Chapters are the backbone of the Association of the United States Army.

They donate their time, skills and money to support soldiers, civilians and families, educate their communities about the importance of the Army, and attract individuals and companies to become members of AUSA. When our chapters are successful, the Association is successful.

However, the diversity of our chapters makes determining one model of success difficult to discern.

That is why AUSA headquarters has launched the Chapter Excellence Project, an effort meant to define the hallmarks and resources required to achieve sustained excellence at chapter and region levels so that they can be replicated across the Association.

The project’s intent is to make recommendations to AUSA’s national leadership that will strengthen the Association’s ability to promote and resource excellence throughout the Association.

The Chapter Excellence Project consists of six teams – two volunteer leaders supported by AUSA staff – each tasked with assessing a specific topic area or writing the final report.

Topic areas include bylaws, chapter operations manual, leader training, awards and incentives, and communications/best practices; the teams will review the current practices associated with each topic area in both successful and struggling chapters to identify common traits.

AUSA staff members will support the project’s volunteer leaders by providing them with all requested resources and connecting them with other chapter leaders.

By identifying the hallmarks of success, AUSA headquarters will be better able to promote and resource excellence across our 119 chapters.

Launched in April 2016, the Chapter Excellence Project is a significant undertaking that will culminate in a final report and implementation plan presented to the AUSA Council of Trustees in January 2017. The project’s members will meet virtually on a monthly basis to conduct in-process reviews and discuss their findings in preparation for January.

During the 2016 Annual Meeting, all chapter leaders will be briefed on the draft report and will have the opportunity to provide feedback.

By the end of the nine-month period, the project will have a plan in place to identify, define, and replicate excellence in all chapters.

One of the reasons AUSA is an invaluable asset to the Army community is because of the intellectual and geographic reach our chapters have. Without the personal support and interaction provided by chapter leaders and members, the Association would not have the strong relationships it does around the world. The Chapter Excellence Project will ensure that each chapter understands what success looks like and has the tools and resources in place to attain excellence.

AUSA thanks the following members for volunteering to lead the Chapter Excellence Project:

Col. Sandy McLeod, USA, Ret.

Dick Winter

Kris McBride

Dr. Albert Joseph Fitzgerald

Lt. Col. Charley Smith, USA, Ret.

Col. Gus Rodriguez, USA, Ret.

Mary Trier

Bob Fasulo

Mike Neer

Lt. Col. Larry Bethel, USA, Ret.

Carlene Joseph