As we continue our series spotlighting your INA Board Of Directors, we are getting to know a little more about Cortney Gibson. As a member of the Board, she along with the other Board Members 
work to support our association and industry.
What is your board member position?
For the first time in 7 years, I’m actually not in an executive position, so I’m a Board Member at large. I chair the Accreditation Committee and am on the Conference Planning Committee for NCS track, as well as the NCS Committee.
What is your job?
I’m an NCS and sleep consultant. I operate a newborn care agency and am an industry educator, teaching other professionals, as well as parents. If it has to do with babies…I do it.
What brought you to the nanny industry?
I always had a love for babies and working with young children. When I was in school, my first jobs were teaching swim lessons and dance lessons to pre-schoolers. When it came time to get a full-time job, becoming a nanny really resonated with me. I will never forget that first day with my 39-day old charge. I worked as a nanny for 8 years before starting Gibson Newborn Services in 2004. My first babies are in college now, but they certainly had a great impact on my career choice and where I am today.
What brought you to the INA?
Other nannies from a Yahoo group (we’re still friends to this day) recommended I go to the conference in 2004 and the rest is history. I found a beautiful support system of like-minded colleagues who became friends and mentors.
What do you find most beneficial about the INA?
I love that the INA is always striving to elevate the standards in our industry. We have an organization that is working to support in-home childcare workers, agencies, and other industry services. The INA also provides educational paths, as well as best practices, for all areas of the industry.
What do you feel you bring to the INA?
I have served on the Board since 2007, which has allowed me the opportunity to understand how the organization works and to participate in its growth. In 2007, I helped name my part of the industry (the INA officially adopted the term Newborn Care Specialist) and I began teaching workshops at the conference. In 2010, I created the NCS Committee and the conference track. Starting in 2011, I started planning the NCS conference track, which I still do today. I began serving on the Executive Board in 2011 and held the positions of Secretary, First VP, Co-President, President, and Immediate Past President. I’ve served on many different committees, written articles, and taught workshops, but the most important thing I bring to the INA is a passion for excellence. It’s why I serve this wonderful membership. We must continue to grow and reach higher if we want our industry to flourish!
What are some goals you hope to accomplish while on the Board?
One of my goals is to establish an accredited certification for nannies and NCS. Another is to continue to help make the conference better and better every year. Other than my committee work, I think I’m most proud that the name I suggested was chosen by my peers to serve as the new term for our work with newborns. A group of industry leaders sat in an empty conference room, late in the evening, until we narrowed down the options and ultimately chose Newborn Care Specialist, which thankfully, was already on my business cards.
Do you have a message you’d like to share INA members and the nanny industry community at large?
Get involved! If you don’t like something that is happening in the industry, do something about it. If you love an idea and want to see it come to life, do something about it. Serve on a committee, volunteer where your strengths are needed, consider running for a Board seat, or contribute in your own community to spread the message of the INA. We can do great things if we work together. Every member of our industry is important and the INA gives each person the opportunity to have their voice heard. And let’s just be honest, it’s so amazing to have friends from all over the globe who support and encourage you. My INA friends are my family and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.