Farewell Letter from Sheri Colvin, MAI, 2019 NCAI President

Dear NCAI –

Happy New Year!

It was a great honor to be entrusted with the leadership of our chapter in 2019. To be given the steering wheel of such a long-established and successful chapter is something I will always be proud and so appreciative of.  

Things evolve during your life in Chapter leadership. Every Chapter President strives to make a difference and each President has their own set of goals and priorities that they see as fitting for their snapshot in time. For my point in time, I felt like we needed a dose of back to basics to take a deeper look into chapter operations and how our “machine” runs behind the scenes. We made great strides to that end with some bonus accomplishments along the way.

So what did we do in 2019? A lot. To name a few.…

• Written modernization of the duties and responsibilities of the Executive Committee positions and the Executive Director.
• Set up efficient cross-collaboration within committees. Overlap committee participants where it makes sense and use Directors in committee roles. 
• Polices were written regarding the handling of Special Funds, travel, Scholarships, and the spending of surplus monies.
• We took better control of Region representation and travel expenses in all departments.
• Established a new sponsorship program with varied levels of sponsorship to appeal to AI and non-AI organizations. 
• Operated within a fixed budget of management/Executive Director hours.
• We successfully rallied behind our members to fill two of the available Governor-appointed seats on the NC Appraisal Board.
• We attended a legislative reception in Raleigh and a Legislative Day was held in the spring where chapter members visited with legislators in Raleigh.
• We attended two different stakeholders meetings with the NCAB and the NC Realtors concerning bifurcated/hybrid appraisals. This topic will continue into 2020.
• The new Scholarship committee came into full bloom and completed a new, written set of Policies/Best Practices. Seven scholarships were awarded in 2019 which is the most in recent years.
• LDAC got a financial boost with a donation challenge now known as the Scott Robinson Challenge. Also in the spring, Ted Anglyn generously devoted his time to put on a seminar solely for the purpose of raising money for LDAC participation.
• The diligence of the REVC committee (our annual Real Estate Valuation Conference) resulted the highest registration count this year since 2015.
• Even though 2019 was not a USPAP year, we were able to bring Education income and expenses back into the black. 

So –     Is chapter leadership a hectic experience?   Sometimes.
             Is it rewarding, memorable, and fuels personal growth?  ALWAYS.

As I see 2020 rolling in with this extraordinary group of leaders and Chris Johnson at the helm, I am bright-eyed and excited to continue participation in my new role as Immediate Past President. One of the many benefits of this level of chapter leadership is to really see how the “sauce is made” and how to best apply personal interests and strengths. You just don’t get that same understanding, and appreciation for the decisions that are made, until you roll up your sleeves and become part of it. For this reason, I can’t encourage you enough to do the same.  

Thank you NCAI!  See you in 2020!

Sheri Colvin, MAI
2019 President, North Carolina Chapter of the Appraisal Institute