What is Your Favorite NAEM Experience?
“Attending the EHS&S Management Forums.”
— Mike Miller, President, NAEM Board of Directors
“I have two that were recent. One: Charlotte — I was able to bring a few of my international Directors to the NAEM annual EHS&S Forum. The big evening event included food, live music, pool tables and darts. A great number of participants attended and the energy in the place reminded me of college scenes (you know, when your football team won THE away game of the season and everyone was out, all celebrating; nothing in common except they all went to the same college). My team got to meet so many people during the day and then have a lively evening of celebrating a successful event.
Two: Fort Lauderdale — the close-out session in the big ballroom. NAEM Forum team members performed for everyone. just little 5-minute looks into their lives, their jobs, themselves as people. I was mesmerized by each performance, choreographed to the slideshows with music that ‘kicked ass’. It was better than any paid performance my companies have purchased to ‘awe’ employees at the end of a conference. I have got to say, I have been a little star-struck around some of those performers since then (including Deborah and Drena who are still on the the Board)!”
— Anne Monine, 1st Vice President, NAEM Board of Directors
“Participating on the Board. I can’t wait to see what the next few years brings.”
— Nicole Wilkinson, 2nd Vice President, NAEM Board of Directors
“Co-chairing the 2019 Women’s Leadership Roundtable with Drena Howard!”
— Fawn Bergen, Treasurer, NAEM Board of Directors
“Hands-down it is the creation of the Women’s Leadership Roundtable. We weren’t sure there would be a market for yet another women’s leadership program, but the response to and growth of the conference proved that there was a significant gap — and NAEM was there to fill it. From those early days, when a group of members got together to brainstorm and organize that first program, to what it has become today is incredibly rewarding. I am blown away by how successful it has become. I am most proud of how it is now an integral part of NAEM's stable of programs, supporting the growth of emerging women leaders in the EHS&S profession. That’s what a community of practice does — it lifts up those around them.”
— Sandy Nessing, Past President, NAEM Board of Directors
“Having time with other NAEM members at events. Hopefully we can get back to in-person functions soon!”
— John Guttman, General Counsel, NAEM Board of Directors
“My favorite experience...there are several I could speak to; however, the one that stands out for me was the year I had the opportunity to stretch myself and lead an ignite presentation. I have presented hundreds of times in front of audiences, but I have always had control over my slides and could pace the messaging. The ignite presentation required pre-timed slides and forced me to follow a script to ensure my messages were conveyed in a prescribed timeframe. I rehearsed and practiced that presentation more than any I have given in my career. When I reflect on the experience, I was pushed outside of my comfort zone and the NAEM team was their supporting and encouraging me the entire time. It ended up being a very rewarding and positive experience!”
— Deborah Briggs, Director-at-Large, NAEM Board of Directors
“One of my favorite experiences was my first-ever NAEM Women’s Leadership Roundtable, in Portland, Oregon when I had been in my role for less than a year. The whole conference was incredible, and I left with pages and pages of notes to share with my friends and peers. I had decided not to leave the day of the conference so I could do a site visit of one of my company’s nearby locations. That evening, I found myself in the hotel lobby, eating dinner and reading a book, when I noticed someone at the other end of the bar who seemed familiar. It was Sandy Nessing! I had recognized her from the conference and went to tell her hello. I had expected a quick, cordial hello back and for her to then be on her way. Instead, Sandy and I talked for quite a long time. She told me about NAEM as an organization, her role, and career path. I asked her an incessant amount of questions, and she patiently answered each one. Sandy and I exchanged information and she has been a great mentor to me ever since!”
— Katie Chrisler, Director-at-Large, NAEM Board of Directors
“The Impact Conference held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in summer of 2019. I was given the opportunity to help in planning the event, and the process of working with the professional staff at NAEM to put it together was fantastic, and really very easy because they know so much and have so much experience. I would certainly recommend to any NAEM member to volunteer to help plan future events, as I can assure you that not only will you learn during the process but also enjoy working with the rest of the team. Once we all got there and had an opportunity to put people into rooms for knowledge transfer, discussions and networking it was really great to see the passion and the excitement from all the participants. It was a fun week, and I look forward to gathering safely with our community in person in the months and years to come.”
— James Goudreau, Director-at-Large, NAEM Board of Directors
Drena Howard
“I have a few favorite NAEM experiences: 1. The fall Forums and Women’s Leadership Roundtables are always top favorites for me and 2. I have met some of best professional friends and colleagues at NAEM networking events!”
— Drena Howard, Director-at-Large, NAEM Board of Directors
“My favorite experience is the NAEM Forums that I have attended over the years. I learn practical ideas that can be implemented at LDI, but spending time away from the day-to-day grind and making connections with other in-house EHS&S professionals or affiliates. I always have fun, meet new people, and get energized to take on the new challenges.”
— Marc Juaire, Director-at-Large, NAEM Board of Directors
“When the annual Sustainability Impact Conference pivoted to online in 2020, I decided to use the opportunity to bring a larger team to the event than in years past because it was so easy to do so. During the event, our team had a fantastic group chat over Microsoft Teams as people reacted to speakers and reflected on how we should change our approach based on what we learned — such as the impact of COVID-19 on our sustainability strategy. It was a great team-building experience and something that would have been hard to replicate while all seated silently at an in-person conference —an unexpected silver lining. We enjoyed the virtual format so much, we decided to attend the annual Forum with an even larger team and had a similar experience.”
— Kelvin Sanborn, Director-at-Large, NAEM Board of Directors
“The EHS&S Forum has always been a favorite of mine. That event is always so well done. There is something unique about the atmosphere at the Forum — it is a fairly large event at 600+ participants, yet it still feels very intimate and personal. There is such positive energy at the event — it always reinvigorates me and I come away with a lot of learning nuggets I can take back and immediately apply.”
— David Williams, Director-at-Large, NAEM Board of Directors
“My favorite aspect of NAEM is being with everyone at NAEM events. Even though we conducted our conferences virtually last year, I still loved seeing everyone online.”
— Carol Singer Neuvelt, Executive Director, NAEM