AIIP conference wrap-up – Minneapolis April 2018
Members of the Association of Independent Information Professionals (AIIP – visit aiip.org) met for their 32nd annual conference April 19-22 2018 at the Millennium Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The annual conference provided a unique opportunity for independent informational professionals from around the world to meet, build new relationships and hone their business skills.
This year’s theme of Thriving in the New Normal was well represented in program sessions and highlighted with the keynote speech by Mary Meehan, Co-founder and CEO, Panoramix Global. A future issue of AIIP Connections publication will include write-ups of the conference sessions.
The new Board of Directors for AIIP includes incoming appointments Judith Binder, President-Elect, and Cindy Romaine and George Puro, Directors-at-large, and Phyllis Smith, Secretary.
The new members join Cindy Shamel, President, Scott Attenborough, Past-President, Anne Hengehold, Director-at-large and Marydee Ojala, Treasurer.
A highlight of the conference was the annual presentation of AIIP awards.
The Roger Summit Lecture Award was presented to Clare Hart, CEO of Sterling Talent Solutions who spoke about how the pace of change is impacting our lives and what it means from a career perspective.
The Marilyn Levine AIIP President’s Award, which recognizes a person or institution who has demonstrated extraordinary support of the objectives of AIIP, went to Shelly Azar of Insight Researchers.
Presenting the award, President Scott Attenborough said:
“It’s not unusual to find doggedly loyal, dedicated and involved members in AIIP. So it’s a tremendous distinction to be singled out as having demonstrated extraordinary commitment and initiative. Shelly led the project to discover Who We Are, led the Mentoring Committee for three years and has been the leader responsible for the last two member surveys. She is always ready to step up to the plate to ensure our association continues to deliver valuable resources to our membership.”
The Roger Summit Conference Sponsorship, which awards a free AIIP conference registration plus $1,000 to an AIIP member who has not previously attended the conference, was presented to Betty Nordeng of Willowriv Consulting.
Roger Summit prompted and inspired this award with a generous contribution to AIIP. Roger, a leading pioneer of the online information industry and the founder of Dialog, has been a strong supporter of AIIP since its inception, and he continues to support AIIP.
Jan Knight, Bancroft Information Services was awarded the Sue Rugge Memorial Award. In memory of Sue Rugge, a pioneer in making “independent information professional” a career path, the award of $500 stipend is awarded to an AIIP member who has significantly helped another member through formal or informal mentoring. Nomination comments regarding Jan included:
“I am honored to have been a mentee under her skillful mentorship. She was adept at listening to my goals and then offered guidance tailored to my interests. She brought me in as a subcontractor and taught me invaluable ways to hone my skills as an info pro. She continues to mentor me informally when I have questions. Her posts on the AIIP list are always informative, in countless and varied topics, to the entire membership.”
AIIP is grateful to Information Today for sponsoring the $350 award given to the writer of the best article published in AIIP Connections each year. The award is designed to encourage original contributions to our newsletter and to recognize the value of those contributions. The award was presented to Jan Knight, Bancroft Information Services for the article “Wearing Two Hats” in the December 2017 issue of AIIP Connections.
The Association of Independent Information Professionals is the leading global association for information professionals working independently. Its members include business owners running diverse info-centric businesses.
Whether as marketers, researchers, technologists, writers or consultants, AIIP members expertly leverage information to benefit their clients. AIIP’s worldwide professional network nurtures and supports both experienced and novice information entrepreneurs.
