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About APMP Fellows Nancy Kessler

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Nancy Kessler, CPP APMP Fellow (Class of 2004)

Executive Consultant
Shipley Associates

Bio

Nancy is retired from Shipley Associates, continuing to work as a part-time Executive Consultant. She worked in the BD field in both industry and consulting for over 35 years, becoming an APMP Fellow for her work in the development of the Business Development Capability Maturity Model.

Since retiring from full-time work, Nancy has moved from the DC area to Tulsa, OK, near her younger son and his family. She volunteers with SCORE, a national organization partially funded by the Small Business Administration to help entrepreneurs, and recommends it highly to everyone who enjoys the business of winning business!

What does being an APMP Fellow mean to you?

It was an immense honor to be inducted into the Fellows in 2004 along with Art Bass, Mike Humm, and Dick Eassom, people whose knowledge and capability I've always respected and regarded as aspirational for me. I still use the designation along with my APMP certification in my professional communications.

While the environment is evolving and tools are growing more and more intuitive, the occasional flash of insight from long experience can be useful. For APMP, the Fellows represent that voice of experience as well as the personal honor of being selected.

And, of course, it means my dues are paid beyond my life expectancy!!

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

So many! But the best memory is probably the outpouring of love, respect, and admiration for Charlie Divine when he retired. It was obviously in return for the love and care he lavished on our organization and its members. I'm so glad I got to work with him and share his immense joy in life, work, and others ... and a few glasses of wine!

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

Keep current on technology, maximize your strengths, acknowledge your weaknesses, and publicly ask for help, always keep learning and growing, celebrate both wins and losses as ways to do the former, and remember that those you manage are responsible FOR you, not just TO you.

 Anything else you would like to add?

Proposal professionals are often unsung heroes. Thank goodness we have APMP to help us sing for ourselves.

Achieving certification sends a message to the world that I’m dedicated and accomplished as a proposal manager. I feel proud of earning this title and I encourage others to join our ranks.
Jessica Davis
Jessica Davis, CF 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
Jill Zander, CF APMP
Being a part of APMP, I get access to the knowledge and experience of great leaders and mentors from the community. I have learned a great deal from the webinars and conferences I attended on diverse topics from career progression in Proposal Management, trends (such as automation) in PreSales to achieving work-life balance, and handling burn-outs – all real-life experiences.
Kulkarni Shubhada photo
Shubhada Kulkarni, CP APMP
With this micro-certification and digital badge, I signal to my bid team and stakeholders that I am familiar with this topic. They can use me as their contact and "sparring partner," independent of RFPs.
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Norbert Thiemermann, CPP ES-M APMP
APMP has changed my professional life, elevating it to a standard that I didn’t know existed. Aside from the professional advantages of being certified as an APMP Professional, it’s the community of members who make it so special.
ritamascia
Rita Mascia, CPP APMP
Achieving the Executive Summaries micro-certification will support me in persuading Sales to create a better Executive Summary.
Gerald Stein
Gerald Stein, CF ES-M 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.
Yuter
Stephen Yuter, ES-M APMP
This was my first APMP event, and I was wholly impressed. The energy in the room reignited my passion for this industry, and I can't wait to get back to my team to implement what I have learned.
Brittany Guzman
Brittany Guzman, CF APMP
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.
LauraRispin
Laura Rispin, CP ES-M APMP
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
Sonal Bhatnagar, CP APMP, PMP