Harnessing the Passion of an Organization Through Strategic Planning

It is always an honor to be asked to help facilitate the strategic planning process for an organization. That honor is even more special when the organization is the Western Chapter of ISA and your mentor, and friend, Rose Epperson. I have stayed in touch with Rose and the Western Chapter since leaving ISA in December of 2018 when I started my company Nextier Advisors. Rose and the Western Chapter were key players in my integration into the Arboriculture industry when I joined ISA as the Director of Credentialing in the fall of 2014. While there are hundreds of people who willingly helped ‘show me the ropes’ of a new industry, it was the Western Chapter and specifically Rose that helped support not only me but my team and the various ISA credentialing programs we were managing around the world. When she called to ask if Nextier Advisors could help facilitate their strategic planning process, I jumped at the chance to once again work with Rose and the dynamic board and membership she supports.

The process we followed allowed their Board to visualize the future while understanding the hurdles they faced without focusing on them. I feel confident that the plan we created will help harness their passion while continuing to guide the organization down the path of having an even greater impact than they have had in the previous 87 years since they were formed. Following the development of their 3 year strategic plan, Rose asked if I would be willing to write an article for their Western Arborist magazine. I of course was even more honored and honestly humbled by the request and wrote the attached article about the process we followed and the developed plan. It is a nice overview of how an organization can look inward, identify their passion, and formulate a plan to help them understand how to reach even greater heights as an organization.

I look forward to continuing to work with Rose and the chapter as we implement their plan by rolling it out to their various committees and members. Thank you for the opportunity to help you understand and harness that passion as you continue to make a huge impact on the industry and your membership.

Western Arborist Strat. Planning Article