Congratulations to Larry Kunz and Rick O'Sullivan, who both received the prestigious President's Award from STC President Cindy Currie during this morning's Keynote Session at the Summit in Dallas, Texas.
Larry was heavily involved in the STC Strategic Plan that helped steer the way during the recent financial crisis, while Rick was instrumental in convincing the Bureau of Labor Statistics to make “technical writer” a separate occupation in its Occupational Outlook Handbook.
I got a chance after this morning's session to speak with Rick about the award. He said, “I was surprised—surprised and impressed. Rarely do organizations recognize consultants.” He spoke about the process with BLS and what the next steps are, and pointed out that this is the first time “technical communicator” has appeared in a government publication. That, he said, is the first step in getting the profession included in the next Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) System.
He closed our conversation by saying, “It's a great honor, I really appreciate it. I'm pleased to play a part in advancing the profession. There's a reason our argument was so quickly accepted: Because it's true.”
I've been unable to find Larry to speak with him, but hope to have some comments from him later tonight or tomorrow. So Larry, if you read this please ask around to the STC staff to find me!
To read more on the two honorees, including the citations from their plaques, click here.
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