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PMI-Central Illinois Chapter May 2026 Newsletter Print

Straight Talk with Ingrid

Dear Chapter Members and Friends,
May is a month full of energy, growth, and forward motion. It is often associated with renewal, celebrations such as graduations, and milestones like Memorial Day, which remind us to honor commitment and service. For project professionals, May is a natural reflection point. Much like the season itself, it is a time to assess progress, nurture what is working, and make thoughtful adjustments to ensure successful outcomes.
As we move firmly through the second quarter, I am encouraged by the strong momentum we have built together. Projects are in motion, goals are taking shape, and our chapter continues to grow as a vibrant, engaged community. This is exactly the time to stay focused, remain adaptable, and continue executing with purpose.
One of our chapter's greatest strengths is our foundation as a volunteer-driven organization. The opportunities we create, the programs we deliver, and the impact we make are all powered by individuals who choose to give their time and talent. Volunteering is not only a way to give back, but it is also a powerful way to grow professionally, expand your network, and sharpen your leadership skills.
We currently have several important volunteer opportunities available. In particular, we are seeking a strong and committed individual to partner with our VP of Membership. This role is vital in helping us enhance member engagement and ensure every member feels connected and supported. If you enjoy building relationships and creating meaningful experiences, this is a great opportunity to make a difference.
For those who have a passion for social media, communications, or marketing, we are always looking for support in the Publicity space. Your creativity and voice can help us reach more professionals and showcase the value of our chapter to the broader community.
I encourage each of you to explore opportunities through the Volunteer Engagement Platform. There is something for everyone, whether you have a few hours to give or are looking for a deeper leadership experience. Remember that as PMPs, you can earn Professional Development Units by volunteering, making it a meaningful way to give back while maintaining your certification.
Also, consider referring colleagues or friends who may be interested in getting involved. Fresh perspectives and new energy help us continue to evolve and expand our offerings.
For your convenience, please take a moment to complete your profile on the PMI website. This ensures you are notified when opportunities aligned with your interests become available, making it easier to get involved in areas that excite you.
Thank you for your continued dedication, enthusiasm, and commitment to excellence. Together, we will keep building on this strong foundation and make the rest of the year even more impactful.
Warm regards,

Ingrid Holliday
Chapter President

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Upcoming Events

Register NOW for Upcoming PMI-CIC 2026 Meetings

Conflict is part of every project—but how you navigate it makes all the difference.

Join us on May 21st for "From Clash to Consensus: Mastering the Keys to Resolving Project Conflict" with Michael Wilkinson.

This session will focus on practical strategies to help you move teams from disagreement to alignment and keep work moving forward.

Facilitator Bio:
Michael Wilkinson, founder of Leadership Strategies, is a globally recognized facilitation expert, Certified Master Facilitator, and member of the International Facilitation Hall of Fame. He has led hundreds of leadership and strategy sessions across corporate, nonprofit, and government organizations worldwide.

📅 May 21
🕕 6:00 PM CT
💻 Virtual (Contrast.io)

Go register today on our chapter website: https://buff.ly/XyLDT2k

 Priorities shift, ownership becomes unclear, and progress is difficult to track. The result? Teams feel overwhelmed, and critical initiatives stall.

Join us on June 9th, for Lunch & Learn "Project Management for Nonprofit and Mission-Driven Teams" Feat. Stacye Thrasher Brim, PMP, LSSGB & Matthew Sparkes. 

In this practical, real-world session, Project Insight partner Stacye Thrasher Brim and Mathew Sparkes will share a lightweight, scalable approach to managing mission driven projects—without adding unnecessary process.

What You’ll Learn:

  • How to gain a clear, real-time view of all active and upcoming work across your organization
  • How to prioritize initiatives based on impact, capacity, and mission alignment
  • How to track progress with lightweight check-ins and clear reporting
  • How to create simple, consistent reporting that keeps stakeholders informed
  • How to close projects effectively and capture lessons learned to improve future work 

📅 June 9                                                                                                                   🕕12 PM CT - 1 PM CT                                                                                            💲 PMI Members: $15 | Non-Members: $20 

Go register today on our chapter website!

