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The excitement and buzz of Vancouver is upon us, and adding to this excitement is that the Academy is celebrating its 75th Annual Meeting! Our meeting has evolved and grown in such a tremendous and wonderful way that now, more than ever, we rely on our volunteer leaders to keep the momentum going and help support initiatives that provide new opportunities for members to connect.

Introducing "The Quad"
I'm reaching out to all Division and Interest Group leaders today to ask you to join me and the AOM Membership Committee in creating a brand new, open and collaborative space that allows members to connect, and celebrates the many wonderful communities that make up our All-Academy shared identity. We're calling it "The Quad" to honor our beginnings in 1936 at the Quadrangle Club on the University of Chicago's campus.

The AOM Communities Quad is envisioned to provide a place where, in an otherwise very large and dispersed meeting, members can come together in a warm and welcoming environment for one-on-one conversations, small group exchange, and sharing within and across our Academy communities. This centralized gathering space, located in the Exhibit Hall, will provide a unique opportunity to both recognize and celebrate our Divisions and Interest Groups, and provide members with the opportunity engage with representatives from their disciplinary home(s) and learn about others, particularly for new members that may not be able to attend individual group functions.

Locating "The Quad" in the Exhibit Hall takes advantage of an already established central hub of activity. We'll provide each Division and Interest Group with a designated, reserved table draped with a customized table cover displaying your name to make it easy for members to find you. The tables will be set up over the course of the 3 days the Exhibit Hall is open, and we're asking each group to put a call out to their membership seeking volunteers to be ambassadors for your Division/Interest Group. Volunteer ambassadors will help staff the tables in 2 hour increments, beginning with the Friday evening New Member Orientation from 5:30-7:30pm.

New Short-Term Volunteer Opportunity for Your Members
This short term volunteer role as a Membership Community Ambassador is a great new opportunity to include members of your Division/Interest Group who want to get involved, but may not have the time to commit to a long-term volunteer role or leadership position. This simple, short-term volunteer role allows members to support their Division/Interest Group by committing just a few hours at the Annual Meeting.

Please encourage and invite your members to sign up to represent your Division/Interest Group at "The Quad", and also to explore other ways to participate and support all the various welcoming initiatives offered by the Membership Committee.

Download this flyer for more descriptive details about what is required for this ambassador role, and feel free to distribute the flyer to your members to promote this volunteer opportunity. If you have any questions, please contact Anne Wood, Membership Committee staff liaison for assistance - awood@aom.org.

Thank you and I look forward to seeing all of you in Vancouver!

Sincerely,

Debra L. Shapiro
Academy of Management
President-elect and Coordinator of Professional Divisions