Welp, guess I will start with some good news on the job front at the Duck. I recently was given the opportunity to interview for a promotion to Manager of the PIC team and by golly gee willickers it worked out. With a team of about twenty folks now, I get to continue with some of the tasks I had on the future state team, but now I also get to work with some great folks on our risk team that deal with state Departments of Insurance and our current state teamthatkeeps our systems running smoothly. 
It has meant quite a few more meetings, but also a great opportunity to get involved in more change throughout the division. Last week I decided to meet with everyone individually to get their thoughts on what they thought was going good and not so good on the team, in addition to what we can do to have some more fun. It was probably ten of the best hours I've had lately tojust sit down and chat with the team ... they really make it fun to come into work every day:) I also had a pretty great opportunity to present to our next CFO about all that we have going on with the PIC team ... great good fun!
Last month was also the 2nd annual Live United Youth Camp (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLIAwc3_kUI) where another group of amazing students learned about homelessness, poverty and how to make a difference in our community. Check out the video for a great bit of inspiration. Also, we had our United Way Board of Directors strategery session this past week. It was pretty amazing to sit with all of the local community/business leaders to talk about the future of the organization and what we need to do to get there.
February 15th also marked our 6th Annual Literacy Alliance Trivia Bee, our annual FUNdraiser where the community came together for some wonderful times. We raised a lot of money, but more importantly, we raised awareness of what our organization is all about and how we help the community. We're in the midst of some great partnership chats with the library as we explore how we can be mutually beneficial for each group, that I think will truly help move our organization forward. O yes, then Jenny and I had a great opportunity to get all dressed up for a schwanky event and a great cause at the American Cancer Society's Crystal Ball. We had a pretty good time, but I think Jenny might have had a better time as the winning bidder of a autographed Brad Paisley guitar ... wow, all for a great cause right!?
Emory has taken up a good bit of time as well, but that light at the end of the tunnel keeps creeping closer and closer to the end! I had a great opportunity though to participate in the Washington Campus course in DC a couple of weeks ago. It was a one week crash course dealing with politics in business in our nation's capitol. I arrived a couple of days early to take in the Smithsonian Museums, the amazing Holocaust Museum, the various monuments and memorials that make DC a great place to visit. 
Throughout the week, we heard from various politicians including our GA State Senator Johnny Isakson, visited the Senate gallery to hear senators discuss our budget crisis and even had the chance to sit in the chambers of the Supreme Courthouse. It was a pretty amazing experience that I was able to share with a bunch of classmates, including a few that became some fun roommates ... even called dibs on the top bunk! I also just finished up with one of my best Emory experiences in the Leadership Academy. We had some great lessons about how to take a more personal look at how we interact with each other and ourselves. It's helped me to slow down a bit and start to look more at how to build upon my leadership abilities, good times indeed.Welp, that's probably enough fun for now I suppose ... hope everyone continues to have a great start to the Spring!
Alwayz,
Nate
