Letter from the President
By Lynda Roberts | February 24, 2016 |


February, 2016

Greetings!

It’s hard to believe that we’re already over six weeks into a new year.  It’s been a very busy time for me and the IEA Board.  We kicked off the New Year with our January Board meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota (where we will all be again in July for the IEA Global Conference).  It’s a great city with great hospitality!  Upon arrival at the Minneapolis-St.Paul International Airport, each Board member was greeted by a member of IEA’s Minnesota Chapter and given a ride to our hotel, the Minneapolis Marriott City Center.  Thank you to Debbie Horton, Jane McMahill, Curt Micka, Karin Grosscup, and Linda Hoskins.

The warm and friendly hospitality continued with the hotel staff and with people we encountered throughout our stay.  Based on what we experienced, I feel assured that all who attend the 2016 IEA Global conference will be well cared for.  (Please don’t expect the personal greeting and free ride from the airport by an IEA Chapter member, however.  While they would love to provide that service, it would stretch them a bit thin. : )

So, a bit of IEA news to share with you:

IEA Board Member changes over the past six months

  • Maria Jose Munita from Chile completed her six year term on the Board having served as President in 2013 and 2014.  She was the first Board member to have been elected by the General Assembly of Affiliates in 2009 – a very good choice, I’d say.  Thank you, Maria Jose for your service and leadership.
  • Belinda Gore from the US joined the Board in May, 2015 and took on the role of liaison with the IEA Chapters in the US.
  • Leslie Hershberger, also from the US, joined in July, just in time for the July in-person Board meeting and IEA Global Conference in San Francisco.  Belinda and Leslie are Conference Committee co-chairs for the 2017 Global Conference.
  • Mette Hvied Lauesen from Denmark joined the Board in October, 2015 and jumped right in to assisting Juan Antonio Martinez’s work with the IEA Affiliates around the globe.  Mette is also chairing the Accreditation Committee for 2016.

IEA Board for 2016

Looking to the future, I’m very happy to announce that Curt Micka is now President-Elect for 2016 and will begin serving as IEA President in 2017.  Congratulations Curt and “thank you” for serving in this way.

Your IEA Board is very much a “working” Board which I find quite rewarding.  I continue to be amazed at their level of commitment and dedication, with every Board member taking on a share of responsibility, donating their time, energy, and expertise to the work that supports the Association.  What’s also notable is the degree to which each Board member brings a very deep commitment to the Enneagram and to the IEA as a community.  We use the Enneagram in our work together during our Board meetings which has contributed to our strength as a team.

So let me introduce our current IEA Board.  In order of seniority on the Board, your IEA Board members are:

  • Peter McNab (United Kingdom) serving as Secretary and in his last year on the Board;
  • Lynda Roberts (myself) (US) serving as President and in my last year on the Board;
  • Kathryn Grant (US), 2016 Conference Chair;
  • Patrick Kayrooz (Australia), Branding and Marketing;
  • Curt Micka (US), President-Elect and Chair of the Nominating Committee;
  • Juan Antonio Martinez (Spain), Liaison with Affiliates;
  • Earl Wagner (US), Technology (in particular a new website coming soon!);
  • Brian Mitchell-Walker (Canada), Treasurer;
  • Belinda Gore (US), Vice President and 2017 Conference Co-Chair;
  • Leslie Hershberger (US), 2017 Conference Co-Chair;
  • Mette Hvied Lauesen (Denmark), Accreditation.

As a rotating Board, we are always in search of new Board members as well as people who are willing to volunteer their time and talents in non-Board roles.  If you are interested in serving the IEA in such capacities, please contact Curt Micka, Chair of the Nominating Committee (curt.micka@internationalenneagram.org)

IEA Initiatives in 2016

  • New IEA Website – We are VERY excited to announce that the new IEA website is in the testing phase and will be going live in the next few weeks.  I truly believe our members and visitors to the site will love it!  Members will have their own profiles which they can easily maintain and update.  Professional members will be able to easily post their events on the IEA calendar.  The search capabilities are robust so that it will be easy for people to find workshop and training opportunities as well as other services offered by IEA Professional members.  Other features include membership renewals and conference registrations.
  • 2016 Global Conference – We are continuing our conference theme of “Transformation and Change” but with a particular focus on “Conversations.”  I won’t go into the specifics of the conference here, as you will be getting that information in other e-blasts.  What I’m excited about, though, are some of the changes we have planned for a better-than-ever conference experience.  And, as I mentioned earlier, you will love the city of Minneapolis and the surrounding area.  So register now while the discounted rate is still in effect (until March 15th).
  • IEA Accreditation Program – IEA’s Accreditation Program continues to take root and grow with well over a hundred Accredited Professionals, eight Accredited Training Programs, and nine Accredited Enneagram Schools. IEA Accreditation serves as a mark of excellence for teachers and professionals, training programs and schools, so that those within and outside of the international Enneagram community have a way of knowing that specific teachers and professional training programs and schools, have achieved a certain standard of quality in their Enneagram work, and have formally agreed to adhere to the IEA ethical guidelines.
  • NinePoints – The IEA’s online magazine contains Enneagram articles and news from around the globe, some now in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Korean, in addition to English. NinePoints is now read in over 120 countries. Check it out:  http://www.ninepointsmagazine.org/
  • IEA Planning for the Future – At our January, 2016 in-person Board meeting, we launched a strategic planning initiative in which we began conversations about future direction for the IEA – our continued evolution as a truly international organization; our definition of Enneagram “big tent”; what our members will want and need from the association going forward. It was an opportunity for our Board to engage in some lively discussion while embodying the spirit of the 2016 conference theme of “Conversations that Transform.” One of the primary purposes of our Board conversations was to set the stage for engaging you, our members and potential members, our Affiliates and Chapters, and the larger Enneagram community in conversations about the future of the IEA. We hope you will engage with us to help shape the future.

Please know that my fellow Board members and I are committed to serving you, our members.  As I’ve said before, it warms my heart to think about the hundreds of Enneagram professionals and aficionados in so many parts of the world, touching the lives of others with their Enneagram work in business, therapy, coaching, personal growth, spirituality, etc.  While there are variations in Enneagram theories, applications, and schools, there is a profound wisdom that underlies the Enneagram that I believe can be trusted.

As IEA members, we commit ourselves to “taking part in a knowledge-sharing community dedicated to using the Enneagram in an ethical way through theory development and diverse applications across the globe.” Our association is and should be one in which we share, discuss, and debate ideas, applications, and theory. trusting that we can all continue to learn and grow, exploring with openness and curiosity, while holding each other with mutual respect and openheartedness. Given the amount of pain and suffering that exists in the world today, it’s encouraging to know that our IEA members are making a difference, whether it’s through actively working with specific Enneagram applications or simply from doing our own personal work.

I look forward to continuing to serve as your IEA President through 2016. I’d love to hear from you – your hopes and dreams for this organization, your suggestions for how the organization can serve and support you in your work. Also remember to let us know what you appreciate about the IEA and what we are doing well.

With a warm heart and best wishes for you all!

Lynda Roberts

IEA President

IEA Mission

The IEA’s mission is to support our members by providing opportunities for:

  • Engagement with an international community of shared interests and diverse approaches
  • Education in theory and application of the Enneagram
  • Developing greater excellence in the use of the Enneagram

www.internationalenneagram.org  – Phone: (513) 232-5054  –  Fax: (513) 563-9743

International Enneagram Association 4010 Executive Park Dr., Suite 100 – Cincinnati, Ohio 45241