Everything is changing.

Markets. Technology. Expectations. People.

The question is: how do you lead through it?

Join us on June 16th for our all-day virtual Professional Development Day:

Our theme this year is "Rising Above the Noise: Leading Projects When Everything (and Everyone) Is Changing."

Conference Details:

🕗 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM CST

🎥 Buy Now. Watch Later. (All sessions recorded and available for 3 months.)

💻 Virtual Platform powered by AirMeet (buff.ly/jC5ogBL)

💲 PMI Members: $100 | Non-Members: $120 (go to our chapter website to register directly: https://buff.ly/HeevauC)

Eight powerhouse speakers. One focused day to sharpen your leadership edge.

Let’s rise.

Decisions have impact. The question is how do you guide decision-making as a Project Manager?   

Join us on July 14th for a Virtual Lunch & Learn "Using What-If Simulations for Executive Planning" feat. Diane Buckley-Altweis & Mathew Sparkes.                                                                                                                                                               In this session, you will learn how project managers can use what-if portfolio simulations to model realistic scenarios, understand portfolio-level impacts, and clearly communicate tradeoffs to senior leadership. 

📅 July 14th                                                                                                                  🕕12 PM CT - 1 PM CT                                                                                            💲 PMI Members: $15 | Non-Members: $20 

Go register today on our chapter website! 

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Welcome New Members

Welcome to PMI-Central IL Chapter! We're glad to be your local chapter.

Adbyenne Wilson
Alexander Holliger
Andrew Edenburn
Coriale Davis
Daniel Sani
David Cumberbatch
Jeff Nicholas
Jennifer Harris
Kathryn Diaz
Lindsey Mroz
Lyndsay Masters
Megan Ottgen
Runyararo Zinhu

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Member Renewal Spotlight

Thank you for continuing your membership. We're glad to be your local chapter.

Amy Delcomyn Laura Greer
Andrea Molina Leigh Johnson
Angela Alford Lucas Kreidl
Anthony Wlodarski Makayla Fowler
Arun Khurana Manuel Valenzuela
Babatunde Olawale Margaret Christopher
Brent Culver Marshall Brown
Brian Hastings Melanie Moore
Chakenda Carter Michelle Kisandi
Comfort Akpan Nicholas Hardy
Darrell Glenn Niel Magsombol
David Skiles Paul Adams
Dayo Osibamowo Prabashi Rodrigo
Dylan McMurtry Ravi Raj Kishore
Elizabeth Rem-Lithila Rebecca Beam
Gayatri Joshi Sally Opper
Jed Wharram Sandra Bury
Jedidiah Willard Sean Grogan
Jeffrey Convery Srinivas Anagani
Joe Fuchs Stephanie Fuller
John Blonski Tara Gillespie
Julie Bovenmyer Terrence Smith
Jyotika Sirohi Thomas Goelzer
Keith Wilson Tony Huston
Kevin Lovell Tyler Stembridge
Kimberly Abbott Yvonne Blount

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News and Happenings

New Chapter Sponsor for 2026!

We are excited to announce the addition of Project Insight as a chapter sponsor for 2026! 

Project Insight is a strategic project, program, and portfolio management platform that gives growing organizations a complete and dynamic picture of work across every level of the business. By centralizing project data from expanding teams and software tools into one connected command center, organizations gain the visibility needed to make confident, data-driven decisions.

Project Insight integrates bidirectionally with existing systems to break down silos, automate workflows, and improve collaboration across departments. Built-in AI capabilities help teams plan projects, forecast delivery, schedule resources, and surface risks and issues before they impact outcomes.

With more project views than any other platform, Project Insight supports contributors, project managers, PMOs, and executives in prioritizing work with clarity and aligning initiatives with organization-wide goals. Rooted in PMBOK principles from the Project Management Institute, Project Insight provides project portfolio management automation to over 10,000 companies.

