Presidential Thoughts: Reflecting on a Year of Evolution
Posted on Sep. 10, 2025 / Presidential Thoughts / Subscribe 0
AUTHOR: Britt-Anya Bursell, SMPS Boston President 2024-2025 Connect
As we close out the SMPS Chapter year, it is inspiring to look back at how far we have come as a chapter and how much we have grown together. The past decade has brought constant change and this year was no exception. Building on last year’s theme of Re-Engage, we set our sights on something even more ambitious: to EVOLVE.
The pandemic and other industry shifts reminded us that strategies that once worked needed rethinking. We knew we had to adapt to continue drawing people to events, engaging members, and building awareness of our chapter. I am proud to say our collective efforts paid off and we saw fantastic results.
Celebrating This Year’s Highlights
- Welcoming more than 40 new members and maintaining our highest membership numbers in three years
- Supporting 6 mentors and 16 protégés in this year’s mentorship program
- Partnering with Northeast region chapters to share knowledge, expand offerings, and strengthen collaboration
- Having members serve in leadership roles with the Northeast Regional Conference, the SMPS Foundation, and the SMPS National Board of Directors
- Adding 7 new CPSMs to our community
- Expanding outreach and cross-committee collaboration for successful, high-impact events
- Fully integrating Canstruction as an official SMPS Boston event
- Launching our new Senior Roundtable series
- Seeing record attendance at our signature programs, including the highest Awards Gala registrations since the pandemic
We also introduced an Operations and Finance Committee to better support the evolving needs of our Board and Chapter.
Celebrating Volunteers in a New Way
One of the most exciting firsts this year was our volunteer appreciation field day. We brought together all chapter committees for a day of fun, food, and games designed for AEC marketers. From a Proposal Delivery Relay Race to a Subject Matter Expert Partnership Three-legged race, it was a chance to celebrate the dedication and energy our volunteers bring to everything we do. We hope to see even more faces at next year’s celebration.
A New Strategic Vision
This year, we also developed a new three-year strategic plan with direct input from our members. We connected with more than 200 members through interviews, town halls, and focus groups to learn what matters most. From your feedback, we shaped three clear goals:
- Strengthen Engagement at Every Career Level
- Position SMPS Boston as the Premier Resource for Professional Development
- Ensure Organizational Sustainability and Expand Community Impact
This plan reflects your voices and your vision and we are excited to move forward with these guiding priorities.
Looking Ahead
Our mission remains strong: to advance the practice and elevate the impact of marketing and business development professionals in the AEC industry. Through education, networking, and resources, we empower members to drive growth and innovation within their firms and across the industry.
As Robert Louis Stevenson once said, “Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” Throughout my years on the Board, we have planted many seeds together and the results have been incredible. Some of the most rewarding moments of my presidency have been seeing an idea spark and grow into a successful program or a reimagined event.
I am excited to pass the torch to Molly Romano and Dacota Griffin and see the new seeds this Board of Directors will plant. Whether you are a longtime leader, a current volunteer, or a new member looking for your place, we need you with us. The future of SMPS Boston depends on all of us tending the garden.
Thank you for your passion, commitment, and volunteerism. Here’s to the next chapter of our evolution. See you out there!
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