Betsy Blakney

BetsyBlakney

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Betsy Blakney, CPP APMP Fellow, CKM (Class of 2009)

Director, Proposal Operations (Retired)
CACI, Inc.-Federal

Bio

A member since 2009, Betsy has served as APMP CEO, COO, Secretary, and the Eastern Regional Representative of APMP International, the Chair for the NCA chapter, an APMP Certification Mentor, a member of the Blue Ribbon Panel of Experts for the APMP Body of Knowledge, as an Assistant Editor of the former APMP Journal, and co-authored the APMP Industry Glossary of Terms. A Certified Proposal Professional (CPP), Betsy spent many years serving as the lead facilitator for the APMP Quick Start Practitioner course at regional and international conferences.

What does being an APMP Fellow mean to you?

Being an APMP Fellow means I have demonstrated significant leadership and dedication to APMP's organizational growth and development from a programmatic and membership orientation.

What's your best memory from attending an APMP event?

Delivering my IGNITE Talk at the 2016 Bid and Proposal Con in Boston. My topic was "Making a Difference - One Book at a Time," - a story of my role as a steward of a Little Free Library in my community and becoming a literacy warrior in my 60s.

What advice do you have for a proposal professional entering our field?

Align yourself with an experienced mentor, listen carefully, and never stop learning.

Acquiring the executive summary micro certification has helped to build my confidence in producing best practice Executive Summaries. I also benefit from the social media badge for my LinkedIn profile and certification to add to my resume. Both of these allow me to verify my Executive Summary capabilities.

Laura Rispin, CP ES-M APMP

During my association with APMP, I have been fortunate to have met and gathered wisdom from several industry stalwarts.

Karthik Koutharapu, CP APMP

The certifications, starting from the foundation to the professional level, help individuals from diverse timeframes in their careers.

Mayura Ravishankar, Proposal Associate

You can expand your network by attending the local Chapter webinar and events. They provide an opportunity to collaborate with like-minded individuals locally to create and share consumable content, ideas, tools, and resources.

Sonal Bhatnagar, CP APMP, PMP

The Executive Summary is the key element of each proposal, literally the most important part of the response next to the price – this is why my focus was on this micro certification. Understanding the principles of Deal-Strategy, Win-Strategy, Competitor-Analysis, Ghosting, Persuasive Writing, Features/Benefits/Discriminators, and many more is essential and beneficial for so much more than just the Executive Summary.

Florian Lamisch, CF ES-M APMP

For the first time since I started my career, I felt like I was not alone in my struggles to meet deadlines, wrangle SMEs, and answer impossible questions. I’m grateful to have this community to share our wisdom and experiences.

Anthony Rossi, CF APMP

APMP's techniques on proposal writing are meticulously engineered with real-life examples, and the extensive information available in their Body of Knowledge is a goldmine for bid & proposal professionals.

Anant Shukla, CF APMP

I would advise new professionals to take advantage of the resources that APMP offers. Not only do you have access to conferences and seminars through your chapter, but the free webinars and the robust network of professionals are great benefits that can help advance one’s career.

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Valerie Kessie, CP APMP

Acquiring this micro-certification allows me to expand my aperture regarding the collaboration between capture and proposal management to develop more robust, customer-centric Executive Summaries for future pursuits. It allows me to advance my skill set, evolve my knowledge, and reflect my commitment to continuous learning.

Stephen Yuter, ES-M APMP

I never want to be complacent in my career, so it has been beneficial to have this group of peers who are going through similar trials and tribulations in the proposal world on a day-to-day basis.

Jill Zander, CF APMP