COOPP Meeting Recap: Dealing with Stress at Work and Our Personal Lives, Annual Member Recognition, Forum Finance Planning
CO-OPP's November General Membership Meeting has been held along with the Chapter's Annual Luncheon, a time to recognize accomplishments and awards granted to our members. At the November meeting members received updates and information across several topics.
Choosing Optimism in a World Full of Change
The speaker at the COOPP General Membership Annual Luncheon was Kay Frances. She delivered a funny yet spot-on look at how stress—both at work and in our personal lives—affects us. Through humor and real-world insight, she reminded us that while we can’t always control stress, we can control how we respond to it… and sometimes the best response is simply to find the funny.
Life offers us both optimists and pessimists, and we get to choose which path to follow. Stress often comes from the people around us, but we don’t have to let it steal our joy. Instead of becoming a joy buster, we can choose to look for what lifts us up.
Start with the simple things:
Notice the joy. Embrace the humor. Laugh often.
Change is constant, and rarely something we fully control. When it arrives, greet it with openness and calm curiosity. Creative thinking—and a little laughter—go a long way toward turning challenges into solutions.
Stay connected. Keep learning from one another, sharing experiences, and expanding your network. And don’t forget to take care of yourself. Protect your energy by avoiding toxic influences and lean on the people who help guide you—your “north star” people.
Bottom line:
• Focus on solutions.
• Let the small things go.
• Laughter is the best medicine, especially when stress tries to steal the show.
CO-OPP's Presentation of Annual Recognitions
Volunteer of the Year - Janelle Collier
Janelle Collier, who serves as the Contract and Procurement Manager with the City of Piqua. Janelle became involved with CO-OPP in the spring of 2009 and has demonstrated exceptional leadership by chairing the March is Purchasing Month Committee for more than five years. Throughout 2023 and 2024, she dedicated significant time and effort organizing March is Purchasing Month activities, working collaboratively with leaders from the Public Purchasing Association of Northern Ohio to ensure successful events. Her attention to detail, thoroughness, and commitment to quality have greatly benefited both CO-OPP and PPANO.
Manager of the Year - Christina Harvey
Christina Harvey serves as Senior Procurement Manager at the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, and joined CO-OPP in 2023. She is a current member of CO-OPP’s Education Committee. As the primary architect of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority’s e-procurement system, Christina played a key role in modernizing and streamlining their procurement processes. She developed and tested solicitation templates which are now utilized by their entire procurement team.
Christina efforts were instrumental in helping earn the NIGP Excellence Award for the organization. Her dedication to her work has also been recognized with the Silver Wheel award. She continues to enhance her expertise in procurement by actively participating in training programs offered by NIGP, NASPO, and the National Transit Institute.
Professional Development Assistance Funding For The NIGP Forum 2026 in Columbus
Funds will be budgeted for the Professional Development Assistance (PDA) Program in January. The Chapter may see an increase in PDA requests for funding assistance to attend NIGP's 2026 Columbus Forum. It is suggested that if you will need funding assistance you may want to apply early. You must have participated on one committee at some time during the 12 months prior to your request.
You can apply for funding 6 months prior to the event.
More information is available on the COOPP website:
👉Professional Development Assistance Program
Stay engaged, stay connected, and thank you for being a part of COOPP!