May
2021

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

Chapter President Ric Ferrin, PMP, MBA, DBA

Hello PMI Portland Chapter Members,

What’s the saying: April Showers bring May Flowers? Unfortunately our April was pretty dry but I’m anticipating the vibrant show of May flowers in our future. It is also the final month of Spring, which brings warmth and lounging outside and the subsiding of frigid weather. For that, I am looking upward and onward!

The board has been working hard to bring the PMI Chapter many great virtual events, and is continuing to focus on holding in-person chapter meetings beginning September, assuming COVID restrictions allow. I do hope you are all maintaining your good health during this time, and it looks like the toughest part is behind us. Now we just need to relearn what “normal” means!

Our Marketing Portfolio, led by Paul Mai continues working their magic, and of course, Marshall Oller, Siri Akula and Jody Shaw are bringing the very best in events to either assist you in keeping your certifications, or providing the material and events to help you earn a valuable PMI Accreditation.

Don’t forget, we had elections this past month. We have an excellent representation on the Board, and we want to keep the quality as we move into the post Pandemic World. Rochelle will be taking over the role of President in July, so we need a candidate to step into the role of President Elect, or future President, to learn the ropes, assist where needed, and fill in during the absence of the President.

The PMI Portland Chapter has been extremely fortunate, as we continue to have the support and backing of the Board. Rochelle (President Elect) and Penelope (Past President) both deserve credit for carrying the Chapter through the Pandemic and into the next phase. I don’t know what the future holds, but I am sure the Portland Chapter will be just fine. Our volunteers and future representation are a testament to that. I have had the pleasure and privilege of working with some of the finest professionals I know and look forward to what’s to come.

Ric Ferrin, PMP, MBA, DBA
President
PMI-Portland

ARTICLES

Volunteer of the Month: Sheldon Philips - May 2021

By Membership Selection Committee

Throughout his 40+ years in project management, Sheldon has a compendium about project management and the PMI Portland community is lucky to have him leading the charge as our Director of Mentoring. Sheldon received his PMP in 2009 and began his volunteer journey with PMI Portland in 2016 as a mentor, becoming the Mentoring Director in 2017. 

Sheldon has been the backbone of the mentoring program for the PMI Portland Chapter, promoting professional growth for Chapter members by facilitating focused mentoring programs twice a year. Those who work with him speak about his passion for the education and growth of PMI chapter members. He always has great ideas and support for education study groups and networking.

Mentoring for Sheldon is an act of servant leadership that was instilled in him at a young age. His definition of mentoring does not stem from a teacher-lecturer relationship or know-it-all status, but from a willingness to pass on knowledge and guide and encourage those who are seeking to be and do better. As a mentor in the program himself, he has seen his mentees begin to lead on projects, work through challenges and gain international recognition for their work.

Sheldon has made sure that he and his mentor network are available as a resource to chapter members and guests during the pandemic. He adjusted the mentoring program to accommodate virtual lifestyles  for 2020, gave great feedback and support to the Professional Development portfolio team. Sheldon is humble, supportive, accountable and a great role model. 

Professionally, Sheldon is the Director of Cybersecurity for an outsourced IT firm in the Portland metro area, primarily supporting compliance. In his current role, he sees a growing opportunity for project managers to have successful, long term careers in IT security compliance management, so watch out for his future panel or lunch and learn on the topic!

In his spare time, Sheldon spends time with his grandchildren throughout the Pacific Northwest or riding his large displacement motorcycle. He also cares for a garden he inherited when he purchased his current home, which is more of a necessary project than a delightful pastime. 

If you think you could benefit from a mentor or would like further information, Sheldon says do not wait. Go to the mentoring webpage on PMI Portland and submit your application today. The Spring/Summer round applications are open now. And if you get the chance to speak with Sheldon, please be sure to thank him for his support of the PMI Portland community!

A Message from the Membership Selection Committee:
Have you volunteered with someone from the PMI Portland Chapter who goes above and beyond expectations? Nominating your fellow volunteers is easy! Nominations can come from Board members, Directors and fellow volunteers. Candidates are chosen based on hours worked and the impact of the work on the Portland Chapter. 
Click here to submit your nomination form.

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EVENTS

Panel Discussion: Engineering to Technical Program Management

Virtual Panel | Engineering to Technical Program Management

May 11, 2021 | 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

In the engineering field, evaluations are usually done on technical skills, not other skills, such as project or people management. However, as we enter a new decade, engineers who invest in perfecting their project management skills often find they are given more responsibilities within the business.

Join us for a panel discussion brought to you by Columbia River Section (CRS) Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and Project Management Institute (PMI) Portland. You will hear about our panelists’ career choices, journeys and also learn about their project management best known methods (BKM’s), tools and individual engineering project management practices. Bring your questions to this interactive session and network with a professional group of women engineers.

The Society of Women Engineers is the world’s largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. We are glad to bring this opportunity to introduce PMI Portland chapter members and CRS SWE members to each other and help build their prospective professional network. 

