President's Letter

Dear NIRI Silicon Valley Member, As we begin our new year, the NIRI Silicon Valley chapter has much to live up to. As many of you know, we won NIRI's "Best Large Chapter Award" at the recent national conference. Our goal is to continue this success and reclaim the award next year. With a motivated Board, made up of a strong balance of veterans and eager new directors, we are well-positioned to achieve our goal. Through the summer months, the Board met regularly to plan for the upcoming year. With a theme of "One Step Ahead", we have developed a robust schedule of informative and timely topics for our monthly luncheon meetings, prepared the framework for yet another sensational Spring Seminar, and created helpful, educational programs to enhance the knowledge base for IROs at all stages of their careers. We will kick-off the year with our Annual Lobster Feed on September 26th, held this year at Yahoo!'s corporate headquarters. This event has become a festive tradition in our chapter and a great way to reconnect with colleagues and friends. As in years past, you will find a variety of information on our website, including the monthly meeting schedule, as well as invitations to participate in our Mentor, Volunteer, and/or Sponsorship Programs. Additionally, over the past several months, we have been increasing the content of the "Members-Only" section of our website, www.nirisv.org, building it to be an excellent "go-to" information bank for the investor relations professional. If you haven't already done so, please sign up to gain access to the "Members-Only" section. For those who are not yet NIRI members, we look forward to welcoming you to the organization as you join. As this year's new President, I want to encourage communication between our membership and our Board of Directors as well as other chapters in our region. Please feel free to contact me directly with suggestions, questions or concerns. I am looking forward to seeing each of you at NIRI SV events throughout the year. Best regards, Tom Rathjen President, NIRI Silicon Valley Chapter Board of Directors President Tom Rathjen Accuray President-Elect and VP Professional Development Ken Bond Verisigns   Programs Co-Chair Remy Bernarda Hana Biosciences   Programs Co-Chair Lisa Chiorello Juniper Networks VP Marketing and Communications Judy Davies Verigy   VP Programs Tricia Gugler Electronic Arts   VP Seminars Victoria Hyde-Dunn Visa Inc. VP Membership Hunter Landers Creative Strategy Group, Inc.   Director at Large Michelle Levine JDSU   Seminars Co-Chair Kelly McGeehan Ipreo Marketing and Communications Co-Chair Brenda Ropoulos Principal, Ropoulos & Associates   Director at Large Peter Schuman Intel   VP Board Affairs Brian Walton Marketwire Treasurer Sam Wolff Yahoo