Minnesota Chapter of the Project Management Institute
Building Professionalism in Project Management™
December 2011 | Volume 14, Issue 12

In this issue:
Greetings from the Chapter President
Chapter News
Our Profession - Tools
Member News
Save the Date in 2012
Greetings from the President
Can you believe it? We have reached the end of the year.

When we started the year last January, it seemed like we had so much time to accomplish so much, and yet December still arrived way too quickly. The time for a ‘project debrief’ on the activities of the past year has arrived, while at the same time we look forward to next year.
I’ll leave the detailed accounting of this past year’s activities to the annual report, which will come out early next year. For myself, it is time to hand off the Chapter leadership to those who follow. My term as president ends on December 30th , and while I will still be part of the board in 2012, the Chapter leadership mantle will be assumed by the 2012 President, Cathy Bartholet, on January 1, 2012. The 2012 Chapter presidency is in very good hands. The next missive in the space will be from Cathy.
With any change in leadership, priorities may shift. Such shifts keep the organization responsive, pertinent and alive. But our core mission, vision and values have not changed. I am confident we will still continue to value our members and guests, and continue to work on ways to provide the best possible experience in all Chapter activities.
And finally, I want to thank all the volunteers who devoted so many hours to the Chapter this year. The Chapter’s success is directly related to your dedicated involvement.
May next year be better than the last.
Adios. Adieu. Arrivederci. Auf Weidersehen.
Good-bye.
Karen Little, PMP
2011 President
PMI Minnesota Chapter
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Chapter News
Spotlight on Cheryl Yasis and Greg Palmen
PMI-MN Volunteers of Month
Cheryl Yasis, in her two years as a PMI-MN volunteer, has made major contributions to our organization as Co-program Manager for Social Media with Ellen Kirchman, and in 2011 as Marketing & Communications Co-chair.
If you have joined and visited the PMI-MN group on LinkedIn you have seen Cheryl’s postings keeping members involved as well as informed about upcoming Chapter events.
Cheryl has shown strong dedication to the Marketing aspects of all the PMI-MN social media sites for PMI-MN. Her contribution has shown results in keeping members involved through LinkedIn.
Cheryl is well qualified for recognition by the Chapter for her efforts.
Greg Palmen, as the 2011 Paint-a-thon Program Manager, exemplifies the qualities for which PMI-MN as the Chapter that Cares is known.
Over several months, he co-ordinated PMI-MN’s efforts in the Charities 28th Annual Metro Paint-A-Thon. And this is not the first time – he also gave up summer weekends as the Paint-a-thon Program Manager in 2010.
He has led teams of dedicated PMI-MN volunteers over several months through all stages of this service project. His teams put in an extraordinary effort getting the selected house ready over two weekends and weekdays for the paint day on Aug 6.
Greg recruited and directed over 40 volunteers in this successful community service project -- and is well deserving of recognition for his efforts – as is his team.
More on Cheryl and Greg and other recipients
Help us recognize those who help run our Chapter. Send an entry to us. Details & form
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Start 2012 as an Involved PMI-MN Member!
Interested in getting to know others in the Chapter? Or perhaps want to spread your wings in an area outside your daily role? As a volunteer professional organization (owned and run by its members) our Chapter has a variety of short term and on-going needs for our members to step forward and volunteer their enthusiasm, expertise, and time in Chapter operations and activities.
We are now ramping up for our activities in 2012 – and there’s a place for you in the planning and executing our member projects.
Get involved: Check out the Volunteer postings online – and more are coming as committees form. For more opportunities not yet posted, contact our Chairs of Volunteers, Rachel Zisler or Jeff Thaler
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Our Profession - Tools
Celebrating Int’l Day of Project Management
Contributors: Teresa Tweeton, PMP
What did you do to celebrate International Day of Project Management (IPM)?
When? November 3 in 2011 -- International Project Management (IPM) is scheduled for the first Thursday of November every year. So, how did you celebrate the day?
One company with members in the Minnesota Chapter of PMI held a special event at work that day.
Think of fusing the knowledge areas (KA) of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) with golf! As people came into the event, they were put into foursomes. They were invited to go to each of the stations where they focused on a knowledge area. Just like golf has nine holes -- there are nine KAs.
Here are a couple examples of their KA challenges:
  • Cost Management & Mini putt. If a person answered a cost trivia question correctly, they could move closer to the hole for their putt.

  • Human Resource Management & Ice Breaker. Teams gained points on their “golf” card by asking and answering ice breaker questions.
The fifty six participants were able to place their golf cards into a drawing where they could win great prizes. The participation was fabulous and the event was a huge success!
A big thanks to Dawn for sharing her story with me at the November Chapter dinner meeting.
Mark your calendar: November 1, 2012, is the next IPM Day. Enjoy the planning, executing, monitoring & controlling and the closing of your projects and don’t forget to have some fun along the way!
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Member News
Congratulations to our New PMPs!
The following PMI-MN members received their PMP in the month of November.

  • James Arneberg, PMP
  • Katie Brekke, PMP
  • Ritu Chowdhary, PMP
  • Paul Comeau, PMP
  • Jothimani Ganesan, PMP
  • Robert Gerdts, PMP


  • Ann Haan, PMP
  • John Hepola, PMP
  • Rajeswari Itharaju, PMP
  • Rick Maus, PMP
  • Anne Schneider, PMP
  • Jay Sheldon, PMP



  • Sophia Strand, PMP
  • Mary Jane Swanson, PMP
  • Sarah Weidner, PMP
  • Robert Welsh, PMP
  • Michael Zaic, PMP

Welcome New PMI-MN Chapter Members!
The following new chapter members joined PMI-MN in the month of November.

