December 2022
It can be easy to be grateful around the holiday season. Starting in November we give thanks to our Veterans on Veterans Day. Thanksgiving is a holiday entirely devoted to giving thanks. Christmas, Hannukah, Las Posadas, Kwanzaa and Soyal are all holidays in December celebrating winter, nature and religion. Families and friends often exchange gifts and come together for big meals and parities. Many of us take time off from work to be surrounded by the ones we love. Soon after the New Year we get back to the daily grind and lose sight of what we are grateful for; but we don’t have to.
 
So, what is mindful gratitude? It is simple really, according to PositivePsychology.com, when we express gratitude, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, the two crucial neurotransmitters responsible for our emotions, and they make us feel “good”. They enhance our mood immediately, making us feel happy from inside. And believe it or not, gratitude takes practice like any other skill. What can you do to start practicing mindful gratitude today?
 
1. Write a thank you note
I keep a stack of thank you cards in my desk, and when I see encounter someone who helped me or maybe helped a resident, I write a quick thank you card. The same can even be done with your kids… For example, when my 13-year-old son takes out the trash more than 2 days in a row without being told.
 
2. Keep a gratitude journal
This can be as simple as a spiral notebook or even post it notes. It does not have to elaborate. I make a note of what I am grateful for as I make my daily to do list. Today I am grateful to have the energy and motivation to write this newsletter!
 
3. Count your blessings
Pick a time every day or even once a week to mediate, pray or mentally jot down what and who you are grateful for. Sometimes it helps to pick a number – such as three to five things – that you identify each day or each week. 
 
So, tell us… what are you grateful for today? Go to menti.com and enter code 2804 7044 and enter three things that you are grateful for. It could be your family, your friends, your kids, your boss, your co-workers or even the weather… Really anything you are grateful for at this very moment. We will share the final TAMIO Mindful Gratitude Word Cloud with everyone on December 20th on our Facebook Group. 
Regional Updates
In September, the TAMIO Board of Directors asked for our members to vote on updates to the TAMIO Constitution and Bylaws to add three TAMIO regions because of substantial population growth in Texas. This constitutional changed passed and Jay Warren, our TAMIO President has appointed the regional directors to serve in the new regions for the remainder of the 2022-2023 term. All regional directors will be up for election in the Spring of 2023. 
Region 1/Panhandle
Melinda Brown, Communications & Main Street Manager for the City of Plainview
 
Region 2/West Texas
Victor Reta, Public Information Officer for the City of Socorro
 
Region 3/North Texas-West
Rachel Reynolds, Communication & Public Engagement Manager for the City of Keller
 
Region 4/North Texas-East
Isaac Vasquez, Digital Media Editor for the City of Irving
 
Region 5/Central Texas
Jarrod Wise, Direction of Communication for the City of Lakeway
 
Region 6/East Texas
Richard Yeakley, Public Information Officer for the City of Longview
 
Region 7/South Texas
Linda Klepper, Director of Public Affairs for the City of Schertz
 
Region 8/Gulf Coast
Joshua Lee, Director of Communications for the City of Pearland
 
Please reach out to your region director if you have any questions about the organization or if you have any feedback, you would like your director to share with the board. 
Save the Date – 2023 TAMIO Conference in Arlington
The 2023 annual conference will be held June 7-9 at Live! By Loews in Arlington and in January, your TAMIO Board of Directors will be meeting in-person at the hotel to discuss the conference sessions and keynotes.

Speakers and topics are selected based on the 2022 Post Conference Survey in addition to relevant issues that impact many of the municipalities across the state. If you have a topic that you would like to be considered, please reach out to your regional director. 

More information on registration, hotel reservations the conference schedule will be released in March or April 2023. 
Upcoming Webinars
We will have a webinar on Wednesday, January 25, about communicating effectively during the legislative session.

And in February, our webinar will be on the TAMI Awards featuring 2022 TAMI winners who will share thier succes secrets. Want to get a head start? Check out the 2022 TAMI winners and their entries online at texastamio.org/2022-tami-winners. 

Look for email announcements about both of these webinars in the new year.
Don't Forget Our TAMIO Teammates
Your TAMIO Teammates are your peers across the state who are here to assist you in their areas of expertise which includes social media, website design, video programming, marketing and graphic designs and media relations. Feel free to reach out to them directly if you have any questions. They are truly rockstars!
 
