Attention All Researchers: We Owe This Person A Big Thank You And A Pat On The Back!
Over the years I have attended lots of MRA board meetings. The first week of June was no different for me. I went to the annual conference and attended the MRA board meeting prior to the conference.
Watching someone in action at a board meeting is fascinating to me. Whether it is their body language, how they control the room of volunteers, how they keep the meeting on point and frankly how they keep the meeting on time. The goal is to make sure you engage everyone and balance that with not having a few people dominate the conversation. Believe me this can happen when so many people (including myself) are very long-winded.
This can be a challenge for most if not all leaders. Rarely does someone have the grace, intelligence and respect of people to do everything that I describe here. This board meeting was probably the best of the last four that I have attended. The conversation was strategic in nature and attendees all voiced their opinions. Most discussions had a nice debate with everyone respectfully giving their opinion. It was poetry in motion. The board meeting was a Broadway hit in my mind. The star of the show, the leader of the pack, the person who was in charge to control the room was MRA Past President Colleen Moore Mezler.
Before I was on the MRA board, I really didn’t know Colleen. I knew who she was and admired her from afar. Over the past few years I am happy to say that has changed. I have gotten to know her very well. With each conversation I have with her I respect her even more. The conversations are always fresh and full of new ideas and passion. She is a terrific person and leader and the research community is much better off with her involvement and leadership in the industry.
Over the past few years I have seen firsthand what a great leader can accomplish. Colleen made things happen during her year of presidency and should be very proud of what she accomplished in the last 365 days.
Colleen’s passion doesn’t start and end with the MRA. She is a second generation researcher, wife, mother and business executive as well. From where I sit, she is successful in every aspect of her life. Last week I was honored with a national award from the MRA. One of the FIRST emails I got to congratulate me was from Anthony. Oh I forget to mention Anthony’s last name — Mezler. Yes Anthony is Colleen’s son.
Peggy, Richard, Frank and Anthony, I can only imagine how proud you are of your daughter, wife and mother. Believe me when I say you are not alone because myself and THOUSANDS of researchers are as proud of her as you are.
I hope others will share comments or stories about Colleen.
June 13th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Merrill,
Thank you for writing these piece. I can not agree with you more. As a person who worked behind the scenes with her for the year I can tell you her ability draw others insights in and create well informed decisions was as apparent behind the scenes. The way she handle public forms was no different than how she conducts herself professionally when the spotlight is off. Thanks for the great leadership Colleen.
June 13th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Merrill…you are so right. Colleen is that rare leader that shows grace in every situation and makes everyone feel included in the process.
Colleen, feel proud of your accomplishments. MRA would not be the association it is if it wasn’t for your dedication, passion and leadership!
June 13th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Colleen it was a pleasure to serve with you on this past year’s MRA Board. Under your leadership our industry and profession have made significant gains.
Thank you.
June 13th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Merrill,
I couldn’t agree more. The MRA was in excellent hands with Colleen at the helm. She is effective, efficient and grace-under-fire personified. The opportunity to get to know Colleen well and to work with her side-by-side over these last number of years was a gift given to all of us. Congratulations to Colleen for a job well done. I bet it feels great to reach the Past Presidency and know that you are so well respected, admired and loved by all.
June 13th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Thank you for the very kind words Merrill. You guys had her for a year - imagine how lucky I am to have her every day of my life! Colleen is definately a one-of-a-kind and I am so blessed she agreed to be my wife. I know she leaves the position with some great memories and new and stronger friendships. Thank you to all who take care of her and watch over when I cant be there. Another thank you to all who email Anthony about the MRA - who knows, maybe his interest in market research will grow like it did for Colleen.
June 13th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Colleen has style, grace, warmth and intelligence, and I am so very proud of her and of her accomplishments. Not only is she an amazing leader, she is also an amazing friend. I am honored to be one of her “Peeps” !
Thank you, Merrill, for acknowledging her in this way
June 13th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Frank,
Anthony could be third generation researcher! he would be a GREAT addition to anyone’s team. And think about how much that would mean to Peggy, Colleen and the rest of the family.
