ISPE Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter Recognized with the ISPE Affiliate and Chapter Excellence Award
The 2024 ISPE International Honor Awards, presented at the 2024 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo, enable the ISPE community to recognize and celebrate ISPE members who go above and beyond in supporting ISPE and its mission. Debra Kaufmann, Senior Manager of PR and Communications, US and Canada, for the PQE Group and member of the ISPE Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter, authored the following blog post in which she reflects on this recognition for the ISPE Chapter.
I was proud and excited to learn that the ISPE Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter was honored with the ISPE Affiliate and Chapter Excellence Award at the 2024 ISPE Annual Meeting & Expo. I was proud because I am a member of the ISPE Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter, serve as its Newsletter Committee Chair and assisted in the development of the nomination. I was excited because I work for PQE Group, a global pharmaceutical quality consultancy, which I met when I worked for ISPE as an employee. It has been a great experience to be on the other side, serving as an ISPE Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter volunteer and representing PQE Group while working with the ISPE Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter Board, other Committee Chairs, and awesome members to help support its very exciting growth and success.
I applaud the ISPE Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter and fully recognize its worthiness in receiving this well-deserved reward. The Chapter has grown significantly in recent years, and based on ISPE statistics, the ISPE Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter has the highest retained percentage of members in the US. We believe this is largely due to the great programming the ISPE Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter provides and the enthusiastic participation of its members and volunteers, along with its community-minded initiatives.
ISPE Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter has made some unique committee decisions – its ISPE Women in Pharma® and Emerging Leader groups joined together earlier this year to successfully launch numerous combined educational and networking events. These include mentor circles, career enhancement workshops, participation in STEM programs for students (thanks to the Chapter’s members working for AstraZeneca), and golf clinics tailored to help beginners learning how to play. The golf clinics also expose non-members and younger ISPE members to the soft skills needed for successful networking in a social environment. In fact, some of the non-members that attended the golf clinic event series have since joined the ISPE Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter. Happy hours are held at wineries, breweries, and other fun venues—many of which include educational or mentoring programs, meetings, or other business aspects in addition to networking opportunities.
Other committees, such as the Educational Committee, Sustainability Committee, and Social Committee, have also provided interesting and popular activities that include golf tournaments, educational webinars, and sustainability programs. They have also provided facility site tours and social events.
The Mid-Atlantic Science and Technology (MAST) Committee delivers an ever-growing annual meeting – the ISPE Mid-Atlantic Science and Technology In-Person Showcase. Every in-person or hybrid event includes a happy hour, breakfast, or other social/networking activity for those attending in-person. The Chapter actively continues to identify additional ways to network and work with other ISPE Chapters, particularly its neighboring ISPE Chapters, such as the ISPE Delaware Valley Chapter and ISPE Carolina-South Atlantic Chapter. The Chapter also engages in fundraising and volunteering activities for community programs that are of interest to ISPE Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter members.
ISPE Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter works hard to provide interesting, educational, and fun events and opportunities—as a result, it has gained a dedicated core of volunteers and enthusiastic members. The Chapter engages in volunteer leadership training and development of future leaders. In the last two years, the Chapter has seen more volunteer interest in participating in the ISPE Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter Board and Committees, as well as in event planning and implementation activities. The Chapter has also seen an increase in membership participation and attendance to its many programs and events.
My fellow members say it best:
It has been interesting for me, as a past ISPE employee, to take an active role as a ISPE Chesapeake Bay Area Chapter member and volunteer, and in addition to growing my own personal and professional network. It has given me an overall view of the ISPE organization as a whole and has provided me with a valuable career experience.
Learn more about the ISPE International Honor Awards
To learn more about ISPE Affiliates and Chapters
