The Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP®) have created the APMP Mental Health Affinity Group as part of the APMP Affinity Group program. This latest addition to the program creates a safe space for members to talk, share strategies, discuss work-life balance, and more.
The APMP Mental Health Affinity Group will launch on September 6th, 2022, and all APMP members interested in joining the discussion are welcome. This new affinity group joins our long-established Professionals of Color, Young Professionals, Military and Veterans, and LGBTQIA+ groups. Tori Bunk, CF APMP, Proposal Manager at The Midtown Group, is Chair of the APMP Mental Health Affinity Group. Ms. Bunk said, “I am so honored and excited to be the Chair of APMP’s Mental Health affinity group! Through this effort, we can provide a space to discuss important topics relating to mental health in the bid and proposal industry such as imposter syndrome, work boundaries, and burnout, as well as making tools and resources available to our members. I look forward to speaking and working with many of you on this important effort.”
Ms. Bunk advocated for the creation of this affinity group at BPC Dallas in May 2022, making a compelling case to APMP’s Chair Steven Coles, CPP APMP, a leader at Broadleaf Global, to establish the group as part of APMP’s mission to deliver a sustainable, premium membership experience worldwide. Mr. Coles said, “At BPC Dallas and in the months following, we spent time together manifesting how it would feel to offer fellow APMP members a focal point for this critical issue. Our new affinity group does just that. And it provides a safe space where we can all share the opportunity to gain more experience with and about each other.”
Tori and Steven are joined in leadership of the affinity group by industry mental health advocate Mairi Morrison, CPP CAP APMP, a Proposal Consultant with Strategic Proposals, who will serve as the affinity group’s Vice-Chair. Ms. Morrison is well known at APMP for launching and reporting on two surveys to measure the industry’s thoughts, goals, and outcomes regarding mental health. “I am so excited to be involved in running APMP’s new affinity group! Having conducted the first research into mental wellbeing in our profession, I am glad this next step provides the opportunity for members to get involved, share, and learn. Offering this safe space for members will go a long way to tackling this ever-presenting issue within the bid and proposal profession,” said Ms. Morrison.
APMP members who want to volunteer to be a part of the APMP Mental Health Affinity Group should send an e-mail to mentalhealth@apmp.org and say, “COUNT ME IN!” Members who express their interest will be invited to the first fully APMP HQ sanctioned discussion on the topic of Mental Health. Please let us know right away if you would like to participate so we can put you on the invitation list.
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