Enjoy the weekend.
Merrill
June 13th, 2008 at 10:55 am
As I indicated in an email I sent to Colleen after the conference, she has my sincerest gratitude. I feel so blessed to have had my first year on the Board be under her amazing leadership. She is such an inspiration and I truly appreciated the manner in which she led this association and encouraged us ALL to be our best. I look forward to the upcoming year and the chance to serve another year with her and to continue to learn from her calm-but-spirited manner!
June 13th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
I have big shoes to fill. If ever someone personified the old Roosevelt comment, “Speak softly and carry a big stick”, it’s Colleen. Her exceptional abilities to bring people together and build consensus, coupled with an unwavering and focused passion for the profession and the MRA have been instrumental in bringing the association to its preeminent position in the industry.
It has been a pleasure learning from her and being part of her inner circle. I’m confident that I will be a better president because of what I’ve observed and learned from Colleen.
June 13th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
What a beautiful tribute you gave to my daughter Colleen. She is truly a kind, hard working, caring person. Words alone cannot describe how very proud our entire family feel about Colleen. It is so heart warming to see how her friends feel about her also. She loved serving as president of MRA. She loved her entire board. Many times I said to her”you may have taken on too much accepting the presidency” but she proved me wrong. She has taken HER company to levels I only dreamed of doing in the 35 yrs. I owned the company. She has been a very generous person to her father and I in many ways.
Thanks again Merrill…..Peggy
June 16th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Colleen is another example of what makes MRA so special. I have been a member of the Association for 36 years and the one thing I will take away from this lifetime experience is the unfailing devotion of our members to the service to our industry. It is very time consuming, and while much of it is done on personal time, there can be no doubt that a lot of time which should be spent working for our companies instead goes to the service of our industry. In small companies that can only result in one’s staff assuming more work and possibly negatively impacting the company. We owe a debt of gratitude to all who serve.
June 16th, 2008 at 11:08 am
I certianly agree with the words spoken by all. I’ve learned a great deal from Colleen and I thank her for what she has imparted.
To hear what her family has to say about her only confirms what we all know. Colleen, you are truly a special person.
Now, going back to Merrill D’s comments regarding young Anthony. Should we start the bidding now?
C
June 16th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Yes, you should start bidding Connie
Thanks again for this lovely blog it’s probaly the nicest thing I ever read about my mother in MRA. I hope to take the business over and join MRA. Good Luck, Jon and I’m so so so so so so so so so so so very x1000 times pride of you mom
your the best (where do think I get it from
LOVE, Anthony
June 17th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I am so grateful to Merrill, fellow volunteers, MRA staff and of course my family for their kind words and support. It was an honor and a privilege to serve as the MRA President during the past year. This tribute means so much to me, I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!
June 17th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Colleen is one of the kindest people I know. Her gentle demeanor and yet passionate desire for improvement inspires and lifts all of us to a higher level.
It has been a pleasure to learn from her leadership and I hope for the opportunity to work with her on other opportunities in the future.
June 17th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Thank you so much, Colleen! I really enjoyed getting to know you during the past several years. I have learned many things from you and I have appreciated your patience and good-hearted nature. Anyone else may have become frustrated or impatient with the many issues that had to be addressed during the course of the year. Thanks so much for being a great leader and mentor! I wish you only the best, because you are definitely deserving of it.
Thanks again,
Ginger
June 17th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Colleen and crew,
It’s taken a while for me to get caught up after conference, but I have to say this past year working with Colleen has inspired me. She is so calm, and calming in the face of difficulty; it’s almost a bit unworldly how she can stay so calm in the face of so much. As many of you know, I am not calm by nature, and with the EWG is a state of flux much of the latter half of 2007, Colleen made it a point to keep me focused on the goals at hand.
She took time out of her busy days to write emails, reach out, and check in with me, Kevin, and the programming committee before and after conference. Whenever I had concerns (and I had them occasionally to say the least) I knew I could count on her to actively listen, guide and direct me without bias or condemnation.
