By Deanne Levander | Fellow and
Lynda Shindley | Associate Fellow
Peter Heikes was an evangelist for STC wherever he went, including to his family, his coworkers, and even his minister. His contributions ranged from chapter treasurer to workshop presenter, to regional conference manager, SIG leader, and President. In addition, Pete created innumerable opportunities for local members to meet and share expertise. His passion for STC and its members never wavered.
He created the Twin Cities Chapter’s Saturday Brunch series, which began as a benefit to members who were always questioning the value of belonging to STC. Combined with brunch, these programs were for members who couldn’t attend the regular programs or were not able to attend the regional conferences. It was co-sponsored with affiliate organizations, including ISPI, ASTD, and AWC (Association for Women in Communication). The Twin Cities Chapter won a Pacesetter award for this the year it was established.
Pete started the IDL SIG in our chapter by canvassing members and developing an initial group with eight members. To accommodate the many chapter members who were independent contractors, Peter worked with the C&IC SIG manager to create a contractor directory through the chapter’s website.
As the chapter conference manager, Pete managed the chapter’s annual conference. Pete also participated as a workshop leader in the chapter conference as well as in area colleges and universities.
Pete served as chapter treasurer for three years and was a phenomenal steward of the chapter’s finances. He provided spreadsheets to each committee manager to complete and return, and required them to manage their own budgets. This gave committee managers experience with budgets—experience that could be applied in the workplace. He posted the treasurer report every month so members knew where their money was going.
As chapter SIG manager, Pete not only recruited members to participate in the SIG, he also contacted area managers to praise the members’ work in STC. Peter was always concerned that volunteer experience could be transferred to work experience. He believed that volunteers should be recognized for their efforts and he wanted employers to know how well volunteers served the chapter.
For his contributions to the Society and the Twin Cities Chapter, Pete became Associate Fellow in 2007. He was an outstanding member of the Twin Cities Chapter of STC before he fell seriously ill and passed away 6 May 2011. We all miss him and we all will remember his contributions to STC.
