by Lee Winbush, Steering Committee President
It’s been a banner year for CUGC. We’ve grown bigger and better. Bigger with more members in our ranks. And better with more and more members sharing, learning and networking in our blogs, forums, webinars and meetings.
It was a year of milestones and firsts. We held our 200th local meeting, grew to over 17,000 members and more than 60 local groups around the globe.



It was the year of the XL event, both in-person and online, with great success all around.

Our Women in Tech mentors completed their first round of one-on-one mentorships. We held our first t-shirt design contest and debuted the winning design at Synergy 2017. We introduced the CUGCY awards to applaud the best of the best. You generated more blog posts, forum threads and User Share webinars than ever before.

Our local leaders are the engine of CUGC. They organized 150+ local meetings full of content, networking and comradery.

And we had our most successful Synergy with dozens of volunteers helping at the booth, a packed Pre-game reception and a shout-out from the keynote stage.
I offer a thank-you and congratulations to everyone who made 2017 happen. All of the local leaders, webinar moderators, bloggers, forum contributors, Synergy volunteers and everyone who stepped up to do more for the community. In this season of giving, thank you for what you’ve given to CUGC.
If the momentum of the last three years proves any guide, I have no doubt that 2018 will be even more exciting. I can’t wait to see what the new year brings!
Wishing you all a safe, Happy Holiday Season,
Lee Winbush
President, CUGC Steering Committee
[…] 2017, but if you haven’t checked it out yet, Lee Winbush does a good job summarizing 2017: 2017–A Great Year for CUGC! 2018 will no doubt be another great year for the SIGs, local user groups and regional events […]