By Connie Simmons, NNECERAPPA Membership Committee Chair – Philips Exeter Academy

NNECERAPPA, ERAPPA, SRAPPA, MAPPA, confused yet? Let me try to explain ….

APPA is the national parent organization with a mission "to support educational excellence with quality leadership and professional management through education, research, and recognition." APPA was founded in 1914 in Chicago with 14 institutions; the numbers now exceed 4,800 in 50 states and 7 countries. APPA originally stood for the Association of Physical Plant Administrators.  Later the organization decided to keep only the letters and add the tagline "Leadership in Educational Facilities." APPA offers a range of educational opportunities including the Institute for Facilities Management, The Leadership Academy, and Supervisors’ Toolkit. Scholarships are available for facilities professionals to attend these programs.

ERAPPA stands for Eastern Region of APPA; this consists of eleven local chapters. NNECERAPPA is the Northern New England Chapter of APPA which contains New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont. There are other chapters in NY, Maryland, NJ and Canada. NNECERAPPA gives up to twelve scholarships per year towards attendance at one of APPA’s educational offerings or local meetings. NNECERAPPA operates with a board that consists of a President, Vice President, and Secretary/Treasurer as well as State Directors and committees for technology, membership, professional development, and business partners. The board is always looking for volunteers. A great way to get involved is to host a meeting at your institution. NNECERAPPA is also lucky to have a large business partner contingency. Business partners range from design firms, construction, HVAC, custodial, furniture and equipment to name a few. This group helps support educational tracks and demonstrates new products and services.

Joining NNECERAPPA is easy. Attendance at a scheduled meeting of NNECERAPPA constitutes membership for facilities professionals from member institutions. Meetings are held in the spring and fall each year. Institutional memberships are retained as long as a representative attends at least one meeting every two years. First time attendee sessions are held at each level of meeting to introduce the organization and provide opportunities for networking.  A clearer understanding of the organization helps new members to understand the value in regularly attending meetings. Institutions that make the commitment to send attendees benefit from their employees’ personal and professional development.