BPD Website: By now many of you have noticed the changes taking place on the BPD website. Now, prospective members are able to join BPD through our website. Current members are able to log into the website and have access to their member accounts where they can update their contact information, indicate committee interest, and most importantly, renew their BPD dues via credit card. Simply log in with your email address (if you've recently switched schools or have a new email, just use the last one that you reported to BPD). Your password is defaulted to bpd123. Don't worry if you've forgotten your password, there's a link to reset it right there on the site. For questions about the BPD website, please email us at membership@bpdonline.org.
BPD Dues Renewal: Invoices for 2012 BPD dues will be mailed shortly. For those members interested in paying with a Visa, Discover or MasterCard, you may log into your account now and pay those dues electronically. The membership period is for January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012. As an added bonus, members who pay before January 1st begin to receive member communications early and have access to member rates for the BPD annual conference. Please direct all questions to membership@bpdonline.org.
BPD Leadership Opportunities: Recently, BPD welcomed 5 new Board members and 2 new members to the Nominating Committee. Congratulations to President-Elect, Peggy Pittman-Munke; new Members at Large: William Rainford, Belinda Bruster, Andre Stevenson and Nancy Udolph; and nominating committee members Stephen Baldridge and Diana Strock-Lynskey.
We have another election coming before the end of the year for new Board and Nominating Committee members who will take place in January of 2012. To learn more about this election and/or to submit your name for consideration for any leadership position, please visit our elections site at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Nominations2012. Nominations are due by October 31st.
BPD Annual Conference: The BPD Annual Conference will take place March 14-18, 2012 at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower in Portland, OR. Already we have a jam packed program with sessions addressing technology, advocacy, sustainability, assessment and many other areas of interest. This year's theme, Sustaining Quality BSW Education in Difficult Times, is sure to address the needs of programs far and wide. Make plans to join us today! Registration and the hotel reservation system for the conference will open on October 17th.
In the meantime, check out the BPD website for opportunities to participate. We still have exhibit, advertisement and vendor space available through our prospectus as well as speaker and award opportunities through the student posters, Mit Joyner Gerontology Award Session, Ron Federico Memorial Lectures, and the Jim Wahlberg Memorial Scholarship Award and Session. We are also in need of conveners to moderate sessions during the conference. Visit the website today, as many deadlines are approaching soon!
BPD at APM: For those members attending APM later this month, be sure to join us for the BPD General Membership meeting which will take place on Friday, October 28th from 5:30 to 6:30pm in the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Ballroom Salon C. After the membership meeting, grab a few friends and come join us in Imperial Ballroom B from 7-11pm for the Annual BPD Cabaret!