Cindy Currie (dir1@stc.org) is the STC Region 1 Director.
Board shuffle deals new hand. The Society-level events over the past several months include the resignation of a board member (Region 5 Director, Sherry Michaels) and the shuffling around of some responsibilities and focus areas among remaining board members. As a result, I have shifted my focus from the Communications area to the Communities area. I have assumed the chair of the Community Affairs Committee and I am really enjoying the work. I also have oversight of the Leadership Community Resource (LCR), Virtual Communities, and Community Recognition committees. Watch for some important and valuable changes in all of these areas.
Give the board your input! Monitoring and acting on the needs of the membership is one of the most important practices that STC engages in. To help facilitate this practice, the board adopted a knowledge-based governance (KBG) approach in 2005. KBG is a business-based model of using information and insight to aid strategic decision-making. The KBG approach enables and encourages STC members to provide information to the board prior to board meetings, and forms a valuable part of major decision-making. The result is better decisions that more closely meet member needs because the board has current and relevant data from members.
The STC board now regularly gathers member input just prior to each face-to-face (F2F) board meeting. The next meeting is February 2-3, 2007 in Arlington, VA. The primary focus of this meeting will be on communities. Look for another KBG survey in January. Your responses will form the basis of many of the board's discussions during this meeting, so please take advantage of this opportunity to provide timely input to the board.
Have you renewed your membership yet? Membership renewal season opened on November 1, so if you have not yet renewed your membership, please consider putting that near the top of your "to do" list. You'll want to be sure that you are eligible to vote in STC's upcoming annual elections, and be able to take advantage of member discounts on registration for the conference this spring.
Preliminary slate of candidates announced! Annual election season is rolling around again. The preliminary slate of candidates was announced in November. This year's slate includes one candidate for President, one candidate for First Vice President, two candidates for Second Vice President, six candidates for three Director positions, and four candidates for two Nominating Committee positions. Anyone who is interested in running for elected office this year can use the petition process to be added to slate at this time. The final slate will be announced in February. The voting will be conducted during March. Get to know the candidates and make a truly informed decision this year. The percentage of members who voted last year was up nearly 5% over the previous year and we are looking forward to another big increase this year!
Ascend the Summit! Registration for the Technical Communication Summit - STC's 54th Annual Conference is now open with great early bird registration fees for members and non-members alike through February 28, 2007. Check out the conference site at http://www.stc.org/54thConf/index.asp for all the details as they unfold.
Don't miss this event; it's going to be the best STC conference ever! We've heard your feedback and have incorporated it all into this conference, STC's flagship annual event.
Update on Distinguished Community Service Awards (DCSA) - It was great to receive so many nominations for DCSAs this year. There were eight nominations from region 1, up from three the previous year, which is an increase of 167%! Note to submitters that these nominations have been approved by the board. At some point, I will list the recipients, but mums the word right now as their communities have plans to honor these individuals in some special ways in upcoming months.
Out and About - My community visit plans for this year continue to take shape. My firm plans look like this at the moment:
Please let me know what your program plans and events are for this STC year and if you'd like for me to visit your community or attend a special event. I will continue my visits as your interest and my finances and schedule permit.