NATLE FYI

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

Kudos to the 2024 Governmental Affairs Conference Planning Committee (Joel Carlson, Daniel Hinkle, Joan Maloney, Chris Nichols, Valerie O’Brien, Lisa St. Pierre, Sara Schuett, and Larry Shannon) for a well-planned and executed program.  Topics were timely and relevant, presenters were prepared and engaging, and the social events (Trolley Ride & Mansion Tour, Happy Hour at The Fastnet Pub (sponsored by Esquire Bank), and an evening at the Brick Alley Pub (sponsored by TrialSmith/MC/SW and Counsel Financial), were a blast.  The choice of location was in Joan’s bucket as NATLE President and Newport was a win by checking all the boxes.

The evaluation form submissions on the GAC have slowed to a trickle after an early flurry.  We have received only nine, so far.  Not only do the replies help inform the programming and events, F&B and A/V, for future conferences, but they also help me provide specific feedback to the presenters and our sponsors.  Please submit your anonymous evaluation as soon as you get a chance.

I’ll be working with Trish Hudson of the Melos Institute on how to make the most of her time with us during the 2025 NATLE Winter Meeting in Miami (Feb 15-16).  She is interested in meeting one-on-one with a handful of TLAs during the conference, so once we talk about her approach and criteria, I’ll start gathering interest statements.  I haven’t had much free time these past few weeks to read her book, The Member Engagement Paradox, but three chapters in, I can attest that it’s relatable right from page one.  If you’re interested in getting a jumpstart on the principals of relation-based associations, it's available on the Melos website.  The registration and hotel reservation pages are live, so if you need to get the expense in for 2024, there’s nothing standing in your way!  The program theme, “From Prospect to President: Creating a Culture of Commitment” is taking shape and topics will revolve around the common experience of engaging and retaining members.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend!

P.S. In case you’re still here…I used to work with a woman who couldn’t stomach the sight of roadkill.  In nice weather, we’d go for walks at lunchtime and when we’d approach a flattened squirrel, I’d just say, “Don’t worry, it’s just sleeping.”  It didn’t help her, but it made me feel better.  There are a lot of squirrels (and skunks, but I won’t go there again) in my area, and local Ring cams have caught an increasing number of visits from black bears.  Fun fact, about 20 years ago, my mother found moose tracks in her veggie garden.  Unfortunately, it was a young bull that may have had a brain worm that caused its disoriented trip to the big city.  Anyway, there were a lot of animals “sleeping” along my route down to Newport.  Distracting me from the carnage, was a steady NPR signal.  It’s a good thing that I’m a news junkie, because I forgot my CDs.  Road trips always bring out the classics – Aerosmith and Def Leppard, Foreigner and Styx – all of which I can sing along with at the top of my lungs!

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

The registration and hotel reservation pages for our Winter Meeting in Miami (Feb 15-16) are live, so if you need to get the expense in for 2024, there’s no stopping you!  The program themed, “From Prospect to President: Creating a Culture of Commitment” is taking shape and topics will revolve around the common experience of engaging and retaining members.  I’m 99.44% sure that Trish Hudson of the Melos Institute is our keynote speaker on Saturday and we’re talking about offering one-on-one “clinics” with her during the conference.  If you’re interested in getting a jumpstart on the principals of relation-based associations, her book, The Member Engagement Paradox, is available on the website.  I have a copy and look forward to cracking it open later today.  This will be a program that benefits not only executive directors, but all staff, especially membership and development managers.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend!

P.S. In case you’re still here…It’s a beautiful morning here in Vermont.  I just need to pack the car with the GAC loot and leave for Newport.  To the 83 registrants, I’ll see you soon.  To all who can’t be in Newport, enjoy your (long?) weekend, you’ll be missed, and I hope to see you at the Winter Meeting.

P.P.S. Here’s an example of how my brain works.  A full two weeks ago, in this space, I typed the phrase “woah-is-me”.  A week later, I woke up at 2:15am and thought, “oh drat, that was supposed to be ‘woe-is-me', how embarrassing.”

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

We have two seats left on the Newport Trolley Ride & Mansion Tour, leaving the Hotel Viking on Saturday (Nov 9) at 2pm, so let me know if you’d like one or both.

Our 2nd dues renewal notices finally went out on Wednesday and while the process through MemberCentral is getting better, we still don’t have a pay-for-the-whole-association-at-once button.  Perhaps if we all ring that bell, its development might move up to the front burner.  In my mind, ideally, an email will go to the executive director with a list of the association’s NATLE members along with selection boxes to uncheck if someone has left.  I’d like to think that would be logical for your attorney members’ firms, too.

