ISSUE 5 MAY 2012 VOLUME 29 “REP. DEBBIE BUCKNER”

2012 GEORGIA LEGISLATIVE SESSION

“MICHELLE JUSTICE”

ACCOUNTING & CONSULTING ………….. 1

MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT,

EVENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS,

BIRTHDAYS……………………..….……. 2

ENH ANC IN G W OMEN ’S L I VES T H RO UGH COO PER AT ION ,

UN D ER ST AN DI NG AND G I V I NG

Network NETWORKING DO’S AND DON’TS,

NETWORKING ETIQUITTE, FLOWER OF THE

MONTH, PHOTO REQUEST, ………..….. 3

‘for professional and executive women’

The 2012 Georgia Legislative Session

MICHELLE JUSTICE In our “Member Spotlight” this month is Michelle Justice, owner and operator of Justice

Accounting & Consulting. Michelle has been a an accountant for over 30 years. Prior to

opening her own firm in 2009, Michelle was with J. Chancellor Hoffman then Jim Stokes,

CPA. Michelle will highlight the services her firm provides. Join us at the May luncheon

(see page 2) to learn more about Michelle Justice and her low cost accounting and consulting

services.

Information Contact: Michelle Justice (706) 507-9023.

Network member, Rep. Debbie G. Buckner

(D) represents house district 130. She was

first elected to the Georgia general assembly

in 2002.

Since that time Rep. Buckner has served

on numerous committees and received

awards from various civic and philanthropic

organization for her commitment to Geor-

gians and the needs of her community.

Rep. Debbie Buckner received her BS in

Health Sciences from Columbus State

University and completed her post graduate

certification at Georgia Southwestern

College. She is a wife and the mother of

three children

As our featured speaker, Rep. Debbie Buck-

ner will offer Network members a review of

the 2012 legislative session.

Rep. Buckner will inform us of the laws that

were passed and what was not. She will

also explain which items were left “on the

table” for next year and why.

Join us at our Network luncheon (see page

2) for an informative overview of the 2012

Georgia legislative session with our very,

own Rep. Debbie Buckner (D).

InformationContact:

debbie.buckner@house.ga.gov

Sp

otlig

ht

Our May featured speaker— Rep. Debbie G. Buckner (D)

Message from our President Celebrating “Mother’s Day” on the road

May is for…

April showers bring May

flowers. May is also consid-

ered the month to honor

Mothers. For Cheryl, my

daughter, and I May has

another meaning. It’s time

for our mother / daughter trip.

Several years ago, we started

this annual trip to coincide

with the anniversary of my

mother’s birthday, May 18th.

This year we headed off to

Charleston, SC.

Kathy

Cheryl is working on a gene-

alogy project and wanted to

interview my mom’s young-

er sister. My daughter sug-

gested the destination, and

because it had been several

years since I had the pleasure

of seeing my Aunt and

cousins, I said

YES!

The only prob-

lem that we ran

into on our trip

was that it was

much to short. Being

able to steal away time to-

gether with our busy sched-

ules is sometimes a daunting

task. I find that as I have

gotten older it is best for me

if I say yes to these opportu-

nities more often.

While in Charleston we en-

joyed wonderful conversa-

tion, visited beautiful down-

town Charleston, dined on

great seafood and best of all

got our fill of loving

hugs.

I can’t wait to

see the final

results of

Cheryl’s project,

but I think there are

still more family mem-

bers to visit and interviews to

be completed before she is

done. Life is meant to be

lived. So my bags are packed

and I am ready to hit the road

MAY

BIRTHDAYS

Becky Goldsmith - May 24th

Lauren Mescon - May 26th

Kim Boatner– May 30th

Mary Heisey - May 15th

Upcoming

EVENTS

MONTHLY NETWORK LUNCHEON FRIDAY MAY 25, 2012

Network with fellow members and visitors beginning at 11:30AM

Lunch Buffet begins at 11:45AM at Green Island Country Club

Speaker Debbie Buckner, presents “2012 Legislative Session”

RSVP online at www.networkforprofessionalwomen.com

Bring a guest! ($18.00) Contact Admissions Director,

Jann McMahan with questions at (706) 561– 9800

Note: You or your guest are invited to speak during our

introductions. (1minute) Please inform your guest so they can

be prepared to Network!

Announcements

Congratulations!

Jean Richardson

winner of the

“The Girl Scouts of

America’s -Women of

Distinction Award”

Congratulations!

Sommer Bundey

has a new position as

“Senior Corporate

Trainer with Synovus

Learning and Develop-

ment Department ”

Networking Do’s and Don’ts

Strategies for making connections that will turn

into long lasting relationships

As Network members we all

know how valuable it is to con-

nect with other professionals and

executives in our community.

To some people, making those

one on one connection is easy,

but for others it may be difficult

to enter a room of strangers and

strike up a conversation.

Here are a few strategies to use

when “networking.”

1. Arrive on time or early.

You’ll have a chance to

catch people before

they’ve settled into groups.

2. Ask easy questions.

Approach a group and ask

“May I join you?”

3. Ditch the sales pitch.

Focus on building relation-

ships, but be prepared to

answer questions about

your business or products.

4. Share your passion. Let

your enthusiasm for your

business inspire others.

5. Smile! It sounds simple,

but a smile puts everyone

at ease, including you.

6. Don’t highjack the conver-

sation. It’s easy to over-

compensate by comman-

deering the conversation.

Listen, respond and ask

questions, so it’s a two

way street!

7. Remember to follow up.

Now that you’ve done all

that “networking”, don’t

forget to follow up with

your connections. Ask the

people you meet if they

would like to stay in touch

via Social Network, Email

or telephone.

Source: Entrprnuer.com

Colleen Debiase

MAY FLOWER

“Peonies”

Peonies (paeonia, magnoliapsida)

Meaning: wealth, luck and

happiness

Peonies have a noble past and

apparently a bright future.

For over 100 years they have

been the state flower of China

and more recently in 1956

they were also named the

national flower of India, edg-

ing out the once regarded Zin-

nia. When grown in the sun

peonies change from green to

a bright reds and pinks.

Plant this vibrant flower in

your garden for a burst of

color.

Networking Etiquette

Be a farmer not a hunter

A Farmer is a person who cultivates relationships before expecting a

return. A Hunter goes in for the kill before really knowing who they

are speaking to.

Think about this . . .

1. Networking is not about hunting. It is not about one-shot meetings.

2. Networking is about farming. It’s about cultivating relationships.

3. Don’t be guilty of premature solicitation. Do not ask someone for a

referral or for business until you feel confident that the person knows

and trusts you.

4. Use networking opportunities to meet people. Then, schedule addi-

tional times to connect, so you can build the trust that will allow you to

ask for business.

When joining a new group consider . . .

1. Do you have the time to make the most of the experience.

2. Choose a group who’s members share the same values.

3. Grow your relationships within the group before expanding indi-

vidual contact outside of the group activities.

4. Make sure you use the privileges of membership wisely. Once you

burn a bridge, it’s hard to rebuild it.

5. When you leave a networking group, do so with gratitude and

professionalism. You never know when you may need to rejoin!

PHOTOS Strike A Pose!!

Network members, we need you to upload your

photo to our website. Adding a photo to your pro-

file helps people to connect with you.

Visit our website at

www.networkforprofessionalwomen.com log into

your account and upload your photo today.

If you have questions or need assistance, please

contact our Webmaster, Mary Stewart at

mgmstewart@knology.net