May 2022 - Dorie Wirtz

Dorie Wirtz - Account, Director at Boundless Impact Agency and VP of Education for MPI Georgia 

As I write this, the Education Team is preparing for our final program of the year. Since I believe events are a team sport (said by a somewhat non-sports person!), I could not have had a better team. However, the thing about teams is that the players and the playing field change along the way, and you have to adapt.

The dictionary says, “ADAPT means to make suitable to requirements or conditions; adjust or modify fittingly.”

As a leader, it is often essential to look at the whole picture, and sometimes that picture changes suddenly (i.e., the pandemic). With that experience, we had to adjust how we planned our programs.

When we started the year, we knew that we were hopefully moving back to some semblance of normal conditions but also needed to understand how that would impact what our members wanted.  In order to do that we decided to do a survey. The results guided us in choosing suitable speakers and topics.

While this past year has gotten us back to in-person meetings, we did have to modify in January when we went back to virtual. Then, adding to that surprise, we had committee changes due to job requirements. But, once again, the team came together to make our programs happen.

And fittingly, as I look back on my years in MPI as a member and being on the Board, we are an all-star team that adapts and comes together to support our chapter and each other. Through my volunteering, I have gained knowledge about our industry, learned how to be a better leader, and built professional and personal relationships that are invaluable to me and for which I am very grateful.