A new chapter in NACM Business Credit Services history takes effect February 1, 2018 as Georgette Bevan, CCE will become president of our affiliate. Georgette succeeds Dean Wangsgard who served as our associations president for eleven years.

Georgette brings a wealth of experience with her in her new position. She worked for many years in credit management prior to coming on board with NACM sixteen years ago in 2001.

Her professional career started as a paralegal in a law office. She looks back fondly on that experience as it exposed her to the law and provided a foundation she would draw upon in her next job. In her next assignment, she quickly learned the credit manager she worked with was not following-up on returned checks. She took on the responsibility and the rest, as they say, is history. She was hooked on credit and collections.

She later went to work for Huntsman Company. She grew in her role to eventually become credit manager. One defining moment in her experience at Huntsman was leaving her comfort zone to request approval to attend Credit Congress that would be taking place later that year in Seattle.

To help her prepare for the request, she read the book "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway" written by Susan Jeffers. She still considers this book to be one of the most influential books she has read. Although she was doubtful she would get approval, she wrote a proposal to attend. To her surprise, she was approved!

Georgette said, "I had to travel all the way to Seattle to meet the nicest people from Utah." Those that she met took her under their wings and gave her knowledge and insight that helped her in her work.

Upon returning from Credit Congress, she sent her manager a memo that described what she had learned at the conference and how she would be using it in her daily work. Three months later, she received a memo informing her she was approved to attend all future Credit Congress gatherings. Her manager could see the impact and influence attending the conference had made in her daily performance.

As Georgette reflects back on that experience, she knows the adage her father repeated regularly when she was a child, "mind over matter," had a great influence in helping her to address challenges. She believes this saying continues to motivate her as she tackles new problems and concerns.

Georgette feels fortunate to have had several mentors during her professional career. She is particularly grateful to Dean Wangsgard as he has helped her learn all aspects of managing the association. Performance reviews with Dean were interesting as he always challenged Georgette to move out of her comfort zone to learn new skills. In hindsight, she can see how she has grown through the learning process.

Georgette sees her greatest opportunity in keeping NACM relevant to our members. She wants to keep the association on the cutting edge of education and services. She strongly believes the focus of the association should be the member and doing what is needed to ensure all members are successful. She wants to ensure our association focuses on informing members and prospective members on how NACM can ensure success.

Georgette stated NACM has had a profound impact on her career and the direction she has taken in life. She wants to help others to have the same opportunities. She wants members to shape a job into a career and for employers to recognize the difference these employees make in their companies. She believes the educational and networking opportunities provided by NACM can "move the ceiling" for others as she has experienced in her own career.

We welcome Georgette to her new position and wish her the greatest of success as she manages our association.