July 24, 2008


I would like to take a moment to introduce myself; my name is John Connolly and I am your newly elected President. I would like to thank you for that honor. I would like to extend a truly big thank you to Linda Grotton for her service as President over the last couple of years. As the over used saying goes, I’ve got some pretty big shoes to fill. Well, I may have her beat when it comes to whose shoes are bigger, but I have some serious work cut out for me if I’m to  try and maintain her level of service.

As with any project or undertaking; it can’t be done alone. Your Chapter board is very dedicated and is truly concerned for your profession. Ultimately, we are here to serve you, the member. Just as IIA National strives to promote your profession and provide meaningful opportunities, so does your local board. As your representative to the North American IIA conference in May 2008 I learned that the Downeast Chapter is not so very different from other chapters in our district, region or the country. We all want to provide meaningful training, low cost CPE’s, opportunities for members, amongst other things; we have selfless, dedicated people and we provide a valuable service to the organizations that seek our skills and knowledge.

My goal is to expand our membership and spread the IIA designations to all audit shops; internal and external. I would like to forge strong bonds with other professional organizations with similar characteristics. Through joint seminars and information sharing we can further strengthen the Internal Auditors position in the business community. As a member this benefits you. One way you can help is to tell people what you do as an internal auditor and to bring your profession into discussions with non-member professionals. You are our best advertising and everyday you represent each of us.

The Downeast Chapter offers several quality seminars throughout the year. We would love to have more input on topic, level, issues you face, etc. We would like to partner with an organization or organizations that could offer space for seminars and share technology and communications (training rooms, power point presentations, speakers, conferencing, etc.) We are a resource and have a wealth of information at our fingertips and professionals both from within the chapter and external are able to provide meaningful seminars.

Sincerely,


John E. Connolly, CPA, CIA, CFSA, PFS
Investment Consultant
Financial Advisor
Connolly Financial Services