I’d like to believe one day, I might grow up to be as good as she, but I think some of us are just born with more grace than others and Colleen is one of them. Thank you for all your support, encouragement and understanding as I learned this job my first year. You are outstanding, and we were all lucky to have you. Now…go relax and take care of that family!
June 17th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
The first time I met Colleen (in San Francisco) she made me feel so welcomed in the MRA community!
Thank you for everything.
Anthony, I never met you but I’m already your fan!! Hope to meet you soon! From what I hear and read about you or from you, you are a great guy and person, just like your mother.
take care
June 17th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
It has been beyond an honor to work alongside Colleen for the past 8 years on the MRA board. We actually came in together as directors the same year. I did not know Colleen before that at all. Over these past 8 years, I have gotten to know her quite well and enjoyed spending many meetings, dinners and conferences with her. She has always showed such a passion for the research industry and talks with such pride of growing up in the business. Her accomplishments are so many and I will say that she led the MRA with great dedication and wisdom.
One of the things I have enjoyed most about our time together are the conversations that we have had regarding our boys - they are the same age and have many similarities. We talk parenting, education, recreation and of course, how they challenge us constantly. Over the past few years I have met Anthony and Frank at a couple of conferences. I have forged a friendship with Anthony that I truly cherish. We both have a love for US Presidents and he was kind enough to pick out a Millard Fillmore portrait (my favorite President) for me that I have sitting on my desk. I hope that Anthony and I will continue to connect as he grows up and I look forward to hearing about all his accomplishments, as I am sure he will make his mom and dad proud.
Colleen, I am glad that I will be spending my last year on the board with you. It would not be the same being in the board room without you. Thanks for everything you have done for our beloved industry.
June 17th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Colleen was one of the first people I ever spoke to at a National MRA Conference. I have waited to respond so I would be able to communicate how wonderful I think she is. She made me feel welcome and included instantly. She has the same ability to make others comments and suggestions feel welcome and included instantly. It is one of the things that makes her such a great leader. Colleen has also impressed me because of her ability to stay above the fray and lead by example.
Colleen, I will tell you, the thing that impresses me the very most has nothing to do with the MRA. You are a wonderful wife and mother. The love in your eyes when you talk about Frank and Anthony always made me feel the utmost admiration for you. I know Frank and Anthony feel the same way because they have the same look when they are with you.
Thank you for being a mentor, listening to my concerns, taking on the hardest thing I asked for and for always doing it with a kind heart and a smile.
You are irreplaceable.
Kim
June 18th, 2008 at 9:02 am
I would like to add my late but sincere voice to this tribute to Colleen. Colleen, I think that you are the personification of a what I consider to be a great leader. You lead and inspire by walking beside someone, not in front of them. You always showed a quiet strength that allowed for disagreement but fostered cooperation. I was so nervous joining the Board but your kindness, openness and genuine warmth made me feel so welcome. Thank you !
June 18th, 2008 at 10:51 am
I too have learned much from Colleen during my tenure on the Board. Colleen was one of the first people to welcome me at my first Board meeting – she wanted to make sure that I felt at ease and comfortable. I cannot tell you how much this meant – and still means - to me! I admire Colleen for her grace under pressure – it truly was an inspiration to watch her lead our discussions, as her calm and focused manner kept us on the right path and encouraged us all to be better than we thought we could be. I only hope to someday be the type of leader that Colleen is, but as Marisa so eloquently stated, some of us are just born with this natural grace, presence and poise — and Colleen is definitely one of those people. I will truly miss working with Colleen on the Board and I sincerely hope that I will have a chance to work with her again in the future.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
I’m a little late jumping onto this string. All I can say is ditto to all of the above.
Colleen - you made my first year on the MRA board a great one. I thank you for your warmth, leadership and perseverance. Jon - you have a tough act to follow.
And one of these days, the rest of the board has to meet Anthony.
June 18th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Colleen,
Late as always, but just wanted to jump on board the the last car of the love train. You have truly been an inspiration to us all. You definitely have welcomed me with open arms and i’ve really appreciated the times that you’ve reached out to talk and help guide. We are a much better team due to your dedication. Looking forward to you (us) laughing at Jon for the next year as he tries to keep up with your lead.
