ACP and DRJ are pleased to announce a joint Scholarship opportunity exclusively for ACP Members. This collaboration is open to any ACP Member who could benefit from attending a DRJ Conference but currently may be too much of a financial burden. The Scholarship itself is a “needs based” complimentary DRJ Conference Pass. All you need do to qualify is to apply and tell us why attending DRJ is important to you and, in general, why you qualify as “needs based.” Your application will be held in strict confidence and will not be made public without your express permission.

Who is eligible to apply?

            Any ACP Member in good standing. This includes an individual Corporate Member, Student Member and Retiree Member.

When is the application deadline?

            June 1, 2023.

When will I be notified if my application has been approved?

            June 8, 2023.

What are the details of the Scholarship?

            One complimentary DRJ Conference pass for DRJ Fall 2023. It does not include transportation, hotel, or other expenses.

Where should I send the application?

            Staff@ACP-International.com

What should be included in the application?

            A few paragraphs on why attending DRJ is important to you. This might include good networking opportunities for your career, making connections to people who can help you with your career challenges or Sessions that could enhance your professional resume. As this is a “needs based” Scholarship, please also include a brief explanation of why you should be eligible as well as two references from colleagues or fellow ACP members who support your desire to attend.

Finally, ACP will ask the winner(s) to write a brief trip report on their DRJ conference experience and permission for ACP and DRJ to publish it post conference.

Dear ACP Members:

It gives me great pleasure to share with you this report detailing the activities, accomplishments, and challenges during 2022 as well as the strategic direction of your Association as we enter our 40th year in 2023. This also gives me an opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to your national board of directors, our committee members, and most importantly our chapter leaders all of whom played a major role towards ensuring our organization will continue to serve as the preeminent voice of the continuity profession for many years to come.

Like most non-profit associations, ACP faced a variety of unprecedented challenges during 2020 and 2021 both on a national as well as a chapter level. The pandemic initially resulted in a nearly complete halt to the value-added benefits our members depend on and which form the basis of our Vision and Mission, namely, networking and professional development. As we entered 2022 your national leadership recognized that strategic changes were needed to assist in our recovery and long term sustainability.

The Road to Recovery, Viability, and Relevance

The first step in this recognition process was the creation of a short-term action plan late in the first quarter of 2022. This call to action included:

• Re-establishing ACP’s operational structure.

• Developing a one-year strategic plan.

• Restoration of the Association’s financial viability.

• Creation of a membership growth and retention program.

• A renewed focus on establishing non-dues revenue sources.

• Expansion of value-added services with priorities on professional development and networking.

• Providing increased support and enhanced communications to our network of 30 chapters.

Internal Operations

Following several months of needs assessment, ACP contracted with Raleigh, NC-based First Point Management Resources on May 1, 2022. FPMR is one of the most admired association management companies in North America and is accredited by the AMC Institute. Fewer than 90 association management companies in the world have achieved this accreditation. A revised scope of work was completed which resulted in a significant reduction in the cost associated with this service. A transition committee comprised of national and chapter leadership and FPMR representatives completed this changeover in what can only be described as unprecedented from the standpoint of the length of time it took to successfully accomplish.

Your Voice Was Heard

In April the association forwarded a series of surveys to our current members, past members, chapter leaders, and the national board of directors. The findings from these surveys created a foundation for a two-day strategic planning session in June which included ACP’s board of directors, an external association management consultant, and three of our chapter leaders. These meetings resulted in the creation of the following Key Results Areas (KRA’s):

• Ensure that ACP has the appropriate technology to increase efficiency and usability to enable us to meet our mission.

• From a finance and operational perspective, the national leadership shall ensure transparent, accurate, and professional governance of its internal and external operations.

• Create meaningful, sustainable, and measurable connections through engagement across the membership of ACP.

• Reinvent the professional relationship between chapters and the national organization to ensure membership value and the long-term success across all of ACP.

• Design and implement a diverse professional development program as a way for our members to expand their knowledge base.

The strategic plan also included a revised Mission Statement:

ACP connects and supports a diverse community of continuity and resilience professionals.

Your leadership is pleased to report that significant progress on the achievement of these KRA’s was made as 2022 came to an end and that the 2023 Key Results Areas are being finalized and will be shared with the membership shortly.

Communications

Recognizing the importance of transparency as these new objectives were launched I took the opportunity, along with several national board members, to deliver monthly reports to the Chapter Presidents Council. In addition ACP updates were given during the DRJ Spring and DRJ Fall Conferences as well as individual meetings with nine chapter leadership teams. These sessions were overwhelming positive and, in the case of the chapter presentations, resulted in a significant increase in the relationship between the national organization and our chapters which, as we all know, are the lifeblood of our organization.

 Committees

This report also provides an opportunity to express my sincere gratitude and that of the membership for the incredible progress made by our committees during the year. Without their dedication and focus on the future we certainly could not have accomplished what we did in 2022 and what we will accomplish in 2023.

Those committees include:

• Professional Development

• Technology

• Chapter Relations

• Chapter Development

• Marketing

• Strategic Partnerships

• Finance

Financial

While the financial results for the year ending December 31, 2022 resulted in a small net loss for the Association this loss was primarily related to non-recurring expenditures associated with the transition in association management companies which was fully anticipated and planned for. As we entered 2023 overall cash flow was strong and the Finance Committee submitted a fiscal year budget to the board of directors which reflected a positive bottom line. The Committee will be meeting on at least a quarterly basis this year to ensure that attention is given to any and all variances to our financial projections.

On the one year anniversary of our contract with FPMR we anticipate that our positive financial projections will allow us to expand upon the scope of work which will result in both increased and enhanced services from our association management company. As always, our focus will be on utilizing our financial resources to best serve you, our members, and to provide the value added benefits you have come to expect from ACP.

2023 Focus

As previously referenced, your national leadership team is finalizing our objectives for 2023 and we look forward to sharing those with you shortly. I’ve detailed below a short overview of what you might expect to see this year:

• Continued improvements in the utilization of technology to best serve our members and the business continuity community.

• Structured efforts to attract new members and retain those we currently have.

• Enhanced communications both internally and externally with an increased focus on social media.

• Ongoing support of our chapter network including regular training opportunities for their leadership teams.

• Identification of geographic areas which would support the development of new chapters and recruiting volunteers to lead these efforts.

• A return to live events on a regional basis.

• Diversification of revenue sources with increased emphasis on non-dues revenue generation.

• Creation of programs such as internships and mentoring to support the future of our profession.

In closing, it has been an incredible honor to serve as ACP’s chairman over the past year and somewhat humbling that your national board of directors chose me to serve a second term in 2023. You have my commitment that my focus, and that of the board members, is on continuing our progress towards enhanced relevancy and future success. As always, please feel more than free to reach out to me and your leadership both nationally and locally with your thoughts, concerns, and valued input. And finally, thank you for being champions of individual and community resiliency.

Sincerely,

Michael “Giff” Gifford

Chairman of the Board

If you are new to the world of continuity, you may eventually begin seeking advice on how to be the best planner you can be. The gathering and use of advice is the secret sauce the creates many successful people.

In this case, starting a new profession can be both exciting and overwhelming. You are trying to learn the ins and outs of your job, impress your colleagues and superiors, and establish yourself in your new workplace. While it may be tempting to focus solely on your job responsibilities, it is important to remember the value of being a nice person when you are new to a profession.

