Committees

Page Content

Serving on a Committee

Serving on a committee can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. If you are interested in a position on any of the committees listed below, contact AOP President Geneal%20Washam.

Committee Chairperson: Organizes and leads the group in working to achieve the specific function of the committee.

Committee Members: Work to achieve the goals of the committee. Learn more about AOP. Make lifelong friends and develop leadership skills.

Term of Service: Both chairpersons and members serve for one year, July 1 through June 30. The PSP Committee chairperson and members serve two-year terms.

Professional Standards Program (PSP): Chairpersons and committee members earn association responsibility points toward Professional Standards Program certificates. For more information, visit the AOP PSP page.

 

AOP Standing Committees

Affiliations
Chair: Cindy%20Walker

The Affiliations Committee ensures that our affiliations with the Mississippi Association of Educational Office Professionals (MAEOP) and the National Association of Educational Office Professionals (NAEOP) are current each year. In addition, this committee oversees the selection process for the USM AOP Educational Administrator and Office Professional of the Year Awards and works to ensure the presentation of the awards. The recipients of the USM AOP Administrator and Office Professional of the Year may be the USM AOP nominees for the MAEOP Administrator and Office Professional of the Year; this committee will be responsible for filing the MAEOP documentation for our award winners.

We are currently accepting nominations for Educational Office Professional of the Year and Educational Administrator of the Year. Links to the nomination forms and guidelines are below. The deadline to nominate is May 1st.

Nomination form for AOP’s 2025 “Educational Administrator of the Year” award

Nomination form for AOP’s 2025 “Educational Office Professional of the Year” award

Guidelines for USM AOP Office Professional of the Year and Educational Administrator of the Year

Learn more about the AOP Scholarship program here. The application period for the AOP Scholarship closes February 15, 2025; recipients will be announced at the next AOP General Meeting.

 

Budget
Chair: Cindy%20Walker

The Budget Committee shall be responsible for preparing the annual budget to be presented to the membership at the August meeting. 

 

Community Service
Chair: Mary%20Beth%20Simmons
Members: Aretas Squire, Jennifer Larson, Melissa Carpenter, Dr. Mary Maner, Dr. Joyce Powell, Gayle Sollfrank, Stefanie Rogers, and Crystal Tolible

The Community Service Committee coordinates community service projects. Past projects have included the United Way Heart Walk, the Domestic Abuse Family Shelter, obtaining donations toward local tornado victims, and supporting the efforts of the USM Literacy Council.

Click here to access the Community Service web page.

 

Gulf Coast Committee
Chair: Dajaneir%20Thompson
Members: Dr. Mary Maner, Dr. Joyce Powell, Kelly McKenna, Penny Isgar

The Gulf Coast Committee will work with the President of AOP to represent the interests of AOP’s Gulf Coast members in the organization’s activities.

 

Hospitality
Chair: Cory%20Williams
Members: Kelly McKenna, Maurine Pace, Dorothy Thompson

The Hospitality Committee is responsible for hospitality functions extended to members and their immediate families. The committee shall also be responsible for providing door prizes as needed.

Share your good news and events here so that we can help you celebrate!

 

In-Service
Chair: Gayle%20Sollfrank

The In-Service Committee works with the president to arrange meeting speakers as necessary.

 

Membership
Chair: Aretas%20Squire
Members: Kim Evans, Latasha Peters, Keauna Williams

The Membership Committee tracks current memberships. The Membership Committee verifies credentials to determine the eligibility for membership voting. The committee holds at least one function per year to build membership. In October, the Membership Committee contacts each AOP member who has not renewed for the current year.

 

PSP Advisory
Chair: Cory%20Williams
Members: Pam Posey

The PSP Advisory Committee functions as an advisory group to answer questions concerning the PSP certificate program, obtain information from the national office as needed, check eligibility and certificates, and apprise the president of the university and the director of Human Resources when a member receives a PSP certificate.

 

Publicity
Chair: Dr.%20Joyce%20Powell
Members: Alexis Cato, Kim Evans, Mary Beth Simmons

The Publicity Committee keeps a history and pictorial record of the Association’s activities to be stored in the Association’s scrapbook and publicizes the activities of the Association. The committee is also responsible for maintaining the AOP website and social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), publishing the AOP newsletter, “The Voice,” providing communication support for AOP events and committees, and helping to create flyers and graphics.

Click here to visit our Communications page.

 

Ways and Means
Chair: Aretas%20Squire
Members: Kim Evans, Tammy Miller, Cassie Powell

The Ways and Means Committee is responsible for planning, implementing, and overseeing fundraising projects for the Association. The primary fundraiser is the Southern Miss Comcast Golf Tournament held every October at Canebrake.