This event will be moderated by Sireesha(Siri) Akula, VP of Professional Development at PMI Portland chapter. Panelists include Lisa Perigault, Technical Program Manager at Intel, Brianna LaBarge, Sr. Process Engineer at Nike, and Kathy Faraci-Roberts, Senior Program Manager at Lam Research. Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn and network with another local non-profit professional organization! The event is FREE for all members and $5 for non-members. To participate fully, participants are encouraged to have their webcams on in order to interact fully. Participants will be able to self-report 1 technical PDU for attending. Register now and we'll see you tonight! 

Your panelists:

Lisa Perigault is a Technical Program Manager at Intel and an Innovation champion and cofounder of Patent101 Workshops. She owns developing and optimizing workflow processes across the IP development cycle and IP pathfinding. Her innovation journey started when as a recent college graduate, she filed a patent for a new high-performance package design, all while working full time in VLSI Technology and studying for her MSEE at Santa Clara University.  She completed her graduate studies while working at Rambus and then joined Silicon Graphics (SGI) as a Member of their Technical Staff. Her work has spanned from ASIC qualification and validation of Foundry products, to package and interconnect characterization and development to technical program management in Graphics, USB and Chipset Design. Her 14 year career at Intel has included recruiting at SHPE and SWE conferences as well as presenting in WIN and mentoring aspiring innovators. When she’s not growing the technical pipeline, Lisa enjoys reading, running and spending time with her husband and their three daughters.

Brianna LaBarge is currently a Sr. Process Engineer for Nike Air Manufacturing Innovation. She has worked on many Nike Air products such as Air Max 90, 97, 270, 720, 2017 and Lebron 17. Her work on these products helped her organization win the Global Maxim Award for being on the offense, as well as the Founders Award, Nike’s highest honor. Brianna is currently the President-Elect of the Society of Women Engineers Columbia River Section, has held numerous leadership positions since becoming a member in 2010 and has presented at various conferences for SWE and other organizations. She holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Central Florida and has several certifications including Six Sigma Black Belt, PMP and Athletic and Outdoor Product Management. As a true Oregonian, Brianna enjoys hiking, traveling and working out with the Nike Training Club. 

Kathy Faraci-Roberts is a Senior Program Manager at Lam Research in Tualatin Pilot Operations. At Lam, Kathy manages new product introduction programs as they transition through Pilot into high volume manufacturing. Kathy started out as a Design Engineer, then moved into System Engineering before going into Program Management. She has over 20 years’ experience in hardware engineering and previously held positions at Xerox and InFocus. 

Kathy is certified with her DfLSS Black Belt and Systems Green Belt. She received her degrees from Oregon State University in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Physics. Kathy has been married for 20 years and has 2 middle schoolers, Andrew age 13 and Elizabeth age 11.  

Your moderator:

Sireesha (Siri) Akula is currently an Engineering Manager at Intel Corporation bringing the flagship Ethernet products to market. She is an accomplished leader in validation and customer management with over 15 years of industry experience backed by a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering and PMP certification. Her leadership and service spans across many non-profit organizations and are mostly significant with Society of Women Engineers, Project Management Institute, Beaverton School district and Washington County community gardens. In her spare time, Siri loves to cook, garden and spend outdoors with family and friends.

Stepping up with Corporate Social Responsibility

May Chapter Meeting | Stepping up with Corporate Social Responsibility

May 18, 2021 | 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm

 Join Annie Agle for this session on Stepping up with Corporate Social Responsibility. This interactive workshop will give participants steps to consider when it comes to corporate brand strategy and how corporate social responsibility fits into existing company culture and agenda. Annie will explain steps she used when working with small to large corporations and the lessons learned along the way. Participants will engage in virtual breakout room conversations around refining their strategy and will take away steps to implement corporate social responsibility projects that connect with the overarching business strategy. The event is FREE for all members and $5 for non-members. To participate fully, participants are encouraged to have their webcams on for the breakout sessions of the workshop and the networking portion of the chapter meeting. Participants will be able to self-report 1 strategic PDU for attending.

Known as a game changer, Annie Agle is the Senior Director of Impact and Sustainability at Cotopaxi. She is passionate about social innovation, sustainability, traceable philanthropy, human rights, SDGs, B Corps, ethical supply chains and responsible procurement. While at Cotopaxi, she worked on getting the company certified through Climate Neutral to measure, reduce and offset its carbon footprint. Cotopaxi was founded to eradicate poverty in the Americas. Today, it recognizes the leading role climate change plays in economic inequality. As an outdoor brand, Cotopaxi strives to be as eco-conscious as possible and is now taking responsibility for the entirety of its footprint. Register today and leave your carbon-free footprint on the Zoom floor! 

