CREDIT PROFESSIONALS INTERNATIONAL OF ATLANTA
Prevent Credit Abuse - Promote Credit Education
"New Directions
New Opportunities"
2005-2006 Year In Review
September:  Amanda Goss, Professional Speaker and Personal Life Coach, spoke on "Know Your
Own Worth at the September 21 meeting and new officers were elected.  Four members and one
sponsor attended the Tennessee State Conference in Gatlinburg, TN.  Carol Neal presented the
"Survival of the Fittest" workshop which tested team synergy.

August:  Eight members and two guests attended the August 17 meeting.  Dana Ellis Sullivan, Vice
President, Check Services, SunTrust Bank, spoke on "Check 21".  Carol Neal hosted the Past
Presidents Annual Luncheon at her home on August 12, 2006. Six members and sixteen guests,
including CPI of Augusta members Frances Crowell and Mitia Key, attended the Annual Summer
Social at Fernbank Museum of Natural History on August 6, 2006, enjoying the "Chocolate Sunday"
exhibit, museum attractions, and IMAX presentations.

July:  President Rhonda McKinney reported on the International Conference and gave a presentation
based on the manual article "You CAN Make a Difference" at the Board of Directors Meeting on July 20
with eight members in attendance.  Plans were made for "Make A Difference Day" and the Georgia
Annual Meeting.  Five members and sponsor Janice Dressler attended the Inter-City Credit Council
meeting in Greenville, SC, on Saturday, July 15.  Mary Rangel-Mattox was recognized as one of the
First Timers present.   The workshop was a presentation on Identity Theft and related programs
available from the Better Business Bureau given by Kathy Barrett, President of Upstate Better
Business Bureau.  

June:  Four Atlanta members attended the International Conference in Wichita, KS, June 22-25, 2006.  
Anne Hammond is the new Vice President of the
Credit Education Resources Foundation.  Rhonda
McKinney will be serving as Chairman of the Publications Committee and Carol Neal as Chairman of
the Bylaws Committee.  
CPI of Atlanta was recognized for gaining three new members this past
year and for outstanding contributions to Foundation fundraisers
.  Michele Rocher's Awareness
Ribbon project is moving forward with car magnets in the Fall.  Joyce Dove was recognized for 52
years service in the credit industry at the Career Club meeting.  See the complete International
Conference report in this month's issue of
The GeorgiaGram.

Ten members and one guest attended the membership meeting on June 15.  Debi Merchant, CEO of
Attitude, Common Sense, Etc., Inc., spoke on "Employee Motivation and  Avoiding Job Burnout".  Plans
for the Summer Social were approved.

May:  Five Atlanta members and sponsor Janice Dressler attended the 68th Annual District III & IV
Conference in High Point, NC, May 4-6, 2006.  The Atlanta members were involved throughout the
weekend.  Michele Rocher served as Treasurer, Joyce Dove as Georgia State President and Future
Planning Chairman, Carol Neal as the Louisiana State Representative and Advisory Chairman,
Rhonda McKinney as Tellers Chairman, and Anne Hammond as Public Relations Chairman.  Former
Atlanta member Margaret Mathews was one of those remembered at the Memorial Service.   We
received approval to pursue Atlanta's fund-raising idea of a District calendar.
 CPI of Atlanta won the
Flyer-Type Bulletin Award and took second place in Attendance, New Member Increase, and Career
Club Attendance.  Atlanta was also recognized with a certificate for participation in the District
President's Project "Destination: Excellence".  Joyce Dove won the Communication Award for State
President 2005-2006, and Michele Rocher was recognized as Georgia Credit Professional of the Year.
 Serving from Atlanta on the District level for 2006-2007 are:  Michele Rocher, Treasurer; Joyce Dove,
Director; Anne Hammond, Audit Chairman and DixieGram Editor; Carol Neal, Website Coordinator
and Nominating Committee; and Rhonda McKinney, Public Relations Chairman.  
For a complete conference report, see the
District Website.

Arch Kennedy, Certified Reverse Mortgage Consultant with Reverse Mortgage of America, a division of
Seattle Mortgage, spoke on "The Best Kept Secret in the Mortgage Business" at the May 18 meeting
wit height members and two guests in attendance.   Past Presidents were honored, and the awards
and highlights from District were shared.

April:  Michele Rocher, MPCE, District III & IV Treasurer, spoke on "The Measure of a Mentor" at
our April 20 Board Meeting with eight members in attendance.

March, 2006 was Credit Education Month!     We were pleased to receive a proclamation from Mayor
Arthur Letchas of Alpharetta, GA, and to celebrate the event at our free
Spring Wellness Festival in
Alpharetta on March 25, which promoted both fiscal and physical fitness.  Check out the Festival
website for a list of raffle winners and exhibits.  We raised $795 for the National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children, the Credit Education Resources Foundation, and our own community education
activities, and passed out credit educational materials and materials from the NCMEC to the more
than 100 attendees.  Our thanks go to our 23 exhibitors and 4 speakers for their participation in
making this event a success.  Also for Credit Education Month, members delivered educational
materials to seven different banks in 20 different locations and to one credit union.

Eight members and three guests attended the March 16 Sponsor Appreciation Night.
The program was the "USA Patriot Act and how it affects the Credit Industry".  Janice Dressler was
named Sponsor of the Year.

February, 2006:  Nine members and three guests attended the Feburary 16 meeting.  Terry Wynne,
owner of The Professional Edge, spoke on "Embracing Change".  Congratulations to Michele Rocher
on her 10 year anniversary with SleepMed Inc.

