Today we bring a special Inside the Board, with Char James-Tanny. Char’s term as STC Secretary ends with the Summit in May and we asked her some questions as a look back at her tenure on the Board and as a farewell. Please join me in thanking Char for her years of service and wishing her well in the future.
How long have you been an elected official at STC?
I was elected Secretary in 2006. It was the first time I ran for any elected position in STC. I’m one of the few who did not come to the Board through a community.
What positions have you held?
Secretary of the Board. 🙂
Cindy Currie recently blogged about the “aha” moment when someone first suggested she run for office; she had never considered it before that. What was your “aha” moment? What or who first motivated you to run for STC office?
Paula Berger (who was incoming President for the 2006-2007 year) suggested I run for Secretary. She and I had worked together for years, and she knew what I was capable of. And she had lots of plans that she knew I could help with.
What special set of skills do you think you brought to STC over your tenure?
I’m detail-oriented, conscientious, and loyal. Oh, and I’m a geek. 🙂
What do you think was your biggest personal accomplishment?
Setting up a system for getting minutes published that is consistent … the formatting and layout is always the same. And helping to move the Board from hard-copy reports (which had to be submitted a month ahead of time so that they could be printed) to electronic versions, with the latest copies delivered the morning of the Board meeting on USB drives. I also set up a process for reports (directors submit PowerPoint files) that makes my life much, much easier.
I also helped with the updated STC logo, working with Patrick Hoffmann (and later, Rich Maggiani joined us).
What was the biggest challenge you faced on the Board?”
Trying not to overreact to some of the things that have been posted about the Board. We’ve worked so hard, and it really bothers me to see comments like, “the distant Board in Washington seems out of touch with membership” and, “rarified atmosphere of the STC Board” … we’re STC members ourselves! (And we’re not based in DC … we’re located throughout the U.S., England, and Israel.) When we vote for a dues increase, it’s because we’ve looked at the budget and determined that it’s the best option for STC, knowing full well that we will be paying that same amount (and that the decision will not be received favorably). When someone talks about the challenges of technical communication, we can identify … we’re technical communicators. And many of us have been out there … on Twitter, on Ning, in communities … answering questions and trying to make STC better.
The good news is that there were lots of compliments, and those really helped. Thank you to anyone who has supported us (online, or by phone or email) … it meant a lot.
What are you going to miss most about being on the Board?
Nothing, really. I’ll continue to keep in touch with the friends I’ve made, and I’ll be available to the incoming secretary to answer any questions. But I won’t have to go to so many meetings or concalls 🙂
Is there anything you’re not particularly going to miss?
Concalls! Meetings!
I went through my calendar the other day. In the 48 months that I will have been secretary, I will have attended as Secretary:
- 5 Annual Meetings
- 4 Annual Forums
- 11 Board Workshops
- 15 Face-to-face Board meetings
- 49 Board concalls
- 150+ other (scheduled) concalls
- Numerous “off-the-cuff” phone calls
I have 1 Gig of emails in my STC folders, and 5,100 files. This is a busy group. 🙂
Any parting words of advice for the person succeeding you?
Don’t be afraid to speak up. Set your process for how you want to receive reports from the other directors … the onus of the work is on you.
And any parting thoughts for STC members as you ride off into the techcomm sunset?
LOL, I’m not riding off anywhere … I’ve been in techcomm for just about 30 years, and I’ll continue to be in techcomm for awhile. 🙂 I’ll be spending my time on HAT-Matrix.com, TechCommToolbox.com, and some new sites that are in development.