Council Nominations in Full Swing for Spring

by Heidi Marr, Past President and Nominations Manager

Pop Quiz

• Do you value the excellent programming and information that the STC Southwestern Ontario chapter provides and do you want to join the team that makes it happen?
• Are you interested in expanding your network of technical communicators?
• Do you want to add respectable line items to your resume about your facilitation and leadership skills?
• Are you committed to becoming a volunteer in your community this year?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, the STC council wants to hear from you.

Council Positions up for Grabs

We are in the process of filling the 2005-2006 chapter council and hope to bring many new faces — with fresh perspectives and ideas — on board.

Several of the current council members have held their positions for a number of years and need a change of pace, which provides a great opportunity for you to join! The available positions include:

• President (see incentive information below)
• Treasurer
• Competition Manager
• Program Manager
• PR Manager
• Quill Editor
• Student Awards Manager

Additionally, we need new SIG Managers as well as faculty and student liaisons for the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University. And, we can always use help on various committees, like the one that organizes our popular education day(s).

Incentive to Become the Next President

If you are interested in becoming chapter president, we now offer some financial incentive. The chapter will pay $1000 to send you to the STC's 52nd annual conference in Seattle, Washington (May 8-11, 2005). This covers roughly half your conference costs. For details go to: http://www.stc.org/52ndConf/.

The conference Leadership Day is an excellent opportunity for our incoming president to liaise with other chapter leaders, pick up great ideas, and come back feeling energized for the coming year. Outgoing president, Opal Gamble, attended the conference last year in Baltimore. She says:

"I couldn't believe the advice and ideas other chapters shared. There are some really innovative chapters in our organization."

At Leadership Day, Opal learned the ins and outs of running a chapter council and also shared this praise for the conference:

"Not knowing the ropes as a Chapter President, I found the information shared at Leadership Day invaluable. It made the upcoming year much less daunting: I couldn't wait to come back and get started! Leadership Day allows you to figure out new strategies for maintaining and growing a chapter and there are lots of people who are willing to help you to do that."

We will introduce the new council at the June BBQ, but we want to elect the president earlier, so he or she can attend the conference and enjoy the benefits that Leadership Day offers.

Next Steps

1. Read the council position descriptions on our chapter Web site (http://www.stc- soc.org/chapterinfo/positiondescriptions.php) and determine which one is the right fit for you. They vary in responsibility and participation level, so there is something for everyone.
2. Email me (Heidi Marr) if you have any questions or would like more information.
3. Consult with your colleagues and friends in the field to see if any of them would also like to join the council.
4. Complete the online Nomination form (http://www.stc- soc.org/surveys/nominationform.php) for yourself or a friend and submit it by Tuesday, April 19th.

It's that easy! I hope to see my in-box full of nomination forms in the next two weeks. And, I hope to see your name on the council list for next year.

About Heidi Marr

Heidi is a Senior Information Developer at The PEER Group Inc. in Kitchener, where she writes user and developer-focussed documentation and training materials for custom software applications. For fun, she enjoys travelling, camping, long lunches with friends, and beverages on sunny pub patios. And, at home, she takes advantage of a water-access property by kayaking and canoeing on Puslinch Lake whenever weather and time permit.