History

Geographical

At its inception in 1991, the Carolinas Chapter encompassed North Carolina and South Carolina.  In 1997, the Carolinas Chapter absorbed the Southeast Chapter (Georgia, Alabama, and Florida), which had become inactive.  At this time, the name of the Chapter then changed from the Carolinas Chapter to the Carolina South-Atlantic Chapter (CASA) to reflect the expanded geography. In 2004, the Chapter added Tennessee to its membership base and geographical territory.

Membership/Growth

In May 1991, the Chapter held its first meeting, an FDA presentation, with approximately with 60 people attending. More than 100 attended its next meeting and 200 attended the third activity.  In its second year, the membership had grown to more than 300 and has continued to grow to its current membership of more than 1300 members.    

Leadership

The Steering Committee responsible for forming the Chapter was led by Patricia Lewis who had moved from Massachusetts, where she had been an active member of the Boston Chapter.  She networked and met several other individuals from local operating companies and eventually chartered the ISPE Carolinas Chapter.  The Chapter grew rapidly throughout the 90’s and was very successful, winning multiple “Chapter Excellence of the Year” awards.  (See the Chapter Awards page for a complete list.)

Other Accomplishments

1. Developed the first Chapter Handbook in 1993, which remains the prototype for all ISPE Chapter and Affiliate Handbooks.
2. First ISPE Chapter to hire a professional Chapter Manager bringing management to a new level.

Special thanks to long time CASA member and past-President Jane Brown for providing most of the information for the Chapter history.