“As sure as the spring will follow the winter, prosperity and economic growth will follow recession."   It is my sincerest hope that this comes true.

As I enter my second term as President of the Society For Human Resource Management - Long Island Chapter, Inc. (SHRM-LI), on behalf of the Board of Directors, I wanted to reach out and thank all of you for allowing us to serve for another term.  2008 witnessed great accomplishments for SHRM-LI as we made advancements in Membership and saw the creation of our Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

I am delighted to announce that thanks to the hard work of our many volunteers, SHRM-LI has once again achieved the status of Super Mega Chapter in 2008.  Not only have we added tremendously to our membership numbers, indicating the continued interest in the programs and benefits available through local Chapter membership, but we have managed to retain memberships during these very challenging economic times.

I am extremely pleased to announce that Jackson Lewis LLP has become our annual Corporate Sponsor for SHRM-LI.  Our longstanding partnership with Jackson Lewis will continue as together we are able to offer informative programs for each member to benefit from.  I would like to thank Mark Sussman, Esq. of Jackson Lewis for his continued support.

I would also like to congratulate Long Island's own Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc. and Mark Fogel, SPHR/GPHR, and his HR team for earning recognition from SHRM in its "HR Confronts the Downturn" economic stimulus contest.  Mark and his team continue to be pioneers in the HR profession.

I am certain that everyone has been touched in some way by the current economy and it is SHRM-LI's mission to provide our members with programs and access to information that will help them in their daily HR roles.  If you have been directly affected by the economy and find yourself as an unemployed HR professional, I ask that you contact SHRM-LI Chapter Administrator, Linda Selden, at chapteradmin@shrmli.org.  There may be ways that we can be of assistance to you.

Lastly, if you or your company would like to participate in our new Online Strategic Business Directory, showcasing your company's services to fellow SHRM-LI members, please visit the Business Directory to register.

Doug Silverman - SHRM-LI President