Reflections on Get Smart

By Michele Schwartz, VP of professional development and co-creator of this year’s Get Smart Conference

The evaluations are done. The final thank you notes have been written. Even the election and Matthew Dowd’s commentary on national news is over. Yet, the fabulous feeling of accomplishment and teamwork are still with me from the Get Smart Conference.

Get Smart is a relatively young event. But, it has always been the one conference every year I’ve felt is worth every penny. I remember the first year – I had been a lapsed AWC Austin member for a few years at this time – I was wowed by Stacy Armijo, a VP of Pierpont Communications. A week later, she took me to lunch as I struggled to decide what my next career move should be. Not only did I rejoin the chapter – a significant expense for someone who was out of work at the time – but also, I volunteered to help with Get Smart the following year. Who can forget the fabulous Right/Left Brain theme? I still attend retreats and coaching circles with Dianna Amorde, who was one of the breakout speakers that year. Then, it was my turn to co-chair the event with the amazing Julie Wickert who had the instinct to bring Dr. Betty Sue Flowers back to Austin to help us bridge the multi-generational communication gap. For my second year as co-chair, I knew I wanted to hear from Matthew Dowd. I didn’t expect to get his views on blind dating captured on camera. That was just a bonus! Christy Wylie, my AMAZING co-chair who will stay on through the next Get Smart conference, thought to invite Stephanie Klein.

What a journey it has been. Thankfully, it was a journey I never had to take alone. My undying gratitude goes out to the development team who, thanks to their sponsorship dollars, were able to keep the cost of attendance to the conference affordable. Thanks to the entire AWC Board for helping with word of mouth, public relations and social media. We had a hard working committee who did much of the heavy lifting to facilitate the vision Christy and I had. Thanks to all of you for attending and providing feedback. And, thanks to Christy for being my co-chair on the journey, having faith in my speaker selection and going with my idea for the theme.

Matthew and Stephanie both shared their reflections with us on their personal journeys, which brought them to their current places in life. As I reflect on the Get Smart journey for the last four years I can see how my network has expanded, my leadership within the chapter has grown and my friendships have deepened. It is all worthy of the time and monetary investment I’ve made. I have no idea when the next Get Smart conference will be. I’m not sure what the theme is and who the speakers will be; but, I know I will be there. I hope to meet you there and we can share the day’s journey together!

images by KWillis Design