  • Paul Agee
  • Nichole Amundson
  • Erin Anderson
  • Alberto Baez
  • Timothy Clark
  • Beth Crandall
  • Ellen Crayton
  • Bobby Cunningham, PMP
  • Mike Deiman
  • Sara Estes, PMP
  • Laura Catherine
  • Findorff-Norberg
  • Yuzhe Rachel Guan
  • Charles Hogan
  • Kristofor Johnson
  • Rick Jundt
  • Neal Katorosz
  • Carah Koch




  • Casey Land
  • Wendy LaPitz
  • Peter Leuty
  • Ummid Lohani
  • Mark Maronde
  • Jim Marsh
  • Ydane Masse
  • Jan Morey
  • Ashwin Nagaraj
  • Andrea Neumann
  • Vu Nguyen
  • Suzie O'Gorman
  • Tammy Olson, PMP
  • Mark Pominville
  • Kelly Reisdorf
  • Francis Schneider
  • Paul Schoen


  • Ryan Schwoch
  • Jon Smart
  • Mandy Spiess
  • Adam Stallman, PMP
  • Andy Stotts
  • Jaime Taylor
  • Joe Timmerman
  • Keith Townsend
  • Mike Tyrrell
  • Ron Wagner
  • Jerry Walker
  • Richard Weaver
  • Akinyi B. Williams
  • LaTonya Williams
  • Leah Wilson
  • Eric Winter, PMP
  • Christine Yost
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New Member Orientation Sessions – held monthly before dinner meeting
Welcome newcomers and current members! PMI-MN offers a New Member Orientation session starting at 6:00 pm before each month’s Chapter dinner meeting. You don’t actually need to be a new member -- or a member at all -- to attend this orientation session! This is a great way to check out the Chapter; or, if you haven’t been to many Chapter events (or it's been a long time), come and get re-acquainted with what our Chapter is all about! Check the upcoming month’s dinner meeting details on the Chapter website for specifics on our New Member Orientation program.
Save the Date in 2012
PMI-MN continues to schedule events throughout the year. Check our web site (www.pmi-mn.org) under Events & Meetings tab for more events, registration and/or details that are not yet available. Now’s a good time to register to reserve your seat and for savings! 
  • Jan 10 - Chapter Breakfast “Agile Project Management Certifications: Navigating the Sea of Choices” - Crowne Plaza – Mpls West, Plymouth, MN – Register by 12/27 for discounts - Details

  • Jan 10 - Course: "2012 Winter PMP® Certification Exam Prep Class" (8 weeks, Tuesday evenings) – Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Mpls, MN - Register by 12/31 - Details

  • Jan 16 – Agile LIG "What is Agile? Values, Principles and Various “Agile” Frameworks"– Crowne Plaza – Mpls West, Plymouth, MN - Details

  • Jan 16 - Chapter Dinner "Ethics and Moral Leadership in Project Management"– Crowne Plaza – Mpls West, Plymouth, MN - Register by 01/02 for discounts – Details

  • Jan 17 – Seminar - "Leadership & Emotional Intelligence for Effective Project Management" – Crowne Plaza – Mpls West, Plymouth, MN – Register by 01/05 for discounts - Details

  • Feb 14 - Chapter Breakfast “Earning the 'E' in EPMO” - Holiday Inn (by 3M), St. Paul, MN – Register by 01/31 for discounts - Details

  • Feb 21 – Seminar - "Putting your Business on the Path to Social" – RMC Project Management, Minnetonka, MN – Register by 02/06 for discounts - Details

  • Mar 27 – Seminar - "PMI-MN Microsoft Project Management 2010 Best Practices" – Crowne Plaza – Mpls West, Plymouth, MN – Register by 03/13 for discounts - Details
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Chapter Officers
Karen Little, PMP
President 2011
President@pmi-mn.org
Cathy Bartholet, PMP
President-Elect & Chief Operations Officer
PresidentElect@pmi-mn.org
Michael Green
Community Outreach Director
DirectorOutreach@pmi-mn.org
Terri Kimball, PMP
Finance Director
DirectorFinance@pmi-mn.org
Loren Klassen, PMP
Programs Director
DirectorPrograms@pmi-mn.org
Suzanne Schanno
Marketing & Communications Director
DirectorMarComm@pmi-mn.org
Matt Mehring, PMP
Past President-2010
PastPresident@pmi-mn.org
Sandy Tschannen
Membership Director
DirectorMembership@pmi-mn.org
Garfield Bowen, PMP
Professional Development Director
DirectorProfDev@pmi-mn.org


PMI-MN Office

1821 University Ave West, Ste S256
St. Paul, MN 55104
phone: (651) 917-6246
fax: (651) 917-1835
email: administrator@pmi-mn.org
web site: www.pmi-mn.org

PMI Headquarters

Four Campus Boulevard
Newtown Square, PA 19073-3299
phone: (610) 356-4600
fax: (610) 356-4647
email: pmihq@pmi.org
web site: www.pmi.org
Interested in becoming a member of PMI?
Learn about the benefits of membership here.

Newsletter Submission Information
The deadline for submission to PMI-MN News is the 22nd of the month prior to publication. Late submissions will not be included in the newsletter. Events must be submitted on Marketing Event forms. Email articles to: communications@pmi-mn.org. Contact us with any questions or comments you have.
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