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The PMI-SVC Elections Project Team is pleased to announce the  2023 PMI-SVC Board of Director’s Candidate Slate (see statements below): 

 

President/  Chief Executive Officer	Vice President of Finance	Vice President of Member Relations	Vice President of Programs
Capucine   Chatman-Williams	Palavalli   Panduranga Gupta	Adam Schmidt	Nathan Champion

 

Chapter member are encouraged attend to the  Candidate Meet and Greet  forum scheduled for July 19, 2023 at the Dante Event Center, 2330 Fair Oaks Blvd, Sacramento, CA, 6:00 to 8:00 PM. 

 

Polls open on Monday July 31, 2023, and close August 14, 2023, 11:59 PM PST. NOTE: The link to vote will be sent to the active Chapter member’s email registered with PMI Global. Check your SPAM/JUNK folder.  

 

President/Chief Executive Officer candidate 

 

Capucine Chatman-Williams 

Background:  

As the next chapter president of the PMI Sacramento Valley Chapter, I bring a wealth of experience and passion that will ensure the success of the chapter. First, I have a proven track record of leadership, successfully managing teams and projects throughout my career.  I have over 15 years of project management experience, an MBA and I am PMP certified.  I have held many roles in my tenure for PMI-SVC including VP of Operations. In this role I have offered mentorship and guidance to our current board members. This experience will enable me as the next President to navigate the chapter more effectively and foster a collaborative environment for our members. 

Second, I am very committed to continue enhancing our professional development opportunities, and online presence by holding events, seminars, and guest lectures to help our members stay abreast of the latest industry trends and best practices. 

I am also dedicated to expanding the chapter’s reach and impact in the community. I will actively seek partnerships with local organizations, student bodies, and government agencies to promote excellent project management and support social initiatives. 

Finally, I am a strong advocate for inclusion and diversity and will ensure that all members have equal opportunities for growth and involvement in the chapter. 

The combination of these qualities makes me the ideal candidate to lead the PMI Sacramento Valley Chapter and drive its continued growth and success. 

Qualifications:  

As a dedicated professional with a passion for project management, I am excited to share my vision for the Sacramento Valley Chapter in the next two years. I envision our chapter as a thriving community of project management changemakers, fostering collaboration, growth, and innovation. 

To contribute to this vision, I will leverage my expertise and experience to spearhead initiatives that enhance member engagement, professional development, and knowledge sharing. I believe in the power of networking, and I will work towards organizing regular events, workshops, and conferences that provide valuable opportunities for our members to connect, learn, and exchange ideas. After Covid, we experienced a drop in membership, and we have been striving to rebuild our face-to-face connection with our members. It is my goal to reengage our members and provide new avenues for networking in the post-Covid environment.  

In terms of past contributions, I have actively participated in the Project Management Institute (PMI) global events and served as a board member for PMI-SVC where I successfully organized educational seminars and mentored aspiring project managers. I have also volunteered with other organizations, where I facilitated project management in the St Louis Chapter as a Non-for-Profit Manager of Education. The combination of these qualities makes me the ideal candidate to lead the PMI Sacramento Valley Chapter and drive its continued growth and success 

 

 

Vice President of Finance candidate 

[No Photo Submitted]

Palavalli Panduranga Gupta (Pandu)

Background:  

With over 21+ years of experience in the IT industry, I have held diverse roles including Mainframe Developer, Business Systems Analyst, Team Lead, and Quality Assurance Consultant. Since 2013, I have been an active member of the Project Management Institute (PMI), and recently joined the SVC as well. In 2018, I earned my Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, and I successfully renewed it in 2023, ensuring its validity until 2027. 

Qualifications: 

I am currently the Vice President of Education and Certification position at the IIBA Sacramento Valley Chapter. In this role, I am responsible for assisting the BABOK study group participants in achieving the ECBA/CCBA/CBAP certification. 

 

I have also been the Treasurer at Mira Loma High School International Baccalaureate Parental Organization for the past 2 years. In this role, I have demonstrated my ability to manage finances effectively and efficiently. I have a strong understanding of financial reporting and analysis, and I am skilled at identifying and implementing process improvements. 