Adam
June 18th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Ken,I know I’m telling my mom the same thing all the time “please bring me” or “please can I go this time” but it’s always a BIG FAT……NO
. Maybe sometime I’ll see you all there. I know MRA has a conference in August I might come to! 
Anyways I also wanted to say thanks for taking care of my mom and being so very wonderful
Love, the future President Anthony
Moore Research Services
June 24th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Anthony, that August meeting you are referring to is in Washington, DC. I understand you have reasons well beyond the MRA for wanting to visit Washington.
Ken
June 25th, 2008 at 9:58 am
I love D.C. I’m bugging her to her limit to bring me
I hope to see all you wonderful people there!!!!!!!!!
Anthony
June 25th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Anthony, if it helps in your quest, I am bringing my Little girl….
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:25 am
I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE COLLEEN’S LAST ARTICLE SHE WROTE AS PRESIDENT OF THE MRA (published in MRA Alert June 2008)
I have learned to be a good juggler in life (or at least I have tried). Though there are many balls, these five continue to be the most important:
• My first and most important ball is my family
• My second is my friends
• My third is health and spiritual growth
• My fourth is work
• My fifth ball is volunteering
Several people have asked me, how do you do it? The answer is simple; not only am I a good juggler, but I also have a fantastic support system that I am forever grateful for. Those of you that have been there for me in one way or another during the past year, I thank you!!
I would like to thank the MRA Membership for giving me the opportunity to serve as your President. It has been an honor to lead this prestigious association during the past year. One of the most rewarding parts of being President is having the opportunity to meet and interact with people that I otherwise would not have. This year, I met some of you for the first time, though I have known most of you for many years. All of your feedback, both positive and negative, has allowed us to deliver the quality programs and services that our membership deserves.
Thank you to the MRA board of directors for your hard work, support, and dedication. It has been a privilege to work along side such a talented group of leaders. Our board meets a minimum of four times a year and each time we meet, I am in awe at the commitment of each and every board member. We can disagree on issues or have different opinions that cause debate - we all come from different backgrounds, sized companies, and areas of expertise. Despite our differences, we all share one common goal: to do the very best we can for our members, profession, and industry. For the past seven years, I have served on the board of directors and want to say thank you to not only the current board, but also to those people that have served before. This board is a unique group of people and I am honored to call you my friends.
My executive committee deserves a special thank you for being there for me throughout the year to help and guide me. I appreciate you all more than you will ever know. Merrill Shugoll, Jon Last, Merrill Dubrow, Steve Schlesinger, Kim Larson and Larry Brownell – you are the best team a leader could ever hope for.
A special thank you to our Chief Executive Officer, Larry Brownell!! I have had the privilege to work along side Larry over the past few years and he continues to impress me by his dedication and loyalty to not only MRA, but also to our profession. Thank you, Larry, for all that you have done for me (and MRA) this past year.
I am blessed to have a dedicated, solid, and dependable staff at Moore Research, especially my office manager, Debi Tecza, who has gone above and beyond this past year to support me every step of the way. I would be lost without you!!
I have been fortunate enough to have a life filled with opportunities. Without my parents, Dick and Peggy Moore, I would not have been able to achieve my dreams and experience so many wonderful blessings. You have helped and guided me not only in life, but also in a career that I love. There is no greater love than between a parent and a child. You are both the best parents in the world. I have always and will always appreciate you both.
Most importantly, I would like to thank my family. My husband, Frank has not only been patient with the amount of time I devote to MRA he has also been there to cheer me along throughout the year. My one and only son, Anthony has actively learned about MRA and research during this past year. Anthony, perhaps you will be the MRA President in 2025? I will be there to cheer you on!! You both mean everything to me and I appreciate your encouragement and help this past year. Without your love and support, none of this would have been possible.
Although my juggling act in life will now be changing, I still need to relearn and master the art. Though my performance will still involve a “volunteer ball”, it will be lighter, though no less important.
A heartfelt thanks to you all!
Colleen Moore Mezler
MRA President 2007-2008
Moore Research Services, Inc.