Kit’s Commentary: STC President Mid-Term Report

The President's Midterm Report was published in the February 2015 issue of Intercom, but we're republishing it here as well as a guest post by STC President Kit Brown-Hoekstra.

The theme for this year has been one of change as STC aligns its strategic plan and offerings to a revised mission statement so that we can continue to meet the needs of our members and ensure a solid foundation for the next century.

Member Growth

For the second year in a row, we are seeing a fast start to renewals and growth in membership as more people join our professional association. The Corporate Value Program is also gaining traction, with increased and new memberships from companies who employ five or more technical communicators.

Member Value and New Programming

The staff and volunteers have been working hard in the background to improve member value:

  • We are offering more free, member-only webinars on a variety of topics.
  • Gold members now receive a free print copy of Intercom as part of their membership package.
  • We have a new Special Interest Group on Agile. Many development teams are moving to this methodology, so an Agile SIG is a timely addition to our offerings.
  • The Mentor Board is available for members and nonmembers alike. Members consistently cite networking opportunities and professional nurturing they get from other STC members as a key reason for joining. If you haven’t yet signed up for the mentor board, please do so and share your knowledge and questions. Mentoring is an easy, yet high-impact way to support our colleagues and students, who are the future of our organization.
  • The 2013-2014 Salary Database is available again this year through a generous sponsorship from Adobe, with updates on how the stronger economy has and will continue to influence the demand for technical writers. The database is a tool you can use to conduct more powerful job searches, make a strong case for a raise, or prepare department payroll budgets.
  • Several companies participate in the Affinity Program, which offers discounts to members for products and services.
  • We are building partnerships with related organizations to allow our members to benefit from discounted educational offerings and conferences. A team of dedicated volunteers continues to build the Body of Knowledge into a curated set of resources for all members and they have launched a new website (tcbok.org).
  • Last fall, we responded to an RFI from the White House National Economic Council and Office of Science and Technology Policy, which asked questions about strategies for American Innovation. We highlighted several ways that technical communication skills are critical to workforce development and innovation.

Certification

For the past year and a half, we have been working to restructure certification to improve scalability and ensure its financial stability. We are pleased to announce that we are partnering with an accreditation, certification, and examination body, APM Group, which specