This month’s Member Highlight is Mary Jane Hogan, President of National Locating & Recovery in Birmingham, Alabama and the First Lady of ARA. Mary Jane was the longest serving board member in the history of ARA and her commitment and loyalty is unquestioned. Her 23 years of service to an association that is “her life” will be remembered for it’s commitment, loyalty and drive to the entire membership. The fact that the membership elected her to the board eight times says a lot about their belief and confidence in her.
To say she saw it all would be an understatement – she was there for the good times and the bad. She was an integral part of many important decisions that changed the direction of the ARA and moved us down very different paths. She was involved as we transitioned into a true full service association and wanted the membership to receive a better return on their investment.
During most of the years that she served, she was the gentle and soft side of the association. As the Public Relations Chairman, she recognized early on that it was important for us to seek out professional help in branding and marketing to the lending community, so she was instrumental in bringing Wellington Group Marketing & PR into our world.
She was there to help when Katrina destroyed our Home Office in New Orleans and stood with the decision to move our headquarters to Irving. If she is remembered for only one thing, it should be that she found a true partner in Jerry Wilson to accomplish the merger with the National Finance Adjusters. The strength and determination that she demonstrated in this process is unquestioned. While most people will never know the courage and commitment of time that she put into the effort, everyone can definitely see the good that rose from the effort.
Although she is no longer serving on the board, she will still be present and active in the association. She will co-chair the PR Committee and serve as mentor to the younger members who are coming into our association. She’ll also spend her time and efforts to present our members in the most favorable light to the lending community. That being said, thank you, Mary Jane, for all the hard work and dedication you have brought to our association.
Do you have an exciting hobby or are involved in raising money or awareness for a worthy cause? Please help us by submitting pictures and stories of those who deserve some recognition or those who are involved in projects of interest. We’d love to hear from you – submit your interesting stories and photos to rachel@wellingtongrouppr.com.