Check out the following resources below!

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Featured Article

Are you interested in leveling up your risk management skills? 

Some level of risk is inherent in every project. The question is are you prepared to deal with uncertainty in a structured way to that problems don't derail you and cause extra delays, costs and project failures.  

Being able to manage risk is critical for project success. If you are interested in taking your skills in this area to the next level, I encourage you to take a look at the PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP) certification.  

This certification is especially suited for project managers, risk managers, functional managers and C-suite executives. This certification can help provide you with the knowledge to more effectively identify and analyze risk and be able to proactively plan responses. Mastering this skill can lead to a greater likelihood of project success and reduce anxiety on your stakeholders. 

For more information please visit: PMI

 

 

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Career Development

PMI-CIC is committed to helping our members grow knowledge and skills! Here are exam prep resources offered by our training partners. If you have any questions, please visit the Career Development page and/or contact [email protected].

PMI-CIC, in collaboration with PMTraining, are thrilled to announce the expanded suite of online course offerings that will support & prepare you as you develop your career with one of PMI’s globally recognized certifications! PMTraining offers Live Virtual classes, On-Demand courses and Real Practice Exams to support you on your certification journey! PMTraining supports PMP® , PMI-ACP, PgMP (Program Management Professional), PfMP (Portfolio Management Professional), and Disciplined Agile prep courses in all course formats.

PMI-CIC is excited to be partnered with Peak Business Management to provide PMP® Exam Prep and other certification training! With this partnership, our members receive a significant discount on PMP® and PMI-ACP exam preparation classes of up to $200 in savings! Peak offers several live virtual classes per month that will be sure to fit ANY schedule with instructors & students from around the country. For upcoming PMP® Exam Prep classes and to obtain the discount, go to Peak Business Management and use code pmp200. For upcoming PMI-ACP Exam Prep classes and to obtain the discount, go to Peak Business Management and use code acp125.

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Volunteer Opportunities

Create Your Volunteer Profile and Become a Volunteer! 

Want to broaden your reach, deepen your impact, and nurture lasting relationships? Give volunteering a chance. Take the first step by visiting the volunteer platform (https://volunteer.pmi.org/) to create/update your profile and find volunteering opportunities that speak to you. There are openings across all the offices, especially the Professional Development and Publicity & Sponsorship offices.

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Sponsorship

We have several ways to sponsor and partner with our chapter. Here are the four (4) sponsorship packages currently available (https://pmi-cic.org/catalog.php?cat=8):

  • Diamond
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Bronze

Why PMI-CIC?

  • Over 25 year-old chapter in good standing with the Project Management Institute (PMI)
  • Run by volunteers & 6 Board members
  • Gain exposure to ~600 members
  • Gain exposure to over 2,500 Central/Southern Illinois professionals who subscribe to chapter communication
  • Gain visibility as a leader and supporter of project professionals within your organization and in the larger business community
  • Top cities: Our members are found in Bloomington/Normal, Springfield, Peoria, Champaign/Urbana, Morton, Decatur, and Pekin
  • Top industries: Our members work in Insurance, Banking, Healthcare, Higher Education, Manufacturing, and Government
  • Type of chapter activities: Lunch & Learn meetings, Evening meetings, Networking events, Outreach, and Social TV (Livestreams)
  • Committed to a wide range of topics of interest to project professionals and changemakers 
  • Past speaker profile: Industry experts, Seasoned professionals, and Professional speakers affiliated with John C. Maxwell, National Speakers Association, and Tony Robbins
  • Various social media platforms with a growing presence
  • Monthly e-newsletter and a blog

Have questions? Want to receive a custom proposal tailored to your business strategy? Please get in touch with [email protected].

Thank you to our Sponsor! 

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Find Us On Social Media

Find us on our social media platforms to stay engaged in between meetings.

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