Alumni Council

DBM Alumni Advisory Council & Board

After several years in the planning process, the DBMA created the DBM Alumni Advisory Council late in 2002. The Alumni Advisory Council aims to bring more user-focused support to the conference attendees in addition to providing user group representation and advisory balance to Dynamic Distribution conference planning.  The elected members of the DBM Alumni Advisory Board represent the members of the DBM Alumni Advisory Council.  Proposed sub-committees of volunteers will each have a primary focus of attention such as conference planning, Applied Technology courses, Education enhancement, and Customer Service Fulfillment.  Highlights of the Alumni Council’s Charter and By-laws and benefits of participation are described below.  The Alumni Council and Advisory Board play two important roles:  first, both bodies serve to emphasize the educational focus of the DBMA and its ultimate goal - the Specialist Diploma:  second, the democratic representative nature of the boards ensures that all conference participants share an equal voice in conference planning.

Alumni Advisory Council

Membership in the Alumni Council is free and automatic. Student membership will be granted to any person who has attended the DBM conference and earned an International Certificate of Advanced Education from the representative University.  Alumni (any returning Student) and Graduates (any recipient of the SDBM) are included in this group. Associate (Partner) membership will be granted to any university that is directly involved with the Dynamic Distribution conference or any company directly involved in the Supply Chain Interactive Lab.  Honorary membership may be granted to an individual or company only on approval of the Advisory Board and DBM.

The DBM Alumni Advisory Council’s stated objectives include:

• Ensure all conference attendees receive support and guidance in pursuit of the Specialist Diploma in Distribution Business Management (SDBM).
• Establish and support lines of communication between the alumni, DBMA, participating Universities, the President’s Advisory Council, and the Industry Advisory Council.
• Offer a students / attendees perspective and industry knowledge of the conference planning process.

This gathering of students, attendees, graduates, and alumni will serve as a resource pool to provide mutual support for active user participants at the conferences.  First-time conference attendees can draw upon more experienced alumni for procedural information.  They can expand their networking and support base. Finally, they can follow alumni leaderships example in pursuit of the International Certificate of Advanced Education and Specialist Diploma in Distribution Business Management. 

Returning alumni are a rich resource whether helping each other, working on a Sub-committee, serving on the Advisory Board, or reaching for their own Specialist Diploma in Distribution Business Management.  Alumni have an exclusive opportunity to "give back" to their industry with their knowledge and experience.  These alumni provide the voice of practical conference experience.  While benefiting from networking with old friends, they share and learn from experiences of those seeking effective solutions to real world issues at home. 

When Students become Alumni who bring their knowledge base full circle and contribute to DBM conference planning and execution, the whole process is improved, thus making it a win-win-win situation.

Alumni Advisory Board

The universities' participation and educational focus have been consistent themes since the very first conference.   Now the alumni group participants have a parallel voice in DBM conference planning and development through the newly formed Alumni Advisory Board. The intended result is to leverage the Alumni knowledge base to enhance the overall conference experience and to encourage individual pursuit of the Specialist Diploma.

Sub-committees

Four standing Sub-committees have been proposed to date, each to have a chairperson who will solicit volunteers from the membership to achieve the goal of the committee.  

• The conference Planning Sub-committee would help plan the annual conference assisting in determining locations, establishing format, recruiting speakers, choosing topics to be covered, entertainment, etc.

• The Supply Chain Interactive Lab Sessions Sub-committee oversees the educational content of the lab course, assists with the selection of companies invited to participate, and offers suggestions for distribution and supply chain issues that need to be addressed in the course.

• The Education & University Sub-committee assists in the enhancement of certification requirements and is dedicated to increasing awareness of the Specialist Diploma in Distribution Business Management.

• The Customer Service Sub-committee identifies areas that need to be strengthened as they pertain to hospitality issues such as greeting first time conference Attendees, identifying programming issues that are confusing to Attendees, enhancing the experience for the first time Attendees by streamlining the logistics of the conference itself.

Charter and By-laws

As noted above, membership in the Alumni Council is cost-free and automatic for all DBM conference Attendees and Alumni.  The Alumni Advisory Board provides elected representation and a collective voice for the Alumni Advisory Council.

An Alumni Advisory Council Charter and By-laws has been drafted that provides for a fourteen (14) member Alumni Advisory Board.  Ultimately, the Board is composed of three voting Officers (President, Vice President, and Secretary), nine (9) voting At-Large General Members, one (1) DBM Representative (non-voting), and the Past President (non-voting, tie breaker).

Each Officer and At-large General Member serves a three (3) year term with a two-term limit. One third of the voting Advisory Board members are elected by the annual user membership at the DBM conference each year. Vacated positions may be filled by Board appointment pending the next scheduled election.

Benefits of Participating in Your Council

1. Networking with other logistics professionals 
Each DBM conference provides an advanced learning and professional networking environment. The conference creates opportunities for establishing contacts with professionals from Universities, companies, and government organizations throughout the United States and globally.  Members will have contact with senior administrators, operational management, authors, educators, researchers, engineers, consultants, specialists, plus private industrial and commercial practitioners.  This is an excellent way to share ideas and learn from your peers and a great resource for career networking. Establishing relationships with other members in your profession can build a network that can be invaluable when considering a job change. And by maintaining a close association with your peers, you build the kind of friendships that will benefit you throughout your career.

2. Continuing Education 
All annual conference Attendees benefit from the initial Learning Lab experience through the Applied Technology Center while earning their first Certificate of Advanced Education from the sponsoring University.  After earning four Certificates and successfully completing a Technical Paper, the Specialist Diploma in Distribution Business Management is awarded.  The Certificates and Diploma bring global acceptance and physical evidence of educational advancement, but the learning goes much further.

 Practical application, as written in the Technical Paper, is documented proof of process understanding and knowledge application.  The individual gains from the process as well as the experience.  The DBMA and conference gain from sharing with the collective body.  Additional opportunities for personal advancement frequently arise during the course of study and conference participation.  The DBM Journal with its timely event listings, personal exposes, and topical stories increase your knowledge base and keep you informed of new developments in the logistics profession, providing another source of learning.

3. Developing Leadership Skills 
Serving as a council officer on the Advisory Board or participating on a sub- committee is an excellent way to develop and strengthen your leadership and organizational skills.  You can improve your skills in delegating, meeting facilitation and motivation, just to name a few.  Opportunities will also exist to participate in activities on a one-to-one personal basis such as volunteering to chat with first-time Attendees or offering on-site directions at conference receptions.

4. Serving Your Profession
Participating in a council activity is just one way to give something back to your profession. By working together as a council, logisticians can gain increased recognition and knowledge of the profession, provide support and assistance to conference Attendees, promote the profession to industry and government, serve as mentors to developing students, and promote the profession in your community.  By working with others through the DBM, there comes a feeling of pride and personal enrichment gained through focused effort to reach modest gains with minimal time involvement.