The registration and hotel reservation pages for our Winter Meeting in Miami (Feb 15-16) are live, so if you need to get the expense in for 2024, there’s no stopping you!  The program themed, “From Prospect to President: Creating a Culture of Commitment” is taking shape and topics will revolve around the common experience of engaging and retaining members.  I’m 99.44% sure that Trish Hudson of the Melos Institute is our keynote speaker on Saturday and we’re talking about offering one-on-one “clinics” with her during the conference.  If you’re interested in getting a jumpstart on the principals of relation-based associations, her book, The Member Engagement Paradox, is available on the website.  I have a copy and look forward to cracking it open later today.  This will be a program that benefits not only executive directors, but all staff, especially membership and development managers.

The Spark Mill (TSM) will have a review copy of the CEO Compensation Survey for the Working Group next week with plans to distribute by the middle of the month.  The analysis and report will be ready in January.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend!

P.S. In case you’re still here…I know I’m not alone when I say, “I can’t wait for the next week to be over.”  I’m not normally the anxious type, but climate change-induced hurricanes and typhoons, wars in every corner of the world, ICBMs flying around the Far East, not to mention that thing happening next Tuesday…something about picking the next person to serve in the most powerful position on earth, and oh yeah, our upcoming conference, I find myself endlessly staring at the ceiling in the wee hours.  The only glimmer of good news this week came yesterday morning when I woke up to hear that the Dodgers beat the Yankees in an exciting turnaround.  I’m not a huge baseball fan, but c’mon, that was impressive.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

The Winter Meeting Planning Committee for Miami (Feb 15-16) has gone gangbusters putting together a program themed, “From Prospect to President: Creating a Culture of Commitment”.  The Committee also met with Trish Hudson of the Melos Institute on Wednesday.  The website is well worth a look to understand the value of their work on membership-based organizations (MBOs) and the impact of a relation-centered approach.  Ms. Hudson is very interested in spending time with NATLE members, not only at the conference in an interactive session, but also in the lead up to February understanding the existing and varied TLA cultures.  She also mentioned conducting an orientation (potentially the Friday evening when we’ll all be in Miami) on how to get the most out of the conference and helping new members make connections with counterparts in other TLAs.  We’re in the early stages, but I can’t overstate her interest in conveying the nuanced differences between transaction-based organizations and relation-based associations, in Relation-Centered Engagement: The Future of Associations.  This will be a program that benefits not only executive directors, but all staff, especially membership and development managers, though it has been said that everyone on staff is responsible for recruiting and retaining members.  Registration is open!

The Spark Mill (TSM) has our Working Group’s suggested changes to the questions of the CEO Compensation Survey and I’ve asked TSM to provide an estimated timeline for distribution.  I’ll keep you posted.

We have one seat left on the Newport Trolley Ride & Mansion Tour, on Saturday (Nov 9) at 2pm, so let me know if you’d like it.  Reminders about the trolley ticket invoices went out on Tuesday.  Please submit payment as soon as possible.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend!

P.S. In case you’re still here…referring back to a P.S. from the first week of July, I attended the memorial for my friend’s older brother on Saturday.  It was held at an historic homestead that has been adopted by the local gardening association – picture a gorgeous setting for summer weddings with an amazing view of the Green Mountains.  After my friend, Patrick, and Phil’s niece and nephew, shared their memories, the floor opened to anyone who wanted to offer their thoughts.  Without exception, everyone remarked on Phil’s positive attitude and resilience in the face of chronic pain due to degenerative scoliosis.  He never played the woah-is-me card, but instead drew upon his education and training in psychology to focus on and engage the other person.  Phil delighted in making up for the years he’d lived out-of-state by spending quality time with his niece and nephew, getting to know them as young adults.  At times, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, but we also shared more than a few laughs.  A perfectly-timed chuckle came when his nephew, Jackson, said he was a little intimidated by how smart Phil was.  One of Phil’s high school classmates piped up with, “You’re not alone!”  It broke the tension and we all relaxed for the rest of the stories that I could have listened to all day.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

The CEO Compensation Survey Working Group has finalized its review of the questions used in the 2022 survey.  The Spark Mill (TSM) will now format and distribute the survey as soon as possible.  I can convey the timeline next week.

The results of Staff Salary Survey were delivered to the NATLE Board at its meeting yesterday.  The drafted dashboard is a bit thin as to usefulness, so Steve Pontoni and I will work on additional crosstabs before we distribute.

Reminders on the trolley ticket invoices will go out on Monday.  We have one seat left on the Trolley Ride & Mansion Tour, so let me know if you’d like it.

