Linsday Medlin on Community Involvement
This is a part of the series of articles about how TEAM BPS is involved in our communities (SC Midlands, Spartanburg, Jefferson, SC, Atlanta, Philadelphia). In this article Lindsay Medlin, Senior Manager, discusses some of the highlights of her community involvement.
As a Columbia native, I have seen the city grow and change over the past couple decades. Much of this change and growth can be attributed to local organizations, nonprofits, and tight-knit communities that come together to highlight the Midlands and all it has to offer. As a business professional, I cannot stress enough the importance of being involved in the community. The organizations I have been a part of over the past several years have helped me grow, personally and professionally, and have allowed me to find ways to give back to the community beyond my day-to-day job responsibilities.
As an accountant and CPA, the main value I have brought to organizations over the years is serving as Treasurer. The Treasurer is an important role, responsible not only for helping with the books and routine bank reconciliations, but also with budgeting, strategic planning, and assessing internal controls at the organization.
My involvement can be highlighted through the below organizations and honors/awards:
- Board Member, Leadership Columbia Association Alumni Advisory Board
- Treasurer, One Columbia for Arts and Culture
- Finance Committee Member, Columbia Chamber of Commerce
- Treasurer-Elect, Commercial Real Estate Women – Midlands Chapter
- Finance Committee Member, Wholespire, 2015-2021
- Member, Columbia Opportunity Resource (Treasurer, 2015-2020)
- Member, Contemporaries of the Columbia Museum of Art
- PrimeGlobal Leadership Institute Class of 2021
- Leadership Columbia Class of 2017
- Columbia Opportunity Resource Talent of the Year 2017
- South Carolina Association of CPAs Leadership Institute Class of 2015
Although community involvement is certainly a resume builder and good for business, the experience and acquaintances I have gained from these organizations is invaluable. While the majority of my work with these organizations has been centered around accounting (it is my day job after all), I want to speak on one specific event I helped with recently.
The Leadership Columbia Association Alumni (LCAA) Advisory Board has been hosting district-by-district series across the Midlands to highlight some of the major districts and the developments that are ongoing. These have included Five Points, the Vista, Main Street, and the upcoming Bull Street event on April 5th (shameless plug, sign up if you’re interested!). Devine Street has always been special to me, as I live within walking distance and frequent the shops and restaurants there. I took the lead on planning the LCAA Devine Street event. This included finding the venue (thanks, Arabesque!), arranging the speakers, assisting with the publicity, and other tasks outside of my norm. This was a fun experience for me – although not an event planner by trade, I really enjoyed it. It was also a successful event with a good turnout.
Being involved is good for the community and for our own personal and professional development. It also helps us to demonstrate that we can be involved and do cool things, too (though certainly not as cool as counting beans)!
At BPS, we encourage our people to become involved. In future articles, more of our folks will tell their own stories in their own words. I think you will find them interesting.