Social Media
Austin Ellington, City of Round Rock
Frances La Rue, City of Anna
Paige Rudy, City of University Park
Jessica Young, City of Sugar Land
 
Website Design
Valerie McKito, City of McKinney
Felipe “Flip” Romero II, City of Brownsville
 
Video Programing
Brian Groves, City of San Angelo
Brian Ligon, City of Mont Belvieu
 
Marketing & Graphic Design
Ann Beck, City of Mansfield
Anndrea Harris, City of Wichita Falls
Kelli Lewis, City of Carrollton
 
Media Relations
Wayne Larson, North Texas Municipal Water District
Steve Stoler, City of Plano 
Who's Hiring?
Looking for a new position at a city? Look no further… TAMIO pulls communication job postings directly from TML and posts them to our website. More than 12 positions are currently available with openings in almost every TAMIO region. Go to texastamio.org/career-center to discover your next career move. 
Welcome to our newest members!
New Members since January 24, 2022
Brooke Atkinson - City of Gun Barrel City
Jack Austin - TMRS
Rebecca Banks - City of Irving
Haley Banks - City of Denison
Aidan Barrett - Trinity River Authority
Samantha Bayliss - City of Helotes
Jessica Benavides - City of Arlington
Hope Boyd - City of Cleburne
Jennifer Brown - Town of Dallas
Mallory Cammarata - City of Princeton
Brianna Cantu - City of Edinburg
Jenna Carpenter - City of Dallas
J.J. Ceniceros - City of Coppell
Amanda Chi - City of Sachse
Joe Conger - City of San Antonio
Tara Connolly - City of Austin
Zhivonni Cook - City of Mansfield
Mayra Cordova-Garcia - Trinity River
Authority
Kathleen Cox - City of Sweetwater
Amy Craig - North Houston District
Eddie Cruz - Cypress-Fairbanks Fire
Department
Stuart Cunyus - City of Kerrville
Edward De Leon - Town of Pecos City
Oscar Diaz - City of Weatherford
Lupe Disodado - City of Navasota
Rachel Dominguez - City of Windcrest
Andrew Felts - City of Hutto
Dan Galvan - City of Edinburg
Caanon Gibbons - City of Schertz
Whitney Golin - City of Mesquite
Hailey Gomez - City of Celina
Patricia Gonzalez - City of Graland
Jarvis Green - City of Brownwood
Ashley Guevara - City of Dallas
Amber Hamilton - City of Denton
Alex Hartman - City of New Braunfels
Wilson Hayes - Town of Prosper
Roger Heaney - City of Pflugerville
Gabriel Hernandez - City of Dallas
Marcus Hood - City of Killeen
Jennifer Hudson - City of Fair Oaks
Ranch
Marcus Jackson - City of Burleson
Kiara Knowlin - City of Temple
Kaylee Koudela - City of El Campo
Boris Koyfman - City of Georgetown
Courtney Landers - City of Angleton
Robert Lazaro - Harris County Flood
District
Rebeca Lazo - City of Webster
Scott Lehtonen - 3CMA
Maribel Lopez - City of Watauga
Landon McBride - City of Garland
Aaron McDaniel - Brazoria County
Crystal Miranda - City of Leon Valley
Elliott Moore - City of Deer Park
Patricia Moran - City of Garland
Jennifer Moreno - City of Dallas OEM
Trang Nguyen - City of Watauga
Holly Owens - City of Bellmead
Casey Parker - City of Fair Oaks Ranch
Madeline Patton - City of Caldwell
Bradley Pechanec - City of McAllen
Candace Price - Trinity River Authority
Joshua Pritchett - City of La Marque
Roy Quismundo - City of Universal City
Yvonne Ramirez - Williamson County
Alison Rich - City of Fort Worth
Kelly Rico - Trinity River Authority
Olivia Rodriguez - City of Farmers Branch
Vicki Rodriguez - City of Roanoke
April Rogers - City of Grapevine
Rebecca Ross - City of Whitesboro
Rell Rugely - City of Round Rock
Matt Sanders - City of Euless
Greg Simpson - North Houston District
Amy Stone - Harris County Flood Control
District
Betsy Strawn - Town of Trophy Club
Rayna Teicheira - City of Navasota
Mary Jo Tellin - City of Roanoke
Monica Tetteh - City of Dallas
Deidra Thomas - City of Borger
Sara Thornhill - City Corinth
Selena Trevino - City of South Padre
Island
Monica Trevino-Ortega - Bexar County
Bobbie Ullrich - City of Navasota
Ashley Villers - City of Denton
Jason Weeks - City of Navasota
David Williams - Texas Department of
Emergency Management
Katherine Wilson - City of West University
Pedro Zambrano - City of Saginaw
Shared Files
Need a social media policy? Maybe a job description? Possibly a presentation or a press release? Don’t reinvent the wheel… check out the TAMIO Shared Files. Simply go to texastamio.org/shared-files and you may just find what you are looking for. Have something to share? Send your files to Lauren@TML.org and she will get them posted to our shared webpage. 

Member Retirement Recognition
Are you or a coworker retiring? TAMIO would love to recognize them with a small gift and certificate. Find the requirements and the form here.

TAMIO Thoughts
Check out our blog entries here.