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| Margie Miller, Folly Beach
and University, Charleston, S.C. |
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Margie Miller was elected to a
two-year term as Region 10 vice president at the 2006 National
Convention. She is employed as the clerk of court by the Folly Beach
Municipal Court. Margie retired from the U.S. Navy as a civilian
accountant, and the U.S. State Department as International Banking
Specialist. Margie joined
Exchange in 1998. She served leadership roles at the club level,
including secretary, president-elect and president. For the South
Carolina District, she served in various capacities including
treasurer, president-elect and district president. She also chaired
the district Awards and Finance Committees. At the national level,
Margie chairs the Program of Service Committee and previously served
on the Strategic Planning Task Force and the Awards Committees.
For her community and church,
Margie belonged to the Folly Beach Civic Club for several years and
served as secretary of the Folly Beach United Methodist Women. She
currently serves on the Finance Committee and as trustee of the
Pastor/Parish Relations Committee. Margie received the All American
District and Distinguished President awards. She and her husband,
Fenton, have two children and one grandchild. |
What have you accomplished in your
first term?
I have been able
to establish a very strong bond with the leadership and membership in each
of my districts. I have made the effort to build their trust in me and in my
ability to respond to their needs. I have been involved with the current district
presidents and presidents-elect in their leadership training and in
the establishment of their goals. Knowing their goals has enabled me to
assist them and provide direction as the need arose. I have dealt directly
with leadership in some tough and difficult decisions and hopefully been
there to comfort and to praise those making the hard decisions.
What
insights do you have now that you didn't have two years ago?
I am more aware
of the strengths and weaknesses of of each district. Being an RVP is a
learning experience and you must learn more each day to be prepared for this
position. I have learned that nothing is easy and something will go wrong at
any time! Just like life, when you think everything is going great, there
will be surprises. You have to be able to be there for the leaders and
members and assist them in making the decisions that are right for Exchange.
I have learned that growing a district is like growing a tree, it must be
healthy to begin with and then it needs lots of tender loving care.
What do you want to accomplish in your
second term?
I want to see the districts in my region healthy and growing. I want to have
potential new leaders on track and trained to take their places in the
organization. It is my desire to see all three of the districts in Region 10
have positive growth, along with high retention. Region 10 is a great, great
region with a large number of members, but we must build new clubs in order
to ensure the continued life of Region 10. I believe that each district can
build two news clubs during each of next two years. I believe that they
can do it because I see that the potential is there for growth and success
and they have the leadership in place to do it.
What is the greatest challenge facing
clubs, and how can national help?
With the downturn in the economy and housing market, along with higher gas
prices, the national organization must be sensitive to the financial needs of
the members. I am strongly opposed to any dues increase, because I fear that
it will drive some members away from Exchange, discourage some club builders
from building new clubs and keep potential members from making the decision to
become Exchange members. National must continue to provide a high level of
support to the clubs and districts and it must continue to place the upmost
importance on the needs of the membership.
What should members of the board do for
growth?
The National
board must ensure that every decision by the board is made with the thought
of growth. Our by-laws state that the purpose of the National Exchange Club
is to charter clubs, to educate and/or develop the capabilities of the
members, and to encourage, promote and supervise the Exchange Clubs. Since
growth is listed first, I think that it is of the most importance. We need
to make sure that the membership drive information is out to the clubs in a
timely manner and promoted to the fullest. New drives are not necessary, but
further promotion of the ones we have are so so important. We should make
sure that our club builders are rewarded and/or reimbursed for their
expenses during the club building efforts. They are doing what others cannot or will not do!
How can we develop the next generation
of leadership?
The first, and
most important, is learning to recognize potential leaders and then making
the effort to assist them in getting the knowledge and skills necessary to
make a difference for Exchange.
We currently have the Leadership Excellence training that is perfect to the
development of new leaders. We need to also encourage them to move into
leadership roles and give them reasons that it will be an asset to their
lives and careers. A leadership forum where potential new leaders could
interact with current leaders would be a great addition at the national
convention. The most important thing is to make the younger Exchange members
see the benefit of membership and make them want to give of their time and
efforts.
Starting at the club level, how can we
build awareness of Exchange?
Clubs should be
out in the communities making themselves known whether it is with a fair or
with selling hamburgers and hotdogs at a festival. Make sure that the
Exchange signs and symbols are displayed and that literature on what
Exchange is and different pamphlets on prevention of child abuse and
programs of service are available. Awareness of Exchange starts with each
member and every club and must continue throughout Exchange and in every
community. Of course, newspaper articles and other promotions are necessary
to get the communities at large aware of your Exchange Club and the
important and worthwhile things that it is doing to make a difference in the
lives of children and in the community as a whole.
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