 

As Vice President of Finance, I intend to bring in as much transparency as possible with the financial reporting. I will actively look for implementation of process improvements and streamline the financial system in supporting the various programs. I will also work to ensure that our finances are in a sound position and that we are able to meet our financial goals. 
 

 

Vice President of Member Relations candidate 

 

Adam Schmidt 

Background:  

Adam Schmidt, PMP, has a solid background in the Banking & Finance sector and is currently in the role of Senior Manager Western Region, Problem Accounts for Zions Bancorp. He has 8+ years of experience managing customer experience improvement projects, customer data migration projects, and customer data collection projects. 

Adam is the current Vice President of Member Relations. During his tenure he led New Member Orientations and Volunteer Open House events, and rolled out new member interviews and chapter-wide surveys. He is currently designing a new focus group process with the aim of deepening the Chapter’s data collection for the membership’s wants and needs. 

Adam is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) through the Project Management Institute (PMI), and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification through the American Society of Quality (ASQ).  

Adam holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics from the University of the Pacific. 

Qualifications: 

As the current Vice President, Adam authored the mission of Member Relations as, “The Vice President Member Relation’s office aims to continually understand and serve the membership's wants and needs by collecting feedback and listening to the voice of the member. By staying engaged with all facets of the membership, the best value can be provided.” In addition to this, the Member Relations Office recently became owner of Chapter Volunteerism. With this new addition, Adam is expanding his mission to include recruiting and retaining enthusiastic volunteers. 

In Adam’s role of VP of Member Relations, his vision is to actively engage the membership, grow the volunteer-base, and better understand what satisfies the current chapter membership and build it out for them.  

Through his actions, the Chapter shifted to resuming in-person events and is successfully growing member engagement and attendance with each new event. It was also learned that the membership is interested in events and topics outside of the classic project management scope. Through Adam’s programs, the Board of Directors understand that the membership is interested in learning about topics such as leadership, change management, and professional development, and they are planning and designing ways to build these ideas out in the near future.

 

Vice President of Programs candidate 

 

Nathan Champion 

Background:  

I am honored to have been nominated for this role to serve our membership. I have recently retired after 25 years serving in the California Army National Guard, but I am not retired from serving others and my community. My last role, which I held for 8 years, was a Senior Program Manager managing state-level programs. I have a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology and a Master’s Certificate in Project Management and I hold Project Management Professional (PMP), Agile Scrum Master (ASM), and Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSB) certifications. In my off-time, I enjoy home projects, which include landscaping, gardening, and home improvement renovations. I am most proud of my backyard waterfall, which I built myself. I also enjoy watching the 49’ers during football season and camping. Please come say hi at the Chapter Meet-and-Greet event. 

 

Qualifications: 

I have been volunteering for our Chapter as the Director of Military Outreach and Member Analytics since early this year. I have attended two board meetings and the 2023 PMI Leadership Institute Meetings in April.  

 

My accomplishments within our chapter include:  

 

• Published a Military and Veteran Outreach Strategy 
• Connected 18 military and veterans to their local chapters 
• Built out the new PMI-SVC Programs SharePoint site 
• Established relationships with California State University Sacramento (CSUS) Career Center  
• Worked with a team of our members to plan and execute a PMI-SVC hosted Project Management Career fair. 
• Created several reports using available datasets to analyze value provided to our chapter membership 

 

If elected, I will do my best to build upon the work of others and achieve the following goals: 

• Develop or adjust program strategies to provide the most value to our members  
• Collaborate with board members to create fun and engaging speaker events, networking events, workshops, and study groups, enhance the closeness of our community, and provide opportunities for individual and collective growth 
• Represent the interests of the Sacramento Valley Chapter membership at local, state, and national events with honor and integrity. 

 

I ask for your vote for VP of Programs. Thank you! 

 

Candidate video: 

https://tinyurl.com/ChampionforVPPrograms