Summer e-News – President’s Message

MAMC friends—

I hope everyone is having a great summer so far! Summer Conference 2025 is in the history books—I can hardly believe it was just a little over a month ago! All the comments I heard, from attendees and vendors alike, were positive. That’s a testament to the amazing job that our Conference and Education Committees do. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The MAMC Board of Directors fill 11 different jobs across 7 different committees and a few additional sub-committees. All of them do the behind-the-scenes work that keeps MAMC running year after year. If you enjoy seeing the questions, responses, and memes on our Facebook page or the info in our newsletters, there’s a director keeping the page running and wrangling Board members to get articles each quarter. If you’re working on MiPMC certification, there are directors helping you not just earn the points but also understand how to use them at each level. If you’ve been keeping an eye on the legislation that affects the jobs we do, there are directors bringing you up-to-the-minute information and relaying the clerk perspective to legislators with the help of our lobbyist. Some of the work is mundane—minutes and budgets and the rules that govern the association. But all of it relies on Board members. So, I’d like to thank the current Board as well as the Board members of the past 25 years for nurturing this organization through the ups and downs of #clerklife.

Speaking of the past 25 years, I’d like to thank our past presidents, especially, for all the support they give us. I took the enormous step of applying to become a Board member at the suggestion of a past president. I’m pretty sure there are other Board members who can say the same thing. But more important than just nudging people towards Board membership, those past presidents stick around, offering words of encouragement and much-needed advice—not just to the Board but to the entire membership—as well as running our Board elections at every Summer Conference. Every one of them at Conference this year made sure I knew that they are there for me as I step into the role that they once held. They all had a hand in making MAMC what it is today. But their real legacy is in the support they provide to those coming in behind them. As the saying goes, we stand on the shoulders of giants—and I appreciate them more than they know.

I also greatly appreciate everyone who applied to run for a Board seat, including our newest Board members Kyle Whitney, Sarah Stoltzfus and Jill Gruppen. Having been in that position, I know that it’s no small thing to step up and be willing to take on what can sometimes amount to a second job—as if #clerklife doesn’t already put enough on our plates. But the other thing I know from having been there is that everyone who does join the Board somehow manages to find enough extra room on their plates to do a great job in whatever position they’re assigned as a Board member. It’s that same clerk magic that we all use to do our jobs no matter what crazy stuff is tossed our way. Welcome aboard, Kyle, Sarah and Jill!

If it sounds like I’m really ‘talking up’ the job the Board does, it’s because I’ve found Board membership to be so rewarding over the years that I’ve been a member. I highly encourage anyone who’s interested to just ask any Board member about it and consider applying any time there are openings. The important thing about Board membership is that none of us will hold our seats forever. We have a succession plan set up by way of annual elections, but we need new people to keep taking that leap each year. And I’m willing to bet that anyone who is elected or appointed to the Board will find it as rewarding as I have.

Anyway, this letter is getting pretty long already, so let me just add a couple last things…

For as much fun and learning as we all had at Summer Conference, the Education Committee never takes a break. Mark your calendars for the next Member Education Day on August 27at Soaring Eagle Conference Center! I’m not sure what all they have planned, but I’m sure it’ll be fabulous! We’ll also have a U.P. Member Ed Day on October 8, just for our members ‘UP there.’ Then there’s Master Academy December 2–4 Comfort Inn Conference Center in Mt. Pleasant. And make sure to block off June 15-19, 2026, on your calendar for Summer Conference 2026 in Kalamazoo!

Now, go enjoy summer! Take a break if you can. (And if you have an August election, at least carve out a little ‘me time,’ to recharge your batteries when it’s over!) I’m really excited to serve you all as President this year (as scary as that sounds when I say “President” out loud) and I’m looking forward to working with the entire Board and all of you to make it a great year!