Return of experience: PMI Regional Chapter Leadership Conference 2025

Organized by PMI Ottawa Valley Outaouais, August 21–23, 2025.

Recently, I had the privilege of attending this annual gathering of PMI chapter leaders from across North America. What an energizing and inspiring experience!

Throughout the event, I witnessed the strength of our network and the richness of the exchanges between PMI leaders from different associations. Here are a few highlights:

The session “Volunteer Engagement with a Small Push” with Sylvie Edwards from the PMI Durham Highlands Chapter set the tone by reminding us that structured volunteer management is not just a support tool, but an essential extension of our HR strength. This message really resonated with me, as at the heart of our associations, it is our volunteers who carry and amplify our mission. My HR professional’s heart (CRHA) is never far away during such exchanges.

Since we doubled our volunteer base in the past year, deploying these best practices and revisiting our volunteer program to strengthen engagement and retention will be one of our fall priorities! As Sylvie put it so well, the goal will be: “Bring passion and purpose into volunteering.” A phrase that will echo strongly in our reflections.

The “Chapter Leaders Ignition Passion Panel” then highlighted the resilience and commitment of outgoing presidents. Hearing their authentic stories and challenges reinforced my conviction that collective and supportive leadership is what enables us to move forward, even in times of great complexity.

A superb presentation by Toby Utermohlen on the importance of community within PMI, followed by a reminder of the values that guide us by Amber McMillan, PMI mentor. My favorite: Be welcoming! And as he said so well: “Embrace curiosity doesn’t mean to agree with each other, but to be curious and stay open-minded.”

During the practices exchange sessions, I had the chance to connect with passionate colleagues on the topic of membership and how best to continue serving and inspiring our members. These conversations, sometimes very concrete, sometimes strategic, sometimes emotional, will continue in a WhatsApp group created for the occasion. A wonderful example that the connections built at a congress extend far beyond the conference room.

One of my favorites: the session “Sustainability in PM: From Fiction to Reality” by Taiwo Abraham, PhD Candidate, PMP, CFA-ESG, GRI-CSP at the Project Management Institute. It showed how project management professionals can bridge the talent gap in sustainability and social impact by developing practical frameworks to achieve environmental and social goals, and successfully transition to a more conscious and high-performing world.

And finally, what a source of pride to see our president, Alcides Santopietro, PMP, PMI-ACP, DAC, MGP, representing us with his presentation on “AI in Project Management: A Call for Ethical Leadership in Our Community” as well as the “Future of the PMI Chapter Panel.” These discussions rightly reminded us that we must evolve and adapt our governance and operational models to new realities while maintaining vigilance and discernment. Special mention to Sébastien Leclerc’s quote: “Cybersecurity is a journey.” I loved it!

I return from this conference with a renewed conviction: we are more than just a professional community. We are leaders called to build the future of project management with passion, curiosity, and courage.

And I’ll close with these words that sum it all up: “Our profession is project management, but our job is project leadership.”

A huge thank you to our mentor Duncan Gallant, PMI Ottawa Valley Outaouais, their president Thomas Doyle III, CD, the board of directors, and the many volunteers for such a warm welcome, a tour of your city, and flawless organization. This experience will remain a highlight of collaboration, learning, and inspiration. My contact list is full, and my head is overflowing with ideas!

📌 P.S.: Oh yes, I also discovered new talents…in darts throwing! But that’s another story. #IamAUnicorn

📌 P.P.S.: It was a pleasure to share this experience with our board members (Alcides Santopietro, PMP, PMI-ACP, DAC, MGP, Annie Thibodeau, PMP, PMI-ACP, Patrick Pressoir, PMP LSSMBB CCMP™, Doris Perron, Daphnée Van Lierde, Hanane BAROUDI, and Florine A, LL.B.), Sébastien Leclerc from the Outaouais branch, as well as Claire Pascot and Philippe Boigey from PMI Lévis-Québec. What a wonderful Québec delegation we made!

PMI-Montréal: Patrick Pressoir, Doris Perron, Daphnée Van Lierde, Alcides Santopietro, Annie Thibodeau, Amanda Palmer (PMI), Florine Agbognihoue. Front row: Catherine Laramée, Toby Utermohlen (PMI)