The Cost of Leadership

By John Kinsella, CMC, CCE, WGMC, AAC

After taking office last year, the board and I reviewed the staffing of our national office and the goals we needed staff to implement to increase membership services. I instructed our managing director to recruit within our budget constraints to hire specialists in their fields. Here are some of the programs and tasks we have asked our new staff to perform.

Education

• Revamp our certification manuals and develop a national curriculum to be implemented in testing centers nationwide, including four regional sites for certified master chef testing. Join the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) to upgrade our certification programs.
• Continue to upgrade our accreditation program by working with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation to develop and improve national curriculum requirements for the accreditation process at both the associate and bachelor levels.
• Work with the apprenticeship committee to create a user-friendly model so that we can recruit apprentices at the secondary-school level and ensure a seamless transition into the workforce.

Certification

The certification committee is preparing for our eventual entrance into NOCA, the next step on the road to licensure. It will take about five years--and a lot of work and dedication--to achieve this goal. I am confident that we have the leadership to take us to a more comprehensive and competitive certification program.

Disaster Relief

We were able to assist many members and nonmembers, and, to date, we have dispersed nearly 70% of the funds raised. One of the task force's recommendations was to hold $30,000 in a restrictive fund, which would allow us to react much quicker in future. As many of us are coming to believe that global warming is a fact of life, and with our present wartime security issues, we must be ready for many types of disasters that, God forbid, could befall us.

Budget and Finance

We have moved forward with an aggressive financial plan. We are getting timely financial statements, adhering to budget goals and exceeding fiscal goals. I have asked the vice presidents to set up a plan that would increase each region's membership by 772 active members, or 7.5 members per chapter. Additionally, if we retain 1,437 junior members for their third year and recruit them as active members in their fourth year, our membership will grow by leaps and bounds. Also, Team USA is fully funded from sponsor donations.

Strategic Planning/Membership

Our future growth will depend on this combined task force, which will make recommendations that will affect all areas of our federation. We ask for your assistance in answering a random survey, participating in focus groups and developing measuring tools to monitor our progress.

Finally, we must stay focused on the prize: retention and growth in membership. We must continue to get out the message about who we are and what we stand for. And we must make the American Culinary Federation the home for every chef and cook in the United States.