IT'S NOT GOODBYE, BY SALLY HALLINGSTAD

July 24, 2026

Ten years ago, I joined the inaugural Board of Directors for the newly formed WEN Colorado Chapter. At the time, I had no idea that saying "yes" to that volunteer opportunity would become one of the most rewarding decisions of my professional life. From that first board meeting, I was hooked. The connections, the mission, and the opportunity to help build something bigger than myself kept drawing me back.

Over the past decade, I've had the privilege of serving WEN in a variety of leadership roles at both the Chapter and Global levels. Each role has taught me something new, introduced me to incredible leaders across our industry, and reinforced why this organization is unlike any other. Serving as your 2025–2026 Global President has been the ultimate honor - the cherry on top of an amazing 10-year journey.

As my term as Global President comes to a close, I found myself reflecting on the three goals we set last July:

Increase the value of membership for every Member, making WEN the most FOMO organization in the energy sector.
Further develop resources for and provide support to our incredible Chapter Leaders.
Plan and execute one of the most kick-a$$ WEN Conferences to date.

And looking back I can honestly say: WE DID IT. Not because of any one person, but because of Global and Chapter leaders that showed up with vision, passion, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to making WEN stronger. Together, we didn't just accomplish those three goals, we exceeded them. We launched new programs, strengthened our leadership pipeline, elevated the member experience, and delivered a conference that reminded us all why this organization is so special.

None of this happened by accident. It happened because talented volunteers invested their time, their expertise, and often their weekends, to move WEN forward. On behalf of all WEN Members, THANK YOU to every Chapter and Global leader for making this an outstanding year for all of us.

Personally, one of the highlights of my year was having the opportunity to visit Chapters across our network. Every stop reminded me just how special this organization is. Some favorite memories include:

Celebrating the launch of WEN Dominican Republic and witnessing WEN's continued global growth;
Finishing on the losing side of trivia night with WEN South Texas (Kristine... we're coming for you this year!);
Surprising Gillian with her Global President service award at the WEN Greater Pittsburgh Annual Gala;
Joining WEN Chicago as they celebrated their milestone 10th Anniversary;
Moderating the leadership panel featuring Karyl White at WEN Houston's 2025 Annual Meeting;
Ringing in the holiday season with more than 50 WEN Leaders during our Leadership Transition Meeting, hosted by WEN Colorado;
Attending WEN South Louisiana's cherished Annual Holiday Tea;
“Helping” with WEN North Dakota’s booth at the Williston Basin Conference; and
Wrapping up the year by hosting the 2026 WEN Conference alongside WEN North Texas, complete with an unforgettable Texas-style happy hour.

And that's not even including the countless virtual events, webinars, board meetings, and celebrations I was fortunate enough to join throughout the year. While I've been lucky to experience so much of WEN firsthand, I still have 12 Chapters (soon to be 13) left on my visit list. Consider this your official warning.

As this chapter closes, I want to extend a special thank you to Kitrina Pople, Andrea Tettleton, Gillian Flick, and Kelsey Johnson, who will be rolling off the Global Board after many years of service at both the Chapter and Global levels. Their leadership, institutional knowledge, and willingness to say "yes" when WEN needed them have left an impact that will be felt for years to come. They have helped shape this organization into what it is today, and I'm incredibly grateful to have served alongside them.

I've learned one very important thing over the last decade: once you start serving WEN, you can't stop serving WEN. It starts with one volunteer role, then another, then someone asks if you'll chair a committee, mentor a leader, join a task force, or "just help with this one thing." Before you know it, 10 years have flown by, your closest friends are people you met through WEN, and you've had the privilege of helping shape an organization that has given you far more than you've ever given it.

While my term as Global President is coming to an end, don't mistake it for a farewell. If history has taught me anything, it's that WEN has a funny way of pulling you back in and honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

So, it's not goodbye...it's simply "What's next?"

___

Sally Hallingstad
2025-2026 WEN Global President
Business Development Director, Baker Tilly