The National Association of Campus Card Users would like to acknowledge one of its own for outstanding service to the association and its mission. Crystal Bazarnic is celebrating 10 years with NACCU, a milestone that follows a great deal of work and dedication to her role as the association’s Art and Communications Director.

“NACCU would like to recognize and congratulate Crystal for reaching her 10-year anniversary milestone with the association since joining its staff in July, 2005,” says Lowell Adkins, executive director of NACCU. “Crystal is an integral part of the NACCU staff and is instrumental in creating and maintaining our website, publications, marketing, conference materials and design, along with many other behind-the-scenes functions that help create a successful association. Thank you, Crystal, for your service.”

In recognition of the milestone, CR80News recently spoke with Bazarnic about her time with NACCU:

Why did you decide to join NACCU?

CB: When I interviewed for the position, I knew very little about NACCU or the campus card industry. I saw an opportunity for personal growth and development, as well as a perfect fit for my skill set. I knew that NACCU would offer a lot to me, and that I could offer a lot to NACCU — and I have not been disappointed.

What is your role with the association?

CB: I handle the website, social media channels, marketing and advertising, emails, graphic design, conference promotional materials and signage, event photography, conference app, printed materials and the Listserv. In addition, I work with the Marketing and Communications committee and various other committees. I also consider customer service and support to be a big part of my responsibility, and assisting our members and offering prompt, friendly service is very satisfying.

My work at the National Office is very cyclic. It typically slows down after the annual NACCU conference and then ramps up to a very fast pace with long days leading up to the conference, although that has not been the case this year! At the moment, we are working on choosing new AMS software, selecting future conference sites, holding regional workshops, and hiring a new Executive Director to replace Lowell in 2016. It’s been a whirlwind of a summer! There is no “typical” day, which keeps my job very engaging.

How has NACCU evolved over the ten years that you have been on board?

CB: The National Office staff has become a well-oiled machine. We all know our roles and work together well. We are all committed to doing our best for our members, and helping NACCU to continue to grow.

Our committee structure has also evolved greatly. NACCU has very invested board members, committees and committee chairs who have helped the committees grow into independent entities that accomplish quite a lot for the association! For example, in the past the National Office exclusively handled the awards program, but the Awards Committee has now evolved to the point where they do everything from vetting awards nominations, to choosing recipients, to putting the ceremony itself together.

In the past, the National Office also had to scramble to follow up with non-renewing members, but now the Membership Committee has a process to reach out to members directly and encourage renewal. Committee growth has freed up valuable time for NACCU staff to allow us to take on new projects and refine our own areas of responsibility.

What is your proudest accomplishment during your time with the association?

CB: I don’t know that there is one accomplishment that stands out above the rest. I am always proud when I attend the annual conference, see all the signage, programs, t-shirts, and other materials in person, as well as all the attendees using and engaging with it all. It represents many months of work for me and the rest of the staff, and it is so satisfying to me to see it come to life. It is always bittersweet when the conference is over and all that hard work is discarded and we begin again for the next year.

Going through the re-branding process and helping to create the updated website was another wonderful experience, and I look forward to taking our website to the next level. There have been many new members and conference attendees who have come to NACCU as a result of marketing campaigns. It is always exciting to see results!

And though it sounds strange, I am proud to be invisible. I watch the attendees at the annual conference and on the Listserv engaging with each other, learning, and reaping the benefits of NACCU membership, and am proud to have assisted in bringing them together. You may notice I am very quiet at conferences, and this is the reason why. Our work is for the members, and I am quite proud of that.

What do you hope to achieve with NACCU in the future?

CB: I would like to continue to work with our committees to create an extensive collection of resources and online networking/educational opportunities, as well as continue to improve the NACCU website. It looks as if our new AMS software is going to give us new online social options, and I hope members will take advantage of that.

Of course, we cannot accomplish this without the participation of our members, so if you are reading this, I ask that you to think about whether you have any resources to contribute: job descriptions, card policies, marketing materials, RFPs, articles, or anything else you can share that may be useful to other NACCU members. If you do, please send them to me at [email protected]. The more our members participate, the more NACCU can offer!

I am proud and pleased to be a part of NACCU and look forward to the future of our association and our industry!