Each of the candidates for the upcoming STC election were invited to submit a blog post to STC’s Notebook in support of their candidacy. Below is the post submitted by Donn DeBoard, candidate for Nominating Committee. Click on his name to take you to his election page, or visit the main STC election page for information about all candidates.
I’m humbled and honored to be a candidate for a position on the Nominating Committee. I’m an STC Fellow who has been a lifelong STC advocate in the workplace. Over the past 20 years, I have encouraged the writers in our documentation group to become active in the STC Philadelphia Metro community (STC PMC). Many have participated in the local publications competitions as judges or submitted award-winning entries. Various writers on our team have won awards over the past 12 years. Some writers have become actively engaged in STC PMC activities. They have added new skills to their own technical communication tool kits. Other writers have grown into their own STC PMC leadership roles. This is a microcosm of the Nominating Committee’s focus: Bringing out the best in talented and enthusiastic individuals in a community and providing an opportunity within STC for them to flourish.
The Nominating Committee’s focus is to identify high-character, qualified STC members who can lead STC at the national level. To select the best candidates for leadership, you need an understanding of how STC functions on the chapter, national, and international levels. I’ve been actively involved in STC at each level in a various leadership positions for over 25 years. I’ve been involved in the publications competitions, both on the local and international levels, for a combined 20 years. This has provided me a front-row seat to the see the changing landscape of technical content and the people who create it. I’m in my third year as an active member of the Community Outreach Committee. I’m an advocate for these chapters to the national STC office. I’m a mentor or sounding board for the chapter leadership team, as needed. I proactively reach out to the chapters to evaluate their needs. I’ve learned the value of one-to-one relationships.
STC is essentially about relationships. The strength of my STC experience has been the personal and professional relationships I’ve made over the years. When members build up one another in professional relationships, they are building STC. I’m running for a position on the Nominating Committee to pass along the benefits I’ve received from STC over my career—knowledge-sharing, learning, mentorship, and networking—to my peers and the next generation of technical communicators.
STC membership has grown to about 6000 members in 2013. Each STC member engages their local STC community to help meet their professional needs. Dialogue within and between STC communities help provide focus for the direction of STC. Selecting the right people for the STC leadership team is critical to meeting the needs of a diverse, yet growing STC membership. As part of the Nominating Committee, I can build connections one conversation at a time to find the right people for a leadership positions.
I’m always looking for a way to improve things. I tend to listen first to understand an issue. I am the first to admit that I don’t have all the answers. However, I can ask many questions to the most knowledgeable people available to connect the dots to find an answer.
My STC service as a servant-leader, advocate, and mentor form a solid foundation for the Nominating Committee position. This position provides an opportunity to serve the broader STC community. I’d like to ask for your vote in the election. Thanks.