.
Mary joined the AIBA Board in Fall 2007 and agreed to serve as President because of her passion for small, independent business. In January 2008 she purchased i-Contact software for the organization to facilitate regular communication with the membership. During the past year, Mary has produced countless newsletters and e-letter updates for AIBA. Thanks to i-Contact, the organization now tracks opens and forwards and understands the value of e-mail.
Her vision for an organization serving the needs of independent business owners brought strong promotions like “Success Loves Company” to life. At a time when small business owners tightened their belts, Mary managed to eek out double digit increases in membership, heading for the point she called critical mass. She never missed an opportunity to talk about AIBA. When her car broke down, she recruited the shop as members. When she bought a vacuum cleaner, she invited the owner to join AIBA, etc. When her Rotary Club needed a speaker, she got a fellow AIBA member to talk about Independent Business.
During her one-year term, all manner of initiatives took hold and began to thrive: the lunch ‘n learns offered no-cost education for small business owners; Mary organized, attended and even presented one of those workshops. She encouraged new members to take on the task of developing networking think tanks with a plan to host one in each quadrant of the city.
Under her leadership, the sponsorship matrix took form and a structure began to emerge. She wrote countless brochures, proposals and summary reports and did other things too numerous to mention.
Someone described Mary as fearless. I know that to be true. She tackled big problems and met doubters head-on. From sponsor involvement to board and member recruitment, Mary never backed away; she suggested improvements, challenged assumptions and clarified expectations. All that and she even agreed to head another long-term project as immediate past president. That’s commitment. That’s dedication. That’s Mary.
A BIG thank you and congratulations to Mary Schmidt. In the words of Theodore M. Hesburgh:
The Certain Trumpet
The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.
Mary Schmidt has a certain trumpet and for that we’re grateful. Grateful and just a tad scared. Those are big shoes to fill.
Comments
7 Responses to “Mary Schmidt and the Certain Trumpet”
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
THANK YOU MARY!!!! A few more things to note:
Mary is so dang entertaining and natural talking in front of a large group (or any size group for that matter). Mary’s intelligence and experience seep through any conversation one is lucky enough to have with her. As a past-president of this organization, I’m so grateful that others have stepped up the leadership plate, and then, as inevitably happens, lead in ways that I never could have imagined, and grow and improve the organization tremendously. It would be an even sadder day if it weren’t for the fact that our next Pres. is pretty dang rocking as well!
Thank you so much.
Wow, Thanks ME (and Elissa).
Let me put down my trumpet long enough to acknowledge I could never have survived without you, Mary Ellen. You were always there – getting it done, stepping in when needed…and talking me down when necessary.
Here’s to a great 2009 and a great new AIBA president! (Who’s pretty dang fun and funny…)
Hats Off to Mary for a Job Well Done!!! As I sat listening to Mary during our November-December Board meeting it was very evident that Mary has no intentions of relaxing now that her term is up as Madame President. No Lame Duck here…Mary still remains very enthusiastic about AIBA and has stepped up to the plate to tackle one of the organization’s most challenging projects…overseeing the design and implementation of AIBA’s new and improved website. Her energy is contagious and her sense of humor brings a smile to all. Although this was officially her last Board meeting….I’m sure she’ll continue to make her own special music for many years to come where ever she goes!
It is so very cool to see AIBA evolve and feel its energy growing…and Mary was such a huge part of that this past year. She’s got the vision *and* the chops to steer the organization to get there. Working with her on the Marketing Committee was always fun and inspiring. Mary, nice job! Rock out!
It’s been a pleasure, dancing to Mary’s trumpet! She’s certainly provided strong leadership, driven by her passion, for the last year. The organization has grown dramatically, not only in numbers but in organizational strength. Her marketing emphasis has put AIBA on the map, literally.
Thank you for a job very well done, Mary. I look forward to where you’ll guide us in the coming year as well.
I would be honored to add my kudos to the well-deserved groundswell of gratitude in thanking Mary Schmidt for her service. As a board-member serving under her guidance, I have noted her leading with humor and grace, not being shy to demonstrate her passion for the work at hand; work with the strength of each individual to accomplish set goals; selflessly dedicate her time and talents to make that trumpet sing; and even now, plan to stay involved and actively participate. She ran everything so smoothly, I didn’t even realize it was going to be her last meeting as president!
And with all that said, we know that all good leaders function best with the able assistance of a “right-hand” – so thanks also to you, Mary Ellen. I’ve no doubt that going forward will be seamless and fun in your capable hands!
There are many good people in NM doing so many good things! Mary , is one of those!
We are very blessed and privileged to be working with Mary. Her dedication to small business is an example for all of us. She will always be someone who I can say ,”I knew and worked with”. She is also a true friend.
Gracias, Maria!!!!!
Leroy