Message from the President

PMI MN Chapter Members,

As I sit here and write my last PMI MN President’s message for my 2020 term, I am amazed at how fast 2020 has gone by, what a whirlwind!  So much has happened and so much good has been accomplished. I plan to take time during the holidays to reflect on each month, review my calendars, and remind myself of everything that happened from a personal and professional perspective.  Wow! This will be a historical year in all areas of our lives! Thank you to all our exceptional Chapter volunteers and both long standing members and new members, for committing to be part of an organization that is dedicated to the profession of project management.

I am honored to have served all of you as the PMI MN President in the year 2020. I want to thank everyone for the teamwork and support throughout the year. I have much confidence and faith in your incoming 2021 President and President Elect:

• Incoming 2021 President, CEO, Ruth Birkholz, has been an outstanding partner with me this past year.  I am confident that Ruth will ensure this chapter and the Board of Directors remains on the positive course we have put it on in 2020. Ruth is very dedicated to the PMI MN Chapter’s success, and has been working diligently with the Operations team to ensure we have a solid plan going into 2021, as well as ensuring a smooth transition to the new incoming President Elect Manish Kalra
• Incoming 2021 President Elect, Manish Kalra, will be serving his 4^th year on the Board of Directors in 2021. He has the experience and knowledge needed to move into the President Elect, COO role, and ensure the Chapters Operations team is successful. I have known Manish professionally and personally for multiple years. I started my volunteer path with PMI MN on the Professional Development Committee as the Webinar Moderator, and Manish was the Committee Chair. Manish has been an excellent mentor for me, and I look forward to seeing all he will accomplish in this new Chapter leadership role.

I am also excited to announce our two new 2021 incoming PMI MN Board Members, Aaron Kielhack and Kimberly Berger!  Please join me in welcoming them to the Board of Directors team:

Aaron Kielhack, Incoming 2021 Director of Governance, PMI MN Board of Directors

- Past Chapter Role(s): Member of PMI MN and North Dakota Outreach
- Incoming Chapter Role(s): Director of Governance
- Profession: Sr. Project Manager for the State of North Dakota Information Technology
- Fun Facts: Enjoys reading military history and playing tennis (and usually losing). Also, is a lifelong East Coaster who moved to North Dakota in 2011.


Kimberly Berger, Incoming 2021 Director at Large, PMI MN Board 0f Directors
   - Past Chapter Role(s): Vice Chair/Chair of Professional Development Days
- Incoming Chapter Role(s): Director at Large, Disciplined Agile Chapter     Champion
- Profession: Sr. Project Manager at Digineer
- Fun Facts: Has been to 43 countries and hopes to visit all 200+. Has been playing piano since the age of 6 and still enjoys playing and learning new pieces.  Also, has picked up learning the drums a few years ago and briefly formed an all-girl band.


There are exciting changes and new offerings coming in 2021 that I have been promising to share more information on. You will find information on these new opportunities below, and can always reach out to me with any questions you may have:

• PMI MN is in the process of transitioning to the new PMI Authorized Training Partner (ATP) program for our PMP exam preparation classes starting in January 2021. Here is what our Professional Development Committee, PMP Program Manager, Ingerid Mohn, has to say on what to expect with the new program:
  PMP Exam Prep is changing in 2021. Not only will we have a new exam with a greater focus on hybrid and agile, but there is a restructuring of the training model to improve alignment with PMI guidelines. PMI conducted several studies of PMP students and concluded that they are gravitating towards instructors and study materials endorsed by PMI. To provide more consistent delivery across all PMP Exam Prep courses, PMI Global developed the Authorized Trailing Partner (ATP) program. The ATP program offers updated course material for the PMP Exam Prep and Discipline Agile (DA) developed by PMI Global. PMP Exam Prep instructors are required to attend a course on the new PMP exam material and classroom facilitation management prior to teaching their first course. This provides a common foundation that is consistent from course to course.
  As your local PMI chapter, we are excited to announce that we are in the process of seeking an ATP certification New for 2021, the PMP Exam Prep class will fulfill the required 35 PDU hours needed apply to take the PMP exam. Students will be able to network with other students, form study groups and interact with members of the PMI-MN chapter. These changes will help position students for success in their career while creating relationships with like-minded professionals and will enjoy continuous improvement leveraging our chapter’s resources! Stay tuned for more information these exciting changes in 2021!
• PMI Global is also offering a couple of new programs and certifications that I am very excited about:
  Turn Ideas into Apps with PMI Citizen Developer
  Given the pace of work today, people need to leverage technology, including custom apps and software solutions, to help them deliver outcomes more efficiently and effectively. The growing practice of “citizen development” enables users – “the citizen developer” – to create these tools and apps without coding expertise, significantly faster, and at a fraction of the cost. Embracing citizen developer gives project managers and their teams project management capability and delivery. To help professionals achieve this, PMI has launched the first of a suite of offerings to help professionals learn the foundations of citizen development, unlock its full potential, and use it in a secure and scalable way. Learn how to turn ideas into apps here.
  PMI Project Management Ready
  PMI Project Management Ready ^TM is a new and exciting opportunity for chapters to participate in PMI’s youth outreach. This new certification for high school and postsecondary students introduces project management, including fundamental and core concepts, business analysis, and traditional and agile methodologies.
  Students who earn this certification will find opportunities to advance and combine these skills with others via higher education, internship/apprenticeship opportunities, or as they prepare for the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® exam. By partnering with local businesses and schools, Chapters can help create an even stronger demand for these skills with the next generation of project management professionals. Learn more about PMI Project Management Ready.
• For those of you who are job seeking or looking for something new, we would like to bring your attention to the new PMI MN Job Site powered by CPS Network. The portal works like a white label, meaning when users come from a PMI Chapter's site or accept to be geolocated, we display the PMI MN Chapter's logo at the top. The portal is an incredible added value to the membership. On the recruiter's side, we provide you with much more reach than a posting on a standalone website. As more and more PMI Chapters onboard, the number of listings will exponentially grow, providing PMI Chapters’ members with even more career opportunities. Please click here for more information PMI MN Job Site.