deNise Cowley, owner/principal
Cullifer & Associates
Vestavia, Alabama
Number of years in NetVU community: 13 years
Q: Who introduced you to NetVU?
A: I first heard about AMSUG at a local Chapter meeting.
Q: What has been the greatest value you have found in being a part of NetVU?
A: The ability to share ideas & real-world experiences with people in similar positions as myself.
Q: Can you share a story that illustrates your most memorable moment as a part of the community?
A: The first time I volunteered was at Conference at the Gaylord in Nashville. I was providing directional service to the Prime classrooms on the “island” in the hotel. These classes were away from the main Exhibit Hall. My position was at the base of the little bridge that crosses to the island.
I’d been standing there a couple of days between classes, and I guess hotel guests didn’t realize I wasn’t there as a courtesy of the hotel, because all sorts of people were stopping and asking me where to find this shop or that restaurant. After the first day, I’d gotten pretty good at finding things on my map and knew where almost everything was. And being the talker that I am, I didn’t mind sharing info with anyone who asked.
After pointing a shopper to the store he was searching for, a lady approached me and said, “I’ve been watching you give directions for the last two days, and I want to thank you for volunteering. You give the best directions!”
At that point I really didn’t pay attention to her name tag, although I did notice that it was an AMSUG person. Imagine my surprise later that day when I find out that it was none other than Linda Rollings, a past chairman! I’ve never shared this with her, but her kind words to a lowly directional person really gave me the confidence to branch out and try volunteering in other capacities. Since then, I’ve served on Education, R&D, Principal Connection, Chapters, Communications and Host Committees, as well as the Board of Directors and Leadership Committee. It’s been a wild ride. Definitely a lot of work over the years, but so worth the investment of my time.
Q: What have you learned from the NetVU Community?
A: There’s no way I can even begin to give back to the community all I’ve received. I have a network of friends I can count on to help me out when I’m in a pinch, whether it’s an accounting question, advice on workflows, or even helpful ideas for dealing with employees in my office.
Q: How do you see NetVU relating to your goals for the future?
A: We just converted from Prime to AMS360 last year, so I almost feel like the new kid on the block again – back to square one learning a new system. I look forward to Conference and all the opportunities to learn more about how to make our office even more efficient with our new tools.
Do you have an interesting story to tell about your involvement with NetVU?
Contact Laura Mazzuca Toops at [email protected] to share!