120VC Transformational Leadership Course

Course | 120VC Transformation Leadership Program Course

May 12 - August 18, 2021 | 14-Weeks 

PMI Portland Chapter is partnering with 120VC to offer a discounted registration for the 14-week 120VC Project Transformational Program (TLP). The program is unlike other training on Leadership, Project, Product, and Change Management. It delivers how-to, real-world instruction on the latest best practices being used by our professional services teams to execute enterprise-wide projects for our Fortune 500 clients. The course provides 30 PDUs!

Running this Wednesday May 12th through August 18th, the 120VC TLP offers 14 weeks of online instructor-led sessions combined with "off week" assignments and a highly interactive learning community. The curriculum is excellent for anyone responsible for a team. It doesn't matter from entry-level operations managers to seasoned project or change managers to PMO director-level leaders.

The course covers organizational change management, project portfolio management, motivating people, cultivating good commitments, accountability, negotiation and managing project change, to name a few topics.

This $2,500 course is being offered for $999 (an almost $1500 discount) to PMI Portland participants. Space is limited. Sign up early and use the promo code PMIPDX-TLP to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity. 

About the Instructor:

The TLP is led by 120VC Founder and CEO, Jason Scott, who led the Chapter's April 2020 workshop: "It's Never Just the Business - It's About the People." Jason started his career jumping out of helicopters with the Navy and has overseen global transformational efforts at Trader Joe's, Sony Pictures, Mattel, and others. He is the author of "It's Never Just Business: It's About People" and "The Irreverent Guide to Project Management."

PDUs

9 Leadership

12 Technical Project Management

9 Strategic and Business Management

Testimonials

“120VC is my go-to for anything Leadership, Project Management or Change Management related. These guys get it done and... I never doubt for one second that they are putting my best interests first. You can trust 120VC with your success/ reputation. These guys deliver.”

-- Dionne Aarsen, Director of Project Portfolio Services, NBC Universal

“I highly recommend 120VC. They are a firm with a strong methodology, a proven track record of success at Trader Joe’s Company, and a group with the requisite know-how and emotional intelligence to deliver mission critical projects.”

-- Ron Glickman, Chief Information Officer, Trader Joe’s Company

COMMUNITY

Book Review

The information provided in this review is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a source of advice with respect to the material presented. The information provided is done so without any solicitation and is not meant to persuade or influence any decision. The opinions here are strictly those of the reviewer and are meant only for sharing. Please enjoy.

Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

Review by Josh Bathon, AVP Sponsorship

I’d like to start off with a confession: I seriously considered the idea of not sharing this book. From the earliest pages, I could tell it’s the kind of book that grants an advantage to the reader. For that very reason, I also must recommend this book. It is just too valuable to pass up.

Chris Voss, a career hostage negotiator from the FBI, codifies his life’s work in Never Split the Difference. This book is a masterclass in communication. Voss draws on decades of high-pressure negotiations to give the reader tools to understand and speak to the person across the table, regardless of the situation. This is a must-read.

Why this book? There are too many reasons to cover in a short review, but a summary would be appropriate. Here are 4 outcomes that this book provided me, that were instantly applicable to my life (both personally and professionally):

Listen Better - Listening is an art, one that most of us haven’t learned well. This book teaches skills like mirroring, labeling, and summarizing, in order to solicit clearer information. Voss’s concept of “tactical empathy” unlocks a deeper level of understanding, and is the foundation for any quality conversation.

Level-Up your Communication - The way you communicate is more important than the message itself. You can ensure that your counterpart understands you clearly by learning to use tools like anchors, labels and calibrated questions. In a world that is heavily oversaturated with ads, notifications, and messages, small tweaks to the way you communicate ensure that your message is heard.

Rethink What you Mean by “Negotiation” - I bought this book thinking that it would help me get better at negotiating salary and haggling with a car salesman. But the book challenged my concept of “negotiation,” helping me to understand that everyday conversations are small negotiations that require shared understanding between parties.

Be Confident in Conflict - By nature, I am gentle and conflict-averse. When I need something from someone else, it can feel like a conflict between my needs and their resources. Voss shows how, with the right approach, a negotiation doesn’t have to be a conflict; even hostage situations can be amicable if you have the right perspective.

PMI has taught us that 90% of what we do is communication. Never Split the Difference is a book that zeroes in on that practice. As a shortcut to improving the activity that you spend most of your time doing, this book is a must-read. 

Latest trends and/or reports courtesy of Experis.

Outside-In North America Market Review (April 2021)
Provides market economic indicators, labor trends, U.S. job demand, U.S. staffing, and outplacement.

Click on the PDF icon to view or download.

Upcoming PMP Certification Training coming June 2021

The PMI Portland Chapter will be offering a PMP Training course for the new PMP exam that was released early 2021. In addition to the course, you will have the option to attend a weekly study group session with the instructors to ensure all questions or concerns are addressed. If you are interested in attending the upcoming training, please complete the below survey to provide the Chapter with an understanding of what time frame and format would work best for you. 

Survey Location: PMP Certification Survey