An initial Planning Committee for NATLE’s 2025 Winter Meeting in Miami met last week and is off to a great start with timely topics and speakers.  If you’ve been looking for a way to get involved in NATLE and have ideas for sessions and/or events, let me know.  The Committee will meet again next week, and every few weeks until we have most of the program confirmed and a brochure drafted.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend!

P.S. In case you’re still here…I haven’t felt more discombobulated than I have this week in years.  It had been about eight years since I’d had both upstairs bathrooms renovated and I wasn’t itchy to make any new changes.  That was, until I noticed the nextdoor neighbor’s addition includes a small deck off their 2nd floor master bedroom.  Eureka!  My office is in the bonus room that my mother had added above the garage that she called her “quilting room”.  Sadly, I don’t yet quilt…I feel like that’s something I won’t be qualified to start until I’m at least into my late 60s.  So, when the WFH movement began, I rearranged and added some office furniture to take advantage of the southern exposure and great light.  The result of my Eureka moment has led to a 10’x20’ deck off the back of my office accessible through a new door.  Starting next spring, I’ll be able to enjoy the great outdoors rather than merely glance at it between my two monitors.  My discombobulation comes from getting booted by the contractors while they’ve made noise, drilling, sawing, and hammering.  Yesterday was the most disrupted since the mudder/taper guy was redoing the wall around the new door.  The wifi in the sunroom is spotty and wouldn’t be consistent for the Board meeting, so I shoehorned myself and the laptop into a small spare bedroom with bad lighting.  It all worked out in the end, but lord, how did we ever manage with just one screen?

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

A Working Committee has taken a first pass through the questions in the CEO Compensation Survey conducted by The Spark Mill (TSM) in 2022.  The Group will meet again next week to finalize before forwarding to TSM for formatting and distribution.  There’s still time to submit questions if you found anything missing in the previous version.

The results of the Staff Salary Survey will be presented to the NATLE Board next Thursday.  Any additional crosstabs will be incorporated, and the slides forwarded ASAP.

An initial Planning Committee for NATLE’s 2025 Winter Meeting in Miami met on Wednesday and is off to a great start with timely topics and speakers.  If you’ve been looking for a way to get involved in NATLE and have ideas for sessions and/or events, let me know.  The Committee will meet every few weeks until we have most of the program confirmed and a brochure drafted.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend and a meaningful Yom Kippur, if you observe,

P.S. In case you’re still here…I had my first hot chocolate of the season this week.  It feels like not that long ago when I folded up the comforter and put away the electrical blanket and flannel jammies.  Frost was in the forecast, so last weekend I gladly ripped out the tomatoes and peppers, as well as the “volunteer” squash that was most likely an inedible gourd.  It’s also time to take the slow cooker off the top shelf for my favorite comfort foods like pot roast and Chicken Marbella.  I love this time of year when I can change the oil and drain the gas in the lawn mower and switch its position in the garage with the snowblower.

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

I just returned from Kansas City (MO) to check out the four properties that are vying to host our GAC next November.  Through our Nashville speaker, Ricky Hopkins with ConferenceDirect, and a fantastic representative from the Visit KC bureau, Shilene Aaron, I had a whirlwind itinerary that came at no cost to NATLE.  The CVB covered my flight and one of the hotels put me up for two nights.  It was also a between-conference treat to see NATLE President-Elect Sara Schuett who drove over from Jefferson City.  Her first-hand experience with the properties is helpful to visualizing the layout of the spaces.  (More on KC in the P.S.)

Our 4th Monday Zoom Series in September was a review of the recent meeting of the National Council of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) and their continued discussion on the NCOIL Transparency in Third Party Litigation Financing (TPLF) Model Act.  Daniel Hinkle, Senior Counsel for Policy and State Affairs, has convened a task force of NATLE members to address NCOIL and the efforts that emerge from their meetings relative to our interests.

The first dues renewal notices were distributed last month and I hope to have a smoother experience (for you) when I send any reminders.  MemberCentral support is great, so I expect to have that process moving on Monday.

Registration for the Governmental Affairs Conference is comparable to previous years and are still coming in.  Our room block is available until October 15, so please don’t wait to make your hotel reservations at the Hotel Viking.  If you are holding rooms that you now know you won’t need, please release them.  Friday night of our room block may be SOLD OUT, but there are still rooms available beginning Saturday 11/10.  For transportation options from the airports (Boston (BOS) is 63 miles from Newport and TF Green Airport in Providence (PVD) is 18 miles), include a car service from PVD or visit the shared document to coordinate rides with your colleagues.

