February 2016 New Member Lunch Spolight
Welcome to our New Member Lunch spotlight! Each month, a guest from the Board of Directors will be joining us at the new member lunch (NML) to introduce themselves and tell us a little bit about their role and background. This month, we’re joined by Nikki Dvorak, President of SMPS Chicago!
In advance of this month’s NML, here’s a little bit about Nikki:
Where do you work and what’s your role?
I work for DLR Group as a Business Development Leader. I focus on our Justice + Civic side, which is a huge sector for our firm. I lead business development efforts for our North Central region, creating and maintaining relationships is what I love to do.
Why did you join SMPS Chicago?
I was exposed to SMPS years back helping my old boss out when he was the current President of the chapter. I loved what I was learning and all of the people I was meeting and wanted to know how I can get more involved. A few years later…here I am!
How has SMPS been beneficial to you, your firm, and/or your career?
SMPS is a great network in general. I’ve gotten project leads out of it, friendships, industry awareness, and had a ton of fun getting involved. The reason I chose business development for my career was because of SMPS. I love learning how everyone is connected. The reason I get the exposure at my previous firm was from a connection I made within SMPS and the great reference someone gave me.
How can a new member of SMPS get the most out of their membership?
Get involved. Get involved. Get involved. Whether it’s a committee or helping out with a special event you get the most out of something when you dive in. We all have different expertise and could help out a bunch of different ways.
What was the most fun event you attended for SMPS?
Our most recent event actually, SMPS A New Year Ahead. It was a joint event between our special events committee and our membership committee. It was great to see the collaborative effort between members and it was something we haven’t done in a few years. We rolled our holiday party in with our membership drive, it had tons of great people with half of the room being non-members showing up to see what “SMPS is all about” and the other half of the room were seasoned members that could help tell the SMPS Chicago story and why others should be a part of it.
What do you do to kick back and relax?
Work out. I’m a big runner and I love to kick box. Nothing like getting your frustrations out there with kickboxing. Working out/running clears my head from the day so I make sure to make time for it every week within my busy schedule.
What is your favorite musical group/performer?
I’m a huge county fan – love anyone from Kenny Rogers to Dolly Parton to the Dixie Chicks and Faith Hill
What is the most interesting place you’ve visited?
I went to Ireland in 2013 and ran the Dublin ½ marathon – it was an amazing trip. London was pretty high up there with the history of it all but Dublin was just beautiful. I figure a great way to see a city is to sign up for a race and run through it, right?
Name the most famous person you've had a face to face encounter with ("brush with greatness")?
JoDee Messina – she’s a country artist. My friends and I went to Country Thunder our summer out of High School and ended up talking all night to JoDee’s band. They said she was staying at our hotel so we stayed up and waited for her car to pull up. We ran around the back when she showed up and opened the door for her – she said “hi girls.” Biggest night of our life. After that, we proceeded to see what floor she got off on and went up only to sing her songs in the hallway for the next 30 minutes, needless to say, she never came back out.
If you could spend 15 minutes with any living person, who would it be and why?
This is a tough one – but I’m going with Sandra Bullock. I think she’s amazing at life.
About the program: Exclusive to our new members, we have a monthly lunch program for the entir first year of membership! These lunches are designed to familiarize new members with the chapter, expand their networks, and demonstrate the various ways to become involved.