Being a nice person can make a significant impact on your success in continuity. Here are some reasons why:

• Building relationships: When you are new to a profession, it is important to build relationships with your colleagues. Being friendly and approachable can make it easier for your colleagues to connect with you, and it can help you build a strong network within your workplace. This principle applies to others that you may interact with. Building relationships can also help you learn about your job, as your colleagues can offer you advice and guidance as you navigate your new position.
• Improving teamwork: Please believe me when I tell you this: continuity requires teamwork. Being a nice person can improve your ability to collaborate effectively with your colleagues. When you are friendly and supportive, your colleagues are more likely to want to work with you, which can help you achieve your goals more quickly and efficiently.
• Enhancing your reputation: Your reputation is important, especially when you are new to a profession. Being nice can help you establish a positive reputation in your workplace. Your reputation is what gets you into places you need to be. Your colleagues and superiors are more likely to view you as a collaborator and someone who is easy to work with if you are friendly, kind, and respectful.
• Increasing job satisfaction: When you are new to a profession, it can be challenging to adjust to your new job and workplace. Being a nice person can help you feel more comfortable and confident in your new position. When you have positive relationships with your colleagues, it can make your work environment more enjoyable, and it can increase your overall job satisfaction.

In summary, being a nice person when you are new to a profession can have a significant impact on your success. It can help you build relationships, improve teamwork, enhance your reputation, and increase your job satisfaction. So, as you embark on your new job, remember the importance of being friendly, approachable, and respectful. Your kindness can go a long way in helping you succeed and will give a good name to continuity planners and managers around the world.

Many headlines for the past few days have been focused on the happenings at Silicon Valley Bank and the resulting contagion within the financial industry. I believe this to be a fitting time to bring my career and one of my favorite movies onto the same plane. The career is business continuity, and the movie is “Margin Call”.

For those of you they have suffered the indignities of not watching this work of art, ​​"Margin Call" is a 2011 movie that tells the story of a group of employees at a Wall Street investment bank who discover that the firm's holdings of mortgage-backed securities are on the verge of causing a catastrophic financial collapse.

As it relates to what we all do as professionals, there are several takeaways in this movie. In general, ​the movie highlights the importance of crisis management, a key component to a continuity capability, in several ways:

• ​Identifying the crisis: The first step in crisis management is to identify that a crisis exists. In "Margin Call," the crisis is identified by one of the risk management employees who discovers that the firm's mortgage-backed securities portfolio is much riskier than previously thought. A key aspect here is that the identifying employee was not one of the highly compensated employees. No, they were simply doing their boring job in risk management and deemed it necessary to take a risk by telling their boss that there was a big problem.

• Assessing the risks: Once the crisis has been identified, the next step is to assess the risks associated with it. In the movie, the risk management team calculates that the firm will face losses of over $8 billion if it doesn't take immediate action. The movie also illustrated the need to see the larger picture because the identified risk was not just with their firm but, like in today's, news the contagion could spread to other financial institutions. This information needed to be considered in order to make a good decision.

• Communicating with stakeholders: Crisis management involves communicating with stakeholders, such as clients, shareholders, and employees, to keep them informed about the situation and any actions being taken by the organization. In the movie, the firm's executives hold a series of meetings with key stakeholders to explain the crisis and what they are doing to manage it.

• Taking action: The most critical, and sometime scary, aspect of crisis management is taking action to mitigate the crisis. In "Margin Call," the firm's executives decide to sell off the toxic mortgage-backed securities portfolio to minimize the losses and stabilize the company's financial position. This was a fateful decision because it supercharged the contagion while offering the possibility of the saving the firm.

• Learning from the crisis: Crisis management also involves learning from the crisis to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future. In this case, the risk management team discovers that the firm's risk models were flawed and did not adequately account for the risks associated with mortgage-backed securities.

​Overall, "Margin Call" underscores the importance of crisis management in preventing catastrophic financial losses and maintaining the trust of stakeholders. It highlights the need for quick and decisive action, effective communication, and ongoing efforts to improve risk management processes to prevent future crises.

