news article
District AAs create guiding principles for their work
October 15, 2014 / By Beth DiCocco / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Upper New York's 12 District Administrative Assistants, or AAs, do the same job – though perhaps in different ways, and certainly in different places.
As part of a "continuing effort to have districts operate in similar ways and to keep communication open for best practices," the Conference hosts meetings each quarter where the AAs can come together as a group, said Christine Doran, Executive Assistant to the bishop.
The meetings also "keep us, as a Conference, in tune with what the needs are at the district level," she said.
The gatherings are facilitated by Doran and Mary Bradley, Office Manager in the Episcopal Office. The most recent meeting took place Oct. 7, 2014. The group also met Jan. 13, had an overnight training retreat April 4-5 at Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center in Moravia, and participated in a conference call on July 29.
The AAs are: Carrie Boyer, Adirondack District; Maxine Getty, Albany District; Rosemary DiIorio, Binghamton District; Cathy Hall, Cornerstone District; Anne Hutchins, Crossroads District; Chandani Diaz, Finger Lakes District; Betsy O'Flynn, Genesee Valley District; Cindy Muder, Mohawk District; Patti Gridley, Mountain View District; Julie Maciejewski, Niagara Frontier District; Jennifer Terrell, Northern Flow District, and Teresa A. Wood, Oneonta District.
Chandani Diaz, Finger Lakes District
These sessions have been helpful in many ways. For one thing, we are becoming more familiar with the people we deal with at the Conference Office. Also, getting to know one another as AAs has made us feel more like a team rather than 12 individuals.
The training aspects have been quite helpful ... and being able to ask questions has opened up a new experience for us.
These meetings are, in part, educational/training opportunities. On Oct. 7, the topic was Mission Connect, the new database that will hold pastor and church profiles and other information used at the district and Conference levels.
In the past, Conference staff members have provided training on various topics; Treasurer Kevin Domanico talked about how to read a manager's report, which is the budget for the district office. IT Director Clyde Wolford talked to the group about the office equipment that should be standard across districts.
The meetings are also opportunities to build relationships and develop a shared sense of purpose, Doran said.
"They are really becoming a cohesive group," she said. "They are no longer isolated in their districts, but have become incorporated into the Conference as part of the larger body. It's a good example of how to work across boundaries even in such a large geographic area."
At this most recent meeting, the AAs developed a statement of guiding principles:
- Under God’s guidance
- Stronger together
- Learning from one another
The principles are based on the following passages of Scripture:
Cindy Muder, Mohawk District
To me, it’s like every district office is its own little island within the chain. And we all do the same work, albeit a little differently to suit individual work styles and needs. So it makes sense to train all 12 of us together, rather than 12 individual sessions, and talk about the same successes and problems on the same topics with all 12 of us, rather than 12 individual conversations.
It seems each time we meet there are best practices that can be shared by all and a quicker identification of potential situations that can be addressed and solved. This would never happen if we weren’t all in a room together once in awhile.
I appreciate the foresight of the district superintendents and the bishop to commit the resources to this so we can work more effectively and cohesively.
As a group, they read the passages and everyone wrote down a word or key phrase that spoke to them about their time together. These are the key words from those Scriptures:
- One person sharpens another
- Threefold cord
- One another
- Do nothing from rivalry or conceit
- Encouraging one another
- Count others greater than yourself
- Look not only to one’s own interests, but also to the interests of others
That list was then distilled into the three guiding principles above.
"Over time, they have really become a community," Doran said, "and they are enjoying and respecting one another."
Here's what some of the AAs had to say about the quarterly meetings:
Teresa A. Wood, Oneonta District
I think the coming together of the administrative assistants is very good for all of us. It helps us to feel not so alone in the work we do. It also helps give us all the sense that what each one of us brings to group discussion is heard and recognized.
We learn a lot from getting together. We share personal stories, discuss best practices, and although we come together to work, we always seem to smile through it together!
The AAs will be meeting in 2015 as well. Dates for those gatherings have not yet been set.
