A New Image for DRI International

– by John L. Fiegel, CAE

The organization has adopted some changes recently which should be of interest to members and non-members alike.

ABCP Certification
The DRI International Board of Directors voted unanimously to recognize the Associate Business Continuity Planner as an actual certification level rather than a designation. These individuals must pass the Certified Business Continuity Professional exam with a score of at least 75%. Congratulations to all ABCPs!

Recertification Amnesty
In March, DRI International announced a recertification amnesty period. This program states, if you are a certified professional whose recertification period ended December 31, 2000, you were automatically granted full CEU credit (80 CEUs) for that recertification period. Your next recertification period began on schedule on January 1, 2001.
If you are a certified professional whose first year of the two-year recertification period ended December 31, 2000, you were automatically granted 40 CEUs for 2000. All certified professionals must also pay 2001 maintenance fees by August 31, 2001 to remain in good standing.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
The staff has worked hard to update all members’ files with their continuing education units and their maintenance fees. By the time this article is printed, all current DRI International members should have received their 2001-membership card and a status report on their CEUs. From this point forward, DRI International will acknowledge receipt of your ongoing CEU points within two weeks after you submit them to us.

Help Us Find You
If you have not received your membership card or CEU status report, please contact the office so that we may update your record. If your address has changed, please e-mail us with your new information at driinfo@drii.org or phone us at 703-538-1792

Update or Reinstate Your Membership
If you haven’t paid a maintenance fee in a couple years, or if for any other reason you did not receive an invoice for 2001 maintenance fees, DRI International would like to welcome you back.
Contact DRII for details and to verify your current mailing address. As DRI International’s Executive Director, I have wide-ranging authority from the Board of Directors to make your reinstatement as easy as possible.

Get Involved
The Recertification Committee of the Institute’s Certification Board is updating the point schedule for how one accumulates CEUs for recertification. Please take the time to review the current point schedule on the website at www.drii.org. If you would like to have input into this process, please e-mail your comments to driinfo@drii.org.

DRI International Strategic Plan
On April 21-22, 2001, DRI International held a strategic planning retreat. The Board of Directors felt that it was time to take a strong look at the direction the Institute should be heading.
The retreat opened with welcoming comments from Chairman Cole Emerson, noting the importance of the strategic planning effort and its role in helping to establish the future direction for DRI International. He challenged the group to develop a realistic Strategic Plan that will build the Institute and increase performance to address the negative perceptions of members and others. At the same time, he urged the need for all to recognize the balance between volunteers and staff, each of whom has defined roles, responsibilities, and expectations for performance. Further, the organization needs to address the value of the profession, the value of certification, and the tactical concerns many have expressed. In addition, DRI International’s new Strategic Plan must include follow-through with an implementation plan that all are committed to if the credibility of the organization is to be maintained.
There was consensus that DRI International was at a crossroads in its history, with an opportunity for growth and the need to position the organization as a leader in the industry. This strategic planning process, while a great investment of time and effort, is undoubtedly among the most important things the organization needs to do for its future. While there may have been problems in the past, the group agreed that the organization must look forward to the future, identifying achievable goals, which are fully communicated to the members.
The group spent considerable time reviewing trends, which currently affect or will affect the Institute over the next three to five years. The assessment took into account sociological/demographic trends, technological trends, economic trends, legislative/regulatory trends and professional/educational/research trends. It also assessed the internal environment including the organization’s strengths and weaknesses as well as DRI International’s stakeholders: constituents, allies, partners, and competitors. It developed the following mission statement:
To Advance the Institute’s Position as the Global Provider of Professional Standards, Education, and Certification for the Survival and Continuity of Organizations.
The mission, goals and strategic objectives identified by the retreat participants in DRI International’s Strategic Plan provides a significant challenge to the Institute-its leadership, members and staff-and will require the commitment of all parties to ensure it is realized. Over the summer the Board of Directors will refine the plan in coordination with the Certification Board. We hope to publish the completed plan on the web site, www.drii.org in September.
As Chairman Cole Emerson and I said at the annual membership meeting during the DRJ conference in San Diego, it has been a difficult transition from St. Louis to Falls Church for the organization. While we are now caught up with CEUs, processing certification applications more quickly, and expanding venues for educational course offerings, we know we need to continue to improve customer service. We encourage you to contact us via e-mail or by phone. Please let us know how we may improve our service to you. We look forward to seeing you at one of the many industry conferences. Please stop by our booth and introduce yourself.

John L. Fiegel is DRII’s Executive Director. He has more than twelve years of association management experience in government processes. He is a Certified Association Executive as conferred by the American Society of Association Executives.

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