Director Sponsor's Message: The Seasons and the STC are a Changin'

by Cindy Currie, STC Region 1 Director Sponsor

When I decided to run for Region 1 Director, I took the slogan the times; they are a changin’ thinking mostly at that time about the Transformation and STC’s new operating model. But, boy, the times are a changin’ even more than I was thinking! And, here in southern New Hampshire, my home for the past 17 years, the first telltale signs that autumn is on the way are already evident—that initial blush of fall colour is just starting to paint the leaves on the trees in my yard. Thus, change is on my mind, the kind that bursts into glorious fall colour! And, yes, I’m referring to the STC here as well as autumn.

The Search for an ED

By now, most of you are aware that Peter Herbst, STC’s Executive Director (ED), tendered his resignation in early July. Pete will continue to serve as ED—a position he has held since Bill Stolgitis’ retirement in 2003—until early October of this year. Pete served the STC as its Deputy Executive Director for many years prior to serving as ED. We truly wish Pete all the best in whatever the future may bring him.

The Board now has the opportunity to hire a new Executive Director. This is very exciting and challenging! Current STC President, Suzanna Laurent, has organized an ED Search Committee, chaired by past STC President Annette Reilly, which has been hard at work for several months now mobilizing for the search and determining the hiring criteria. An interim ED may be needed until a permanent ED is found, so there is also a committee, chaired by past STC President Thea Teich, which is working on this possibility. Look for Suzanna to distribute more information and announcements as these committees continue their work.

Recharter anyone?

Rechartering, if not a fait accompli for your chapter, should be a goal for this upcoming year. There are a number of chapters in the region that have rechartered already, so there are experienced boards and councils and lessons learned to be shared with those of you who have not rechartered yet. If you would like assistance (even a sanity check to be sure you’re on the right track!), please be in touch with me by sending email to dir1@stc.org. The STC Rechartering Committee would like to see more communities recharter this year and I’d like to see great representation from Region 1 in this important STC activity.

Board Changes and Meetings

The next STC Board of Director’s meeting will be held September 21-25 in Denver. Yes, the Board meets face-to-face three times as year: May (always in conjunction with the Annual Conference), September, and January. The minutes of this meeting as well as those of the January 2005 and May 2005 Board meetings are available online at http://www.stc.org/chapterResources.asp and all future Board meeting minutes will be posted as well. I encourage you all to read them as the reports are full of details that both members and leaders seem to be looking for frequently.

There have been a number of changes to the Board of Directors since early summer. These include:

• The resignation of Mike Bates as First VP. Mike is replaced by Paula Berger, who was Second VP, so she moves up a link in the presidential chain
• The appointment of Linda Oestreich as Second VP (Linda was already on the Board as AP for Competitions)
• The appointment of Lory Hawkes as AP for Communication
• The appointment of Rich Maggiani (Vermont Chapter, go Region 1!) as AP for Competitions

See http://www.stc.org/PDF_Files/OrgChart.pdf for an updated org chart of the 2005-2006 STC Board of Directors.

My Goals

Lastly, one of my goals for this STC year is to revitalize the Region 1 website, which you can visit at http://www.stcregion.org/region1. I will be using this site as a hub for my communications to Region 1 communities and will posted items, such as a monthly message to you all, on this site. I will also distribute my article directly to newsletter editors and webmasters; however I encourage you all to look into RSS feeds so that you can receive updates from both the STC website and the Region 1 website automatically. I am slowly but surely making decisions about the type of information I’d like to see this site contain and I’m openly asking for your ideas as well. The webmaster, Rich Feitelberg, has been just great in helping me get started and he’s quick to implement all that I’ve given him thus far, so we need design ideas and content suggestions. Thanks!

Board Objectives

Some of the focus areas for the 2005-2006 Board include:

1. Retaining and increasing membership by ensuring that all current and potential members are fully aware of the value that STC brings to its members. The STC has so much to offer its members now. (Did you know that STC has just launched a new training program? Go to http://www.stc.org/training/ for details.)
   And, the Board is very actively working on ways to provide even greater value to the membership. I will share these new ideas and plans just as soon as they are evolved enough to be shared.
   I can help you now if you’d like to discuss strategies for membership retention and growth. The fall is often a time of membership drives, so if you are planning such an activity, please let me know. It might good to have a forum in which many STC communities can share their strategies, plans, and learnings and help support each other’s potential for success.
2. Improving communication throughout STC, from the Board to the members, from the members to the Board, among committees, and among all communities (chapters and SIGs). To this end, President Laurent has appointed an Assistant to the President for Communication. The AP for Communication will create strategies and plans for ensuring that goals around improved communication can be met, and will lead the Board in the preparation of communications about Board activities and committee work, among other things.
3. Making the STC a truly global organization. To this end, President Laurent has appointed an Assistant to the President for Global Interests. The AP for Global Interests will focus on ensuring that global perspectives on many topics are known and fully considered by the Board before actions are taken, and providing input to global strategic growth goals, strategies, and plans. As part of the Strategic Growth team, the AP for Global Interests will focus on developing partnerships and alliances worldwide. The aim is to reach out to other technical communication organizations whose offerings complement those of STC, as well as to develop STC’s relationships with other organizations where technical communication is part or all of their activities. Working with the AP for Conferences, the AP for Global Interests will start to develop the plans for non-North American based conferences.

Your ideas and suggestions on any of the above are most welcome. I am usually available by email or telephone and am happy to discuss any of your STC issues or concerns (or hear all about your successes—I know that these stories are out there too!), so please be in touch by emailing me at dir1@stc.org or calling (603) 884-1249.