Our 21st Edition BCM Compensation Study is Live Confidentially Participate by March 31st! Participate today to receive your complimentary trending report (aggregate report on all study participants) & a Customized BCM Compensation Dashboard! (customized dashboards are available by job title or years of BCM experience.) Learn more about our BCM Compensation Report &   BCM Peer Compensation Dashboards  (video from 2022). Two Study Links Available: Permanently Employed, Unemployed, or Retired Professionals  Participate in Study  Independent Consultants or Fixed Term Contractors Participate in Study  Watch the informational video below highlighting helpful tips when completing the study and the value behind the data. Please share with your colleagues - a better response enhances our assessment for the profession.

BC Management is pleased to announce that we are partnering with The BCI for our 21st BCM Compensation Study. This study is globally recognized as the premier compensation assessment for Business Continuity/Resiliency professionals. Our thorough study assesses your earning potential by years of experience, degree, years of management and leadership expertise, geography, certification and much more. The survey will take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. Participation in the survey is complimentary and confidential. Who should participate? - Participants must be responsible for contingency/ resiliency planning/ crisis management/ crisis communications. - Study accommodates planners to global managers as well as consultants employed on a full-time/ permanent basis and contract/ fixed term. Why participate? - Study participants will receive a complimentary copy of the study findings. - BC Management has been conducting BCM data metrics research/ assessments since 2001. - The response is immense, driven by the value the results provide. - The scope is world-wide, due to our extensive contacts and partnerships. - The company is independent, as we are a neutral party on the results. - Completely confidential - Only your email address will be kept on file for report distribution & future study notifications. Please direct any questions to info@bcmanagememt.com. If you participated in a previous study, but didn't receive your corresponding complimentary report, please contact info@bcmanagememt.com. Thank you in advance for participating. We look forward to sharing the results.

Panel Discussion:

Understanding Business Continuity on a Systemic level – what is ISO 22301?

 ISO 22301 is a worldwide recognized standard used to help organizations understand risks and manage business continuity within their operations. Thousands of companies around the world have implemented and became independently certified to the standard, adding to its recognition as the de facto framework adopted by business continuity experts.
The standard defines business continuity management as part of an overall risk management approach to be taken by an organization. Implementing and certifying to the standard can be useful to show your company’s compliance to your clients or other stakeholders. ISO 22301 can leverage your business to acquire new customers by positioning your organization as a dependable supplier which will provide services and products with little risk to disruption.
This moderated panel Webinar will discuss the following topics:
• What is a Business Continuity Management System
• Understanding the ISO 22301 standard and its clauses
• Pitfalls, lessons learned and challenges of ISO 22301
• Advantages and disadvantages of adopting the standard

Featuring:

Fiona Raymond Cox

Fiona is founder of Raymond-Cox Consulting, a San Francisco-based boutique business continuity & emergency planning firm. She is a Fellow of the Business Continuity Institute (FBCI), serves as an Expert on ISO/TC 292 and an accredited ISO 22301 Lead Auditor. She received the 2020 BRMA Award of Excellence.

Kevin Cunningham 

Kevin Cunningham is an internationally recognized speaker, and expert in business continuity, crisis management and disaster recovery. 

Kevin is current the Head of Business Continuity and Crisis Management at Equinix, Inc, a California-based technology firm.  Previously, Kevin was Vice President and Head of Global Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery, Crisis Management and Emergency Services at NBCUniversal.  Until May of 2013, he was Americas Regional Head of Business Continuity, Crisis Management and Disaster Recovery for UBS AG, one of the world’s largest financial institutions, headquartered in Stamford, CT and Zurich, Switzerland.  Prior to his tenure at UBS, Mr. Cunningham worked for the City of New York as a Preparedness Specialist for the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) creating BCM plans for City agencies and as Regional Preparedness Specialist for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOH) in their Bureau of Emergency Management creating BCM plans for the Health Department.  

Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Journalism from Boston University and a Master of Science Degree in Emergency Management and Business Continuity also from Boston University.  He is a graduate of the Basic and Advanced Resiliency programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  He is a Certified Business Continuity Professional (DRI CBCP), Certified Emergency Manager (IAEM CEM), is a fellow in Emergency Management from the Emergency Management Academy and is a member of several local and national Emergency Management and Business Continuity professional associations.  He holds certificates in FEMA Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) as well as Incident Command System (ICS) at the 100, 200, 300 and 400 levels. 

Mr. Cunningham has been a paramedic and EMS instructor in New York and Connecticut for three decades.

Gary Hull

Gary Hull is a Certified Lead Auditor for Business Continuity Management Systems (ISO 22301) and Information Security (ISO 27001). He works as a Project Manager for a member company of IAAR, the Independent Association of Accredited Registrars. In his role, Gary manages large, complex global accounts by overseeing, auditing, calibrating auditors worldwide, and ensuring their Business Continuity Management Systems follow requirements of global standards. Gary is well respected in the certification industry and often trains and speaks in conferences and other events.  

February 15, 2023 1pm-2pm

REGISTER HERE

Erika Andresen, CBCP, JD, MPA, is a recovering lawyer after nearly two decades of experience in both the corporate finance world and the military. Erika became a subject matter expert on national security and disaster preparedness and response while advising different commands on their authorities and during high-risk situations in Afghanistan. She also has extensive experience writing injects and acting as an observer/trainer/coach for large-scale military exercises. Her work with actual disasters led her to attain a Master of Public Affairs.

Erika left active duty in 2020 and has since started EaaS Consulting, LLC, with the goal of keeping businesses in business. To that end, she authored How to Not Kill Your Business: Grow Your Business in Any Environment, Navigate Volatility, and Successfully Recover When Things Go Wrong, a conversational introduction to business continuity enjoyed by CBCP practitioners and business owners alike.  Erika is also a professor of emergency management for the MPA program at the University of Texas at El Paso.  She has been quoted in articles for Forbes, Dark Reading, and MoneyGeek on the issues of business continuity and disaster preparedness.

 

My social media handles are on LI (personal and business)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/erika-andresen/ [linkedin.com]

https://www.linkedin.com/company/eaas-consulting-llc/ [linkedin.com]

February 9th, 2023 1pm-2pm

Register Here

I think no one group of professionals is more sensitive to the tacit agreement society has made with technology than ours. Tech plays a significant role in modern society and has had a profound impact on how people live, work, and communicate.

Another of those impacts is how, or if, we become educated. 

The Des Moines Public Schools canceled classes for Tuesday, January 10th due to a cyber security incident. Earlier on Monday, the district experienced an internet outage across its campuses due to unusual activity on the network and took the network offline as a preemptive measure.

The impact: Many of the technology tools needed for both classroom learning and the management and operation of the school district are not available at this time.

In our profession, these things are nightmare fuel, and we feel for the good folks of Des Moines.

On any day, small problems can become big problems causing systemic failure. This occurs when a small problem is part of a larger system, and the failure of that small part leads to the failure of the entire system, highlighting the need for us to be involved in a number of projects and business areas.

And systemic failures, though unavoidable at times, are the reason we continue to work diligently to craft plans and workarounds of the continued operation of our organizations.

 Early Alert is a “team” of Emergency Managers, Meteorologist, Military Veterans and retired Fire Rescue and Law Enforcement, all boots on the ground supporting the private and public sectors who provide “Actionable” weather and all hazard threat intelligence alerting, driven by a “team” of subject matter experts (SME’s) and the Early Alert Global Watch Office, 24/7/365

Early Alert’s meteorologist is a professional with more than 40 years of comprehensive experience in meteorology and oceanography, physical and life sciences, weather management and operations, emergency management, research, education and technical training. He retired from the U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command in 2010 as a naval officer following a distinguished 30-year military career. During his tenure he served in a variety of positions of increased responsibility and complexity throughout the world both ashore and afloat.

REGISTER HERE