International Vice President-Elect Nominee

Josephine (Jodi) Arriola



Current Optimist Club(s)

• Hallie Optimist Club (23010) since 6/10/2010
• University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (23406) since 9/16/2019--faculty advisor since 3/12/2015 chartered
• Bloomer Area Optimist Club (23408) since 10/1/2018
• Sun Prairie (09283) since 11/16/2020

Other Optimist Clubs you belonged to in the past:

Date you first joined an Optimist Club:

June 10, 2010

Year(s) you were a Club President:

2014-2015

Year(s) you were a Lieutenant Governor:

2016-2017

Year(s) you were a District Governor:

2018-2019

International Offices or positions you have held:

• International Development Committee Member: 2020-2021
• International Development Committee Chair: 2021-2022

Optimist Awards achieved:

• Honor Club President: 2014, 2015, 2022
• Distinguished Club President: 2015
• Builder of Excellence: 2015, 2018, 2019
• Pacesetter Governor: 2019
• Honor Goveror: 2019
• Distinguished Governor: 2019
• PGI Level 10

Occupation:

Registered Nurse and Nursing Professor

What are your primary qualifications for this office?

I have a variety of experiences that provide me the skills and qualifications to be considered as the 2024-2025 Great Plains Region Vice President of Optimist International. My passion and enthusiasm for our work as Optimists and my belief that each of us has the opportunity and privilege to change the world is demonstrated and shared with others through my successes (and sometimes failures) in recruiting and engaging new Optimist members in the Vision and Mission of Optimist International (traditional, college , International, Friends of Optimists, personal friends, co-workers, and family) both at the club level and within new club building. The Optimist Creed provides a vital framework for relationship building, mindset, and overcoming challenges and change. Through my leadership skills demonstrated in public speaking, caring relationships, mentoring, and crucial conversations, I can provide support to Optimist members, Clubs, and Districts in the Great Plains Region. I have demonstrated these leadership competencies in my work as Distinguished Governor (WINUM), member of both WINUM and SWIS Districts, and speaking (2020, 2021, 2022) at the Siouxland Summit and helping to coordinate the event for Fall, 2022.

Why should a Club vote for you?

I would be honored to recieve your club's vote for the position of Vice President of the Great Plains region. I have demonstrated committment to the Great Plains Region through my work and dedication to professional development topics at the Siouxland Summit over the last several years and my dual Optimist membership in clubs within the WINUM and SWIS Districts These interactions have provided me an opportunity to meet many great Optimists from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin while providing me interest in meeting other Optimists from throughout our Great Plains Region. My OI Governor's experience working with great Distinguished leaders elected from your Districts for the 2018-2019 Optimist year provided great friendships, mentoring, knowledge sharing, and passion for Optimist International. I believe working with such great Optimists from the Great Plains Region has prepared me for this next challenge and I would appreciate your club's vote and confidence in my leadership for the Great Plain Region.

What specific things will you do to help the Clubs and Districts in your Region?

If you elect me as Vice President of the Great Plains Region, what can you expect from me:

1. Professional Development Opportunities to help us understand diversity and be more inclusive;
2. Support and participation in club projects--working next to Great Optimists--Isn't that what being an Optimist is all about--serving the community in which we live
3. Mentoring, member and club support, leadership training, and transparency
4. Listening to your successes, challenges, threats, and weakness and providing support and ideas (if asked) to assist--sharing resources or helping to find the needed resources
5. Working with and supporting your 2024-2025 Governor through sharing of experiences, best practices, leadership processes, and goals/plan development for each District
6. communication, communication, communication

Anything else you would like to say to Clubs. 

Despite the efforts of many great Optimists, Optimist International continues to struggle with name recognition, membership, and maintaining the viability of our/your outstanding club. Whether we want to hear it or not, active membership in our clubs and communities through our engagement in great projects will be what brings new members and maintains clubs in communities. I have witnessed and heard about great Optmist clubs and their projects. I want to be a part of that club and their energy and enthusiuam. Active, enthusiastic members and communities will bring in members who want to have fun, serve youth, and their communities, but. . . it does take work, projects actually needed and wanted in the community, and members! We need to re-engerize some clubs and we need to mentor and support others. I will need your help as great Optimists and clubs to support all the Optimist clubs in your District and the Great Plains Region. This will require an honest assessent of your club today and where it would like to be in the future.

---