DIALogue Tele-Seminars
Government Relations 101: Making Your Chamber Make A Difference
This DIALogue is available on CD. Order it now (PDF).
Does your chamber struggle to come up with a list of issues to pursue - on a local, regional, state, or federal level? If your public policy program is new, or facing new challenges, an important step is to encourage the board to define the public policy initiative envelope in which your chamber will operate. Just as you must decide who does what, with what authority, you must try to draw up some issue parameters as well.
Learn:
- Why you should select issues, not problems, for your legislative agenda
- How to structure your issue selection process
- Why you should define a legislative "victory" before jumping into an issue
- Definining your level of activity on issues - from monitoring to advocating
- Working with your board or government affairs committee
Speakers
Mick Fleming
President
Mick Fleming is the President of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, where he serves the needs of 1,400 chambers of commerce and related organizations.
Mr. Fleming’s diverse career has included teaching, coaching, publishing, management, marketing and lobbying positions. He spent 15 years in senior management, economic development and government relations positions with the Business Council of New York State, which serves as the Chamber of Commerce for the Empire State.
In his early career, he was a teacher, football coach and publisher of weekly newspapers. He has served as both volunteer officer and board member in local chambers of commerce. He has also served on two university boards, arts councils, charitable institutions, professional societies, a ballet company board, a Workforce Investment Board, health care coalitions and dozens of other volunteer positions.
He has authored a book about effective grassroots lobbying techniques: Making Your Chamber Make a Difference.
Robert Hartland
Senior Vice President, Membership/Operations
Bob Hartland joined the chamber as vice president of membership and marketing in 2002 and was promoted to senior vice president, membership/operations, in December of 2005. In this role, he oversees day-to-day operations and drives business development initiatives for the nearly 4,000-member organization. In addition, his responsibilities include membership growth and retention, Chamber events, communication and business information.
Bob also works closely with the Chamber’s Membership and Marketing Council, a group of member volunteers that assists with the development of aggressive marketing strategies aimed at achieving membership goals.
Prior to joining the Chamber, Bob held several management positions during his 30-year career with the Eastman Kodak Company. At his retirement in 1995, he was vice president and general manager of the Medical Business for the Americas. During his Kodak tenure, he was the in-country president of Kodak Near East Inc., Athens, Greece.
Bob’s post-Kodak career included a consulting role where he managed the acquisition and merger of two companies with worldwide operations. He also held the position of senior director of corporate and public relations for the American College of Radiology, a not-for-profit association serving 31,000 radiologists.
Bob holds a MBA degree in business development from the University of Rochester and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Scranton. He and his wife Susan have three children and four grandchildren. Susan, a graduate of the University of South Florida, retired from Chase Manhattan Bank as the vice president of staffing.
Tammie Jones
Vice President, Business Advocacy
Tammie Jones is Vice President, Business Advocacy for the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, a business advocacy organization representing nearly 4,000 businesses in central Indiana. Jones joined the Indianapolis Chamber in August of 2006.
In this senior management role for the Indianapolis Chamber, Jones is responsible for setting the Chamber’s overall public policy direction. Prior to joining the Chamber, Jones was Midwest Manager of Supplier Diversity for Cincinnati-based Duke Energy (formerly Cinergy Corp.), the second largest gas and electric utility in the United States. In her 16 years at Duke, she developed an extensive background in the fields of economic inclusion, economic growth and retention strategy, public and community affairs and issues advocacy.
Jones was named by Women’s Enterprise Magazine as one of the nation’s top 100 Female Executives in Supplier Diversity and has been honored as a YMCA Black Achiever. She is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati’s School for Creative and Performing Arts.