Six Atlanta members attended the Inter-City Credit Council meeting at the home of Bill and Betty
Gleaton in Columbia, SC, on February 11:  Amelia Brown, Joyce Dove, Sarah Hill, Rhonda McKinney,
Carol Neal, and Michele Rocher, along with sponsor Janice Dressler.  Joyce presented greetings
from the Georgia association and Rhonda gave the report for Atlanta.   After the meeting, Becky and
John Greene presented an entertaining workshop on "Stress Busters" which emphasized the
importance of laughter as good medicine.

January, 2006:  Anne Hammond Credit Education Resources Foundation Director, presented the
manual chapter on "The Foundation and You" at the Board meeting with nine members attending.
Plans were made for several activities during Credit Education Month in March.

December, 2005:  Michele Rocher, Immediate Past Atlanta President, hosted the Winter Social at
Shillings on the Square in Marietta on December 10, 2005.
 Ten members and five guests attended
and enjoyed word and musical games, good food and fellowship, and an ornament exchange.  
Members and guests also brought clothing and toys for Clayton County Family and Children Services,
which is CPI of Atlanta's annual "Angel Project".

November, 2005:  Carol Neal, Immediate Past International President, spoke on the "True Colors"
training program for companies, schools, and other organizations at the November 17 meeting.
Orientation was conducted for the new officers and committee chairmen, and new member Christine
Brown, SleepMed, Inc., was installed.  

Three Atlanta members attended the CPI of Alabama and Mississippi conference in Choctow, MS,
November 19.  Carol Neal facilitated a four hour workshop on "Synergy", an exercise in Team
Dynamics.  Six members and one sponsor participated in a CPI of Atlanta fund-raising event at the
Peachtree United Methodist Church November 5.  Credit education brochures were distributed and
over $100 was raised through the group's participation in the Church's annual Yard Sale.

October, 2005:   The Atlanta Installation and Awards Dinner was held at the Best Western Roswell
Suites, Roswell, GA, on Friday, October 28, 2005, with seven members and 17 guests in attendance.  
District President Esther Brinkley, CA/MPCE, from Business Professionals of the Triad, NC, installed
the
new officers using the theme: "New Directions....New Opportunities":  Rhonda McKinney, MPCE,
President; Carol Neal, CCBE/MPCE, Vice President, Amelia Brown, PCE, Secretary, and Joyce Dove,
CCCE/MPCE, Treasurer.  Seven members were recognized for Perfect Attendance in 2004-2005.  
Sarah Hill was named Outstanding Member of the Year and outgoing President Michele Rocher,
MPCE, was named Credit Professional of the Year.  Michele Rocher also became a member of the
Career Club (25 years in the credit industry).  CPI of Atlanta had a table with educational brochures on
display in the hotel lobby Friday afternoon and evening.

CPI of Atlanta hosted the CPI of Georgia and South Carolina Annual Meetings on Saturday, October
29.  Atlanta member Joyce Dove was installed as Georgia State President using the theme "A World
of Possibilities", and Atlanta's Michele Rocher was named Georgia Credit Professional of the Year
and endorsed for District Office.  CPI of Atlanta won the President's Project Award and the State
Bulletin Award.  Seven Atlanta members and one sponsor attended and there were thirty-one
attendees overall.  The workshop speaker was Dr. Michael J. Duckett who presented "The Ultimate
Freedom Seminar".

CPI of Atlanta hosted the Inter-City Credit Council meeting at the Historic Roswell Convention and
Visitors Bureau on Sunday, October 30.  Five members and one sponsor attended from Atlanta, and
there were 18 in attendance overall .  Michele Rocher won the Comer Cherry Award.  Three Atlanta
members had perfect attendance:  Michele Rocher, Joyce Dove, and Anne Hammond.  Joyce Dove
installed the new officers:  Becky Greene, MPCE, Greenville, SC, President, and Mitia Key,
CCBE/MPCE, Augusta, GA, Secretary/Treasurer, using the theme "Time for Change" with a butterfly as
a symbol.  After the meeting Atlanta member Carol Neal presented a workshop on "The Dangers of
Multitasking (and what to do about them)".

Mary Rangel-Mattox has accepted a new position with SunTrust Bank.

Former member and past International Credit Professional of the Year Barbara Waters, MPCE,
has rejoined the Atlanta association.  Barbara also renewed her MPCE certification this month.

Carol Neal attended the International Strategic Planning and Executive Committee meetings in St.
Louis, MO, October 14-16, 2005.  District 3 & 4 Vice President Anita Dingledine of CPI of Jackson, TN,
gave a presentation on the check writing school they provide to court-mandated bad check offenders,
and International webmaster Cindy Westenhofer presented "Website 101".  Among the developing
ideas discussed by the committees were the new partnership with Hertz Corporation, the "Prevent
Credit Abuse - Promote Credit Education" public awareness campaign, the new CPI postage stamp
due to be released by the US Post Office in 2007, new grant proposals, ideas for membership
including a possible new business category, and CPI public awareness license plates, just to name
a few.

CPI of Atlanta hosted a Bridge Benefit on Saturday, October 1, 2005, at the Bethesda Senior Center  in
Gwinnett.  Fifteen tables were sold, netting $300.  Proceeds benefited the Credit Education
Resources Foundation and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  The association
also provided consumer education brochures to the public at this event.



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2005

November
2005