Dear Oklahoma HFMA friends,

As my year, I mean SECOND year as President comes to an end, I will finish my term the way I started, feeling blessed and honored to have served you as President of this great association.

Before the pandemic disrupted our normal meetings, we were doing really well at providing excellent quality finance education for our members.  In March of 2020 of course, all of that changed.  Luckily we were quickly able to adjust and our virtual meetings were born.  Our forward thinking program committee led us to new heights and brought us into the techie world smoothly and efficiently by developing a new stage for our meetings. All the while, we were able to maintain excellence by continuing to provide that high quality finance education.  In addition to annual association meetings, Zoom, Teams and other platforms also took the place of in-person board of directors meetings and other committee chair meetings. We even held virtual breakfasts and after hour socials which were so much fun and all the rage!

The strength of any transitioning association is the time it takes to look inward, embrace change and set strategy to catapult it to the next level. The officers, directors and committee chair’s began to identify areas for growth and improvement and the long-term plans and solutions it would take to reach our goals. The chapter success plans for 2020-2021/2021-2022 identified areas to carry out these plans and we moved forward into what we now call the “New Norm.”

When finally, we were able to meet in person again in February of 2022, old Mother Nature had other plans and she decided she would throw some ice cubes at us.  That small but cozy group of attendees will forever be known to me as “The Frozen Chosen!”  And who can forget the “Over the Top Sapphire Soiree” in April of that same year, the result of several years of planning led by Past-President, Scott Sanders.  It was the highest ever attended social event and one for the ages!

One thing that I set out to do as Chapter President was to hold our first ever Women’s Leadership Conference.  COVID made it impossible to achieve in my first year, but it finally came to fruition in July of 2022.  It was held in Stillwater and was well attended.  We started by establishing the conference theme as the Wizard of Oz, specifically the quote by Glinda the Good Witch, “You’ve always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself!” This quote has been a favorite of mine since childhood.  Not only did we hold this event but it definitely exceeded our expectations. Based on the survey results, the average conference rating was 4.833 out of 5 with 100% of those responding that they would recommend the event to others.  Huge kudos to our programming team for going above and beyond like they always do!

And finally, an extra big thank you to the officers, directors, committee chairs, members and business partners for all you did to help make my year(s) so successful!

In closing, the lifelong friends, lessons I’ve learned, leadership growth and the opportunity to achieve great things are just a few of my takeaways from my HFMA experience.  Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart!

“It’s Not Where You Go, It’s Who You Meet Along The Way.” – Dorothy

With much love,

Louise Kiper

Happy Holidays!

Happy New Years! 

Greetings!                                                                                         December 28, 2022

Dear Chapter Members,

Hoping this finds you all happy and well!

As another year comes to a close, we can all be filled with pride about our chapter accomplishments during this last year.

First and foremost, I would like to personally note that our successes would not have been possible without the dedication and commitment of our chapter officers, board of directors and committee members.  It is their strong leadership that makes our chapter what it is.  I am so grateful to have served alongside them all and call it a great joy to work with each and every one of them.

As 2022 began, getting back together and IN-PERSON was a top priority!  Even though our first meeting of the year was hindered by an ugly ice storm, and we all thought we would surely starve to death, it still proved to be a very informative successful meeting and so much fun! From our fabulous Twenties Soiree in April, to the first ever Women’s meeting in July to our recent Fall meeting, the program committee really shined with excellent programs including on point topics and speakers.  I am so excited to see what next year will bring!  If you have any topic ideas or speakers that you would be interested in hearing, please let us know.

Finally, I challenge each of you to get involved in our chapter in 2023.  Your knowledge and expertise is highly coveted.  Whether you can commit to a large amount or small amount of time, I promise you won’t regret your involvement.  The lifelong friendships that you will gain make it well worth your time.  If you’re interested in a particular committee or even moving up the officer track, please reach out.

I truly look forward to seeing what 2023 will hold and see our chapter again succeed.  It is an EXCITING time to be a member of Oklahoma HFMA!

Wishing peace, love and joy to you and yours,

Happy New Year!

Louise Kiper

President, Oklahoma HFMA

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year!” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dear Friends,

As another year comes to a close, I would like to take a moment to reflect over the last 12 months that I served as President of Oklahoma HFMA. The last few years have been difficult at best, but I’d like to state that together, as a team, we brought our chapter further along that we ever thought possible. While COVID brought a lot of challenges, it also brought a lot of change, change for the good that is.

Throughout 2021, we stepped up and continued holding virtual meetings improving possibilities and capabilities with each and every meeting held. BUT, we were all more than ready to get back together in person, and finally did so in December, when we held our first ever Holiday Mixer at the Dust Bowl Lounge in Oklahoma City. We had over 40 in attendance! It was so great being together again.

Then in January 2022, just when we thought things might get back to the “new” normal, Omicron reared its ugly self and we had to post-pone our winter meeting into February. To top it all off, the day before the conference, a crazy winter ice storm blazed its way across our state causing numerous flight delays and the city of Tulsa almost completely shut down. For those that braved the elements and actually made it to the meeting, it ended up being a very informative and fun event. Plus, due to the efforts of the programming committee, along with the mini golf hole sponsors and additional generous donations from individuals on site, we raised and contributed $760.00 and 646 pounds of food to the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. A big thank you to all of our members and speakers for a great first back-in-person conference!

The final event of the fiscal year was held April 21-22 at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in Oklahoma City. It was the brain child of our own Past-President, Scott Sanders, who finally got to see this conference come to fruition! Job well done Scott and programming team! The speakers were dynamic and brought many on-point topics that had been requested by our membership. The Thursday evening Soirée did not disappoint and was in fact, the most attended social event recalled in recent history, maybe ever! Our fundraising efforts benefited The City Rescue Mission in Oklahoma City and the silent auction, raffle and cash donations combined raised a total of $4260.00!

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our officer team, the board of directors, the committee members and chairs and every volunteer for a job well done! It is you and your service that make this chapter all that it is. And last but certainly not least, huge thanks and respect goes out to each of you, our members, for making all that we do worthwhile. We hope that your chapter of HFMA provides all that you need to better equip yourself for your job in healthcare finance. It is for you, that we strive to make our Oklahoma Chapter of HFMA the best in the nation!

Respectfully,

Louise Kiper
President, Oklahoma HFMA 2021-2022 * 2022-2023

*SAVE THE DATES* Mini LTC, June 21, 2022 at Top Golf in OKC and the Women in Healthcare Conference, July 28/29, 2022 in Stillwater Oklahoma