As the incoming President of ICF-Long Island, it is my great honor to welcome you to our website and to introduce you to our organization.
As we usher in the new year of 2017 with a mixture of emotions, we can all feel very optimistic about the role of professional coaching throughout the world in the coming year, and in the years to come. The International Coach Federation (ICF-Global) is taking the lead throughout the world in establishing and maintaining very high standards of ethical and professional behavior for the coaching profession. At the same time, our local chapter of the International Coach Federation, ICF-Long Island, is committed to maintaining our long-standing tradition of being a valuable source of information and service to the Long Island community.
Entering the new year, we are also committed to reaching out to a wider constituency, to encourage more of our fellow coaches to join with us, to fulfill our shared need for camaraderie, continuing education, and collaboration. We are also committed to taking an even more active role than we have previously in educating people in the wider community about the tremendous value of professional coaching, both personally and organizationally. Ultimately, we hope that the services of our professional coaches will be sought after and appreciated by a growing segment of our neighbors, so that more individuals and more organizations can enhance their development and benefit from what the uniquely powerful coaching experience can provide.
I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to Maribeth Kraus, our Immediate Past-President, who has provided us with amazing leadership, persistence, diligence, and wisdom during her tenure as President over the past couple of years, and whose continued presence will undoubtedly help me greatly as I take over the position of President. I also want to thank Barbara Kessler, who has served on our Executive Board for many years as our Treasurer and Compliance Officer, and who has worked tirelessly, on so many levels, to ensure that ICF-Long Island was able to not only survive but thrive through an ongoing process of change; Barbara has moved from Nassau to Philadelphia, but has remained an integral and essential part of our Board.
There are several new additions to our Board. Ronit Hakimi has volunteered to fill Barbara’s shoes as Treasurer (not an easy task), while Maryann Hennessey and Lois Cooper have both stepped up to take over the challenges of bringing in excellent programming/training for our monthly meetings. I feel very blessed to have them, along with the other wonderful and hardworking members of the Board, namely Mindy Stern, John Little, and Joshua Lissauer, serving alongside me.
Marc Miller, President, ICF-Long Island Chapter
