Information junkie that I am, I spent a good deal of my holidays perusing various periodicals online, rationalizing that I'd get to my to-do list "later". "Later" still remains a vague point in the future, but I convinced myself that my time was being well spent (let's see if I change my mind when I try digging out my desk!)

Of course I read - well, okay, skimmed, to tell the truth - many items on making New Year's resolutions and ways to stick to them this year. These articles were not any more successful in making me a believer this year than their nearly identical counterparts were last year.

What piqued my curiosity were the "Top 10/20/100 of 2006" lists: best books, most important events, worst movies, most interesting people who died, etc.

With that in mind I've created my own personal "Top Ten Highlights of PWA in 2006", in no particular order:

1. Reaching 196 members as of 31 December 2006 - an amazing number since our projected goal was 160, already a 20% increase over the previous year
2. Holding our first General Assembly in several years in May 2006 and bringing members together for comments and discussion on PWA issues and policies
3. Member event calendar - this new website feature allows members to publicize non-PWA events to all site visitors whether members or not
4. The Holiday Party on 13 December - a truly wonderful event, thanks to our Networking Director team and the fabulous Osteria Artidoro where it was held
5. The Knowledge Base - members can access this area which features summaries and presentations from previous PWA speaker meetings and EuropeanPWN-sponsored events
6. Launch of the Additional Events series - our first was an 8-week Chinese language course taught by member Amy Juan. More are already in the works
7. "Work Smarter, Not Harder" joint conference with Gruppo Donne Manager, Manageritalia - this joint collaboration was well-received by members of both of our associations
8. The July Summer Party - presciently themed in red, white and green prior to Italy's World Cup victory, Canne al Vento's beautiful covered garden provided a lovely summer setting for our last get-together prior to August holidays
9. Centro Svizzero - our meetings now take place in this spacious venue with a view from the terrace of the Giardini Pubblici
10. "Reinventing Yourself" panel meeting in April - a standing-room only crowd turned out to hear three PWA members relate their tales of achieving their own brands of success through creativity and determination

The year 2007 promised to be even more rewarding as we build upon the solid foundation of resources and achievements we've amassed.

Maria Lassila
president@pwa-milan.org
PWA President