Robert Urso posted on January 01, 2009 21:20
January 2009 NRA News
by CAPT Bob Urso
Welcome 2009! Fellow members, recently the District Presidents nominated and elected me to be the new Chair of the District Presidents Council. I am both humbled and honored by this vote of confidence and the opportunity to serve membership on a broader scale. As the Chair, my primary goal is to ensure that we leverage best practices across all of the Districts so that the membership is well served. In order to do that, it takes resources. In the case of the NRA, a resource translates to a volunteer —and we need your help. Each District is chartered to have Chapter Presidents and its own set of Vice Presidents and officers to mirror those of the Association’s national-level officers. These are important roles, requiring minimal effort, that help us keep the Association energized and relevant. Like Uncle Sam, the NRA needs you!
Here’s my plea and pledge. If you think you can set aside four-to-eight hours a month to get involved – please do it. In return, I pledge to ensure that you have the information and resources you need to be successful. Besides the Association’s highly effective lobbying for important benefits (such as the recent TRICARE Reserve Select premium reductions), the great value to you of being involved is an opportunity to run into former shipmates (we had folks at the recent Fall Conference who were able to catch up with former shipmates they had not seen in over eight years) and also expand your network. As we’ve seen with all of the commercial technology-based platforms out there, a highly effective network is a key contributor to your life’s successes.
Getting involved as an Association leader also gives you the potential opportunity to make a contribution to your community. In addition, I’ve heard that serving in these volunteer leadership roles can be a breakout discriminator in FITREPs, particularly for those of our senior enlisted leaders.
I am a member of more Navy-related associations than can be counted on one hand; by far, the NRA is a front-runner with its efforts in support of its members. Please contact your District President today and express your interest, or contact me directly at robert.urso@usnr.org – particularly if you’re in the 5th District. Thanks for your continuing support.