Melineé Cody, CPP, is the American Payroll Association’s Region 6 Board of Advisor. She serves as the liaison between APA and local chapters in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Learn more about Melineé with our exclusive Q&A session!
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m an Army brat and was born in Ft. Meade, Maryland. I have traveled all my life. I became an Air Force spouse when I married my husband, Emery Cody Jr., in July 1982. I have three adult children and one grandson who is the apple of my eye. I love to travel, drink wine, and attend jazz and R&B concerts with my husband.
I started in payroll working for the Non-Appropriated Funds Comptroller office at Luke Airforce Base in Phoenix, Arizona. Our payroll person was getting married and wanted to take a two week vacation to go on her honeymoon. As you know, payroll personnel rarely ever took one week vacations, let alone take two weeks back in the day. I volunteered to learn her job, and I was instantly hooked. From that point on my career was related to payroll in some form or fashion until my retirement in August 2019.
How long have you been involved with APA and Local Chapters?
I’ve been involved with the APA since 2002 when I joined the Hampton Roads Chapter. I held several positions within the chapter including President-Elect, President, Secretary, Program Chair, and currently Webmaster and Chapter Advisor. In 2006, I was one of the founding members of the Colonial Capital Chapter and served as Interim Secretary, Program Chair, and CPP study group instructor.
Since 2003, I have also served as a volunteer on the Virginia Statewide Payroll Conference (VSPC) board in positions such as: President, Secretary, Treasurer, Hotel Chair, Vendor/Exhibitor Co-Chair, and currently Charity and Donation Chair. I’ve presented many CPP certification study groups, workshops, and webinars on a variety of payroll related topics at several local Virginia chapter events, VSPC, and Thomas Nelson Community College Payroll and Accounting classes.
I’m an active member of the APA and have held my CPP since 2000. I’ve served on multiple APA committees such as the Congress Welcome Committee, Education Grant Committee, Hotline Referral Service, Chapter Mentor Program - CHAMPS, Certification Item Development Task Force, Nominating and Elections Committee, and Government Relations Task Force subcommittees - IRS Issues, Child Support and Other Garnishments, State and Local Topics, and Payroll Cards. I have also received two prestigious APA awards for my dedicated volunteer service: APA Meritorious Award in 2012 and APA Special Recognition Award in 2017.
What question do you get most from your Region and what is your response?
The main concern I have from chapters is finding new topics and speakers for chapter meetings and events. I direct them to the APA website’s chapter section and advise them to download the 100 Popular Chapter Meeting Topics that are deemed acceptable for RCHs. I also suggest viewing the National Speakers Bureau Members and Topics List. Other sources of speakers include federal and state agencies, certified payroll professionals in the chapter, CPAs, legal and insurance firms, and even other businesses in the local area.
What do you enjoy most about being a Regional Advisor?
First, I loved meeting and talking to the chapter leaders from Region 6 at last year’s Congress. They were eager to share both their successful and unsuccessful stories so others could learn and improve their own chapters. I look forward to meeting even more chapter leaders during the Chapter Exchange at the upcoming Congress.
Second, being a Regional Advisor gives me an opportunity to “pay it forward.” I think about the many people at the local, state, and national level who’ve played an intricate role in helping me become the leader I am today. I feel blessed that I can provide the same support and mentorship to the chapter leaders in Region 6. This summer, I had an opportunity to see how APA works at the Summer Board Meeting. It was exciting to see how things work behind the scenes. As a Regional Advisor, I was able to represent Region 6 chapters and present their concerns to the APA executive board.
Third, in November 2019, I had the opportunity to hold a webinar with Region 6 chapter leaders and demonstrate the available resources provided to them via the chapters section on the APA website. I felt this demonstration provided a wealth of information to new officers as well as those with experience. I can recall in my early years of being a first-time chapter leader, there were not as many resources for me to use as there are today.
APA and local chapter leaders have collaborated and put together plenty of procedures and resources for chapter leaders to use. Some of these resources are the: Local Chapter Guide, Chapter Profile Edit Procedures, Chapter RCH Guide, Chapter Leaders Blog, Mailing List Request Form, and New Chapter Officer Training Guide. APA and the Regional Advisor want our chapters to be successful in providing payroll professionals education, networking, and professional development at the local level.
Are you a proud chapter leader in Region 6? Introduce yourself to Melineé in the comments or send her an email.
Melineé, CPP began her 2-year term as the Region 6 Board of Advisor in May 2019.