The trolley tickets are sold out for our Newport Trolley Ride & Mansion Tour, but we still have unlimited half-priced tickets ($18) for the mansion tour at 2:15pm.  They are pre-paid, so let me know how many you’d like and I’ll forward an invoice, and transportation to our first stop, The Breakers, can be a quick Uber/Lyft from the Hotel Viking.  If you have purchased a seat on the trolley and end up not needing it or are unable to make it, please let me know as soon as possible so we can fill that spot from a waiting list.  The trolley departs at 2pm on Saturday, November 9, from the Hotel and will bring us back by 5:15pm in time to get to the Happy Hour at The Fastnet Pub, sponsored by Esquire Bank.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend,

P.S. In case you’re still here…I’m having a hard time getting my brain around the images coming out of the states affected by the most recent hurricane.  Having lived in NC and driven through some of the areas covered by the news, it looks like they’ve been completely rearranged and are truly unrecognizable.  I hope everyone in this NATLE family and beyond has been able to get through to all friends and loved ones.

P.P.S. I’ll admit that I wasn’t glued to the tube in the hotel on Wednesday night when the Kansas City Royals played the Orioles.  The final result, 2-1, would have been a high scoring soccer match, but was underwhelming for this agnostic (and only occasional) baseball fan.  At least I can say, “I was there” for the game that moved them to the playoffs.  My flight out yesterday morning had me leaving the hotel before sunrise and, in a charming show of support and unity, many of the big buildings in the city were bathed in blue light.  I even spotted a few heads of blue hair in the airport – not all of them belonging to little old ladies.  Vermont doesn’t have a direct sports correlation, so it all put a smile on my face.  Very cute.

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

Our 4th Monday Zoom Series this month has been pushed a week to this coming Monday, September 30 at 4pmET.  The National Council of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) recently held a meeting to continue discussion on the NCOIL Transparency in Third Party Litigation Financing (TPLF) Model Act.  Daniel Hinkle, Senior Counsel for Policy and State Affairs, has convened a task force of NATLE members to address NCOIL and the efforts that emerge from their meetings relative to our interests.  Hear the report from the NCOIL interim meeting on third party litigation finance and planned next steps.  Click on the above link to register for the Zoom.

The trolley tickets are sold out for our Newport Trolley Ride & Mansion Tour, but we still have unlimited half-priced tickets ($18) for the mansion tour at 2:15pm.  They are pre-paid, so let me know how many you’d like (I’ll forward an invoice) and transportation to our first stop, The Breakers, can be a quick Uber/Lyft from the Hotel Viking.  If you have purchased a seat on the trolley and end up not needing it or are unable to make it, please let me know as soon as possible so we can fill that spot from a waiting list.  The trolley departs at 2pm on Saturday, November 9, from the Hotel and will bring us back by 5:15pm in time to get to the Happy Hour at The Fastnet Pub, sponsored by Esquire Bank.

Registration for the Governmental Affairs Conference is strong and the Hotel Viking has let me know that the Friday night of our room block may be SOLD OUT.  There are still rooms available beginning Saturday 11/10, so we strongly suggest making your hotel reservations.  For transportation options from the airports (Boston (BOS) is 63 miles from Newport and TF Green Airport in Providence (PVD) is 18 miles), include a car service from PVD or visit the shared document to coordinate rides with your colleagues.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend,

P.S. In case you’re still here…I was in traffic waiting for the light to change earlier this week and witnessed a rare event.  A couple came out of a convenience store and instead of the man immediately climbing into the driver’s seat, he walked around the vehicle and opened the door for the woman.  It was so obviously a practiced move and not a surprise to her, that it told me he’s regularly a gentleman.  I couldn’t hear her expression of appreciation, but I wanted to roll down my own window and yell, “thank you!”.  It’s such a simple thing – opening or holding a door for someone – but I say “thank you” EVERY time.  I had a Swiss babysitter, Noonie, from my earliest days up to about age seven and she taught us to say “please” and “thank you” to the point that it’s second nature.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hung up on gender roles and think it’s just on the man to be chivalrous, it was simply an example of an incredibly sweet interaction between two people who care about each other and, for me, it showed a politeness and respect that is rapidly disappearing these days.  Depending upon the mood I’m in, the Snark in me comes out when I’ve held the door for someone and the rube says nothing.  I’ll not-so-subtly say, “you’re welcome!”.

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

Available seating on the trolley for our Newport Trolley Ride & Mansion Tour is down to one (for NATLE members and guests), so let me know if you are interested and plan to arrive at the Hotel Viking by early afternoon.  The trolley departs at 2pm on Saturday, November 9, from the Hotel and will bring us back by 5:15pm in time for Happy Hour at The Fastnet Pub, sponsored by Esquire Bank.  A minimal charge ($25) on pre-ordered tour tickets will supplement the cost of the trolley rental and admission for a self-guided tour through the The Breakers and a swing out to Fort Adams.  Once seating on the trolley sells out, we still have unlimited half-priced tickets for the mansion tour at 2:15pm, but transportation is on your own.  Let me know if you’d like to join this excursion around Newport’s historic district, as well as Fort Adams, by email and how many tickets you’d like.  Mansion-only tickets are available to all comers!

In the meantime, registration for the Governmental Affairs Conference is strong and the Hotel Viking has let me know that the Friday night of our room block is SOLD OUT.  There are still rooms available beginning Saturday 11/10, so we strongly suggest making your hotel reservations.  Also, if you’re making your flight arrangements, Boston (BOS) is 63 miles from Newport and TF Green Airport in Providence (PVD) is 18 miles.  Transportation options include a car service from PVD or visit the shared document to coordinate rides with your colleagues.

We plugged the GAC on AAJ’s Council of Presidents call on Wednesday.  If your presidents and/or presidents-elect don’t hear about the conference from you, this is their only exposure to our “marketing”.  Please share our announcements with your volunteer leaders and government affairs coordinators, or forward their email(s) and I’ll make sure they receive them.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend,

P.S. In case you’re still here…I have just a few pages to go in Louise Penny’s book, State of Terror, that she co-authored with Hillary Rodham Clinton.  I LOVE Penny’s Inspector Gamache series and have laughed (and cried) through his adventures, sometimes successful, undeniably edge-of-your-seat.  State of Terror doesn’t disappoint.  We follow the main character, the Secretary of State, as the whole story spans a fast and furious few days filled with bombs, shady politicians, and relatable family dynamics.  It doesn’t take much of a leap to discern that the gullible, inept, and easily manipulable former-President character, represents a not-so-distant former President here in the U.S.  The insider’s POV surely comes care of former Secretary Clinton, but the well-crafted prose, character development, and literary timing, is all Penny.  I plan to finish it tonight, so no spoilers!
P.P.S. I was just treated to a backyard visit from a juvenile red-tailed hawk.  It sat on a branch I can see squarely between my two monitors for a few minutes.  Alas, willing it to address the squirrel population didn't work, so the critters will continue to thrive.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

The Newport Trolley Ride & Mansion Tour is proving to be a welcome addition to the schedule for those planning to arrive at the Hotel Viking by early afternoon (2pm) on Saturday, November 9, ahead of the Governmental Affairs Conference.  A minimal charge ($25) on pre-ordered tickets will supplement the cost of the trolley rental and admission to The Breakers.  After the self-guided tour through the mansion and a drive out to Fort Adams, the trolley will bring us back to the Hotel Viking by 5:30pm in time for Happy Hour at The Fastnet Pub, sponsored by Esquire Bank.  (Seating on the trolley is limited and as of this morning, we have 10 seats left.  Let me know if you’d like to join this excursion around Newport’s historic district, as well as Fort Adams, by email and how many tickets you’d like.)

In the meantime, registration is open and we strongly suggest making your hotel reservations.  If you’re at the step of making your flight arrangements, Boston (BOS) is 63 miles from Newport and Providence Airport (PVD) is 18 miles

The ByLaws Committee is meeting this morning to discuss language that will provide better clarification as to eligibility for membership.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend,

P.S. In case you’re still here…I am in Maryland ahead of a wedding tomorrow.  One of my high school classmates is getting married and I couldn’t be happier for him.  We’ve never been super close, but whenever we see each other, he’s the kind of friend where we just pick up where we left off.  He came up to Vermont during the early part of the pandemic for a visit and I have photographic evidence of a very late night spent around my fire pit in the backyard with another former classmate.  The three of us caught up under a clear sky where, through the fog of a few adult beverages, the constellations were all the more fascinating.  So, I’m down here in Frederick staying with a friend from grad school for a few days.  It’s the shared experiences, whatever they may be, that create memories.  In this case, my friend Nancy, her daughter Kayla, and I walked to restaurants in a nearby strip mall for lunch the last two days and they introduced me to the local infestation of the spotted lanternfly.  This invasive species was not quite at Biblical-plague-level bad, but Kayla showed me the proper eradication method…the stomp.  Our kill rate was about 90% -- they’re quick to get out of the way at the last nanosecond – and it was satisfying to do my part.  At least I can say this trip is far from “all work and no play”.