More than 300 Class, Society, Regional Admissions Officers, Parent Club leaders visited West Point last week for the 2015 West Point Alumni Leaders Conference, sponsored by the Class of 1967. For three days, representatives of above constituencies took part in numerous networking opportunities, break-out sessions, and briefings by key Academy personnel. For example, Lieutenant General Robert Caslen ’75, Superintendent, addressed the assembled leaders about his priorities for the upcoming year, particularly inspiring honorable living among the cadets and instilling a winning culture at West Point. Brigadier General Tim Trainor ’83, Dean, also briefed the group on the Academy’s new curriculum starting with the Class of 2019. Guest speakers at the conference included author Susan RoAne, who gave a talk based on her best-selling book How to Work a Room, Army West Point Football Head Coach Jeff Monken, who didn’t make any guarantees about the upcoming season but did promise that his team “will work harder than the competition and never quit,” and General David Rodriguez ’76, Commander of the United States Africa Command, who was the distinguished speaker at the conference’s formal dinner.
While the briefings and guest talks garnered much praise from attendees, the nuts and bolts of the conference were the afternoon break-out sessions: one each for Class, Society, and Parent Club representatives. “The break-out sessions taught me that I don’t even know what I don’t know,” said Adrian Perkins, President of the Class of 2008. “I was constantly learning something, whether it was how to organize a class reunion, what to do with our class flag, or host of other topics.”
“I came here hoping to learn best practices from other societies, especially engagement practice regarding how to get more members involved,” said Matt DeHaven ’81, President of the West Point Society of Los Angeles. He came to the right place given the number (63) of West Point Societies that were presented with “Distinguished Society” certificates at the conference for the work they do for the West Point community across the country.
“I just got recharged coming back to West Point,” said Tony Gates ’81, President of the West Point Society of Northern California. “Coming here is always an experience, and this conference does a great job of making me a better advocate for West Point.” Gates hopes that the passion inspired by this conference shines through in his social media efforts and email briefs to his class and society. Look for such passion from your West Point leaders in their correspondence to you, or, better yet, become a West Point leader yourself and come back from your own dose of passion at next year’s West Point Alumni Leaders Conference. Click here to view photos of the conference: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wpaog/sets/72157655098939384/