By Eileen Kett
Club Med Management Services, Inc.
Senior VP, General Counsel

I am honored to have been selected as the President of the ACC South Florida Chapter for 2009.  I want to thank and recognize Steven Sibner, our Chapter President for 2008, for his hard-work and dedication to the Chapter.  Under Steve’s leadership the Chapter has been revitalized – offering a rich array of programming for its members.  It has been a pleasure working with Steve on the board and we want to thank him for his leadership.

2009 will be a challenging year.   We know that our members, their families, the companies they represent, as well as our country as a whole, are facing an unprecedented economic downturn, loss of employment, and other business and personal challenges.

ACC is working hard to provide support and assistance during these difficult times.  On a local basis, the South Florida Chapter has organized an ambitious program for the first half of the year, including Continuing Legal Education programs, Lunch and Learns, networking programs, community service and marquee events.  Our focus is on providing “value” to our members on a personal, professional, local and national basis.  We recognize that our members need to (1) maximize their value to their companies, (2) leverage value from their outside legal resources, (3) provide value to the community, and (4) obtain the most value from their ACC membership.

1^st Quarter Programming Highlights:

January 24^th - Community Service Event: 2009 started off with our very own Day of Service.  South Florida ACC members worked with SOS Children’s Village of Florida to provide landscaping and repairs to their 8 acre facility.  SOS Children’s Village provides a home, family and support services to abused, abandoned or severely neglected foster children.  As always, our members gained tremendous personal satisfaction from helping out in the community and it was a great way to kick-off the year.

February 19^th - Lunch and Learn:  The first quarter Lunch and Learn continues the value focus.  At the one-hour informal lunch meeting, local members share tips and strategies on “Maximizing the Value of your ACC Membership.”  The lunches are held on a county-level in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties at a host member’s office to allow for effective networking and sharing of best practices.

March 13^th – Continuing Legal Education:  In 2009 our in-house members will be faced with numerous employment law challenges.  Therefore, we have organized an all-day conference on employment law matters with our Gold-level sponsor,  Proskauer Rose, LLP.  The CLE seminar entitled, “Law and the Superstitious Workplace”, will be held on March 13^th at the Boca Raton Resort and Club.

Save the Date for Upcoming Events:  Stay tuned for exciting upcoming chapter events including our signature annual Gala – One Night in Las Vegas which will be held on April 25, 2009 at the Renaissance hotel in Plantation.  Please check the website at www.acc.com/chapters/sfl/ for the most updated information about Chapter events.

We need and value your feedback.  After each program, ACC South Florida sends out a short survey asking for your feedback, suggestions and comments.  Please take a few minutes to let us know what we could do to assist you.  If you are interested becoming more involved in the Chapter by joining a committee or volunteering at an event, please contact our chapter administrator, Rachel Brooke at rbrooke@associationsource.com.

On behalf of your entire Board of Directors I want to say thank you for the opportunity to serve you and I look forward to a successful 2009!