This has been a wonderful year for me personally for many reasons, but one that is near the top of that list is the honor and privilege of serving the NWCA as your President. They say one of the joys of giving is if you do it without the expectation of receiving something in return, the benefit comes back to you tenfold, that has certainly been true in my case.

We had an exciting year growing to 140 members and hosting 100 guests to our meetings. The programs presented were well received and the chance to network with other coaches, see more active involvement by everyone, begin to develop a sense of community and help further the coaching profession was outstanding.

The members of my leadership team worked hard, gave their time, energy and ideas for the benefit of all, they deserve a special THANK YOU, so

THANK YOU:
Bob Renggli, Jennifer Powers, Kay Fontana, Summer Miller, Feroshia Knight, Colleen Bourassa, Carolyn Newman, Julie Moraga and of course Ronnie Noize. Also special thanks to our virtual assistant Toni Henry.

I know it's a busy time of year but if you are a member you will not want to miss the special Holiday Party we have planned on December 11th.

I wish all of you the very best this holiday season and throughout 2008.

Best regards,
Dave Wagers
NWCA 2007 President

Membership expiring? Renew now for 2008!

As a First-Time Attendee to ICF, I thought offering to be a Session Volunteer would be a quick way to meet a few coaches and get the scoop on hot presenters. The strategy worked for me. Each of the three main electrifying Super Sessions began at 9 AM, followed by 8 or 9 breakout sessions to choose from at 11:00 to 12:30 and again at 2:00 and 3:45. Plenty of choices to expand one's coaching horizons. The Coaches Exchange and Bookstore were opened at all times with bulges of visitors (1,300+ coaches) at breakfast and lunch in the same location. The 29 formal ICF approved SIGS (Special Interest Groups), who meet globally by teleconference all year long, had special opportunity to gather in person at meal times, with tables clearly labeled accordingly.

They say "process enables people", but what "process" to tap into when one is a freshman attendee and somewhat overwhelmed by all the exciting resources, coaches and opportunities? Well, Ronnie Noize had alerted us at NWCA with her great report of the 2006 ICF Conference and suggested we bring lots of business cards and intentionally seek out a half dozen or so new contacts each day. I did, and the resulting pile of biz cards and new contacts globally "rebooted" my coaching hard drive with a whole new level of awareness about our chosen profession.

Conference take-aways include: A) The global shift from hierarchical organizations to greater self-responsibility, B) How totally superior in coaching excellence, skills & habits are the ACC, PCC and MCC coaches. I'm very impressed. C) The global awareness of Social Responsibility by coaches from Sustainability issues to Non-Violent Communication skills. D) New ICF Chapter TOOLKIT for sharing Best Practices at the all important local coach community. E) Credentialing by ICF is becoming more and more valuable everyday, F) SIGS to nourish niche working coaches, et cetera.

I can't wait to attend ICF Montreal, Canada in November 2008. NWCA had 10 ICF Conference attendees this year. Some 13,000 coaches world wide in chapters, 3,221 with ICF credentials, 1,464 ACCs, 1,133 PCCs and 624 MCCs.

Bob Renggli
President Elect 2008

The Details:

Date: Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Time: 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Where: Venue Sports Bar & Grill
Address: 2808 NE Martin Luther King Blvd.
City/St/Zip: Portland, OR 97212
Website: www.venuepdx.com
Phone: 503-493-8127
Who: NWCA Members Only
Gifts: $10 Gift for a child (wrapped)
Food: Finger good galore!
Drink: Ice water & soft drinks provided
Bar: No host bar available
Park: Around the building and block, across MLK at bank.

Renew your membership here.

FROM THE EAST:
- Head west on I-84 toward City Center
- Take exit 1 for Lloyd Center
- Turn right at NE 13th Ave
- Turn left at NE Multnomah St
- Turn right at NE Grand Ave/OR-99E N
- NE Grand Ave/OR-99E N will turn into NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
- Continue to follow Martin Luther King Jr Blvd about 0.4 mile

FROM THE NORTH
- Head south on I-5 toward Portland
- Take exit 302A toward City Center
- Merge onto N Broadway
- Turn right at N Flint Ave
- Turn right at N Russell St.
- Turn left at NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. and continue 0.1 mile

PARKING
- Located around the building and block, across MLK at bank.

PAST ISSUES:
http://www.nwcoaches.org/newsletter_sign_up