Dear COPAS Members and Prospective Members,

Membership in COPAS of New Orleans is just the beginning of tremendous opportunities in our dynamic industry. Your membership provides educational and networking advantages, along with the opportunity to participate in establishing Accounting guidelines and procedures utilized in the oil & gas industry.

Our 2011-2012 year begins in September, and with that comes renewals and membership applications. On our website, copasnola.org, you will find membership information including an application, a schedule of meeting dates, and an invoice for membership dues. Our forms may be reproduced and distributed to prospective members. We ask that you try to sponsor one new member. Feel free to bring your prospective member to our September general membership meeting (with no guest fee). Please return the application and payment by September 15, 2011.

This year we have decided to increase our membership dues to $255. The increase is the result of the increase in costs of services provided to our members over the past few years. This will allow us to continue to provide valuable services to our members as well as the community.

Last year, COPAS of New Orleans held an Education Day as well as a new social event at Zephyr’s Park in May to close out another successful year. In addition, we made donations to the National COPAS 50th Anniversary Celebration, the Greater New Orleans Science and Engineering Fair, and were a sponsor of the NACE/ASM Teachers Materials Camp. We also presented two scholarships to Accounting students at local Universities. If you know of any educational programs that may benefit from COPAS sponsorship please let us know.

COPAS of New Orleans will continue to have many exciting opportunities for our members in the upcoming year. We still have two sets of the APA study materials for member use. We are also planning an Education Day for Wednesday, October 19, 2011 where our members can obtain up to 4 CPE credits. We also have a Fall Social planned for Thursday, September 29, 2011 at The Bulldog on Canal Street. More information regarding these events will be sent in separate email communications.

We, the board, will be working hard along with you to keep the New Orleans Chapter of COPAS a vital link to the industry. Please do not hesitate to call upon any one of us. We encourage your active participation throughout the year for the betterment of our profession, individual companies, and the petroleum industry.

Be sure to visit www.COPAS.org for more facts and figures about COPAS. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at eschaumburg@kpmg.com or (504) 569-8817.


Sincerely,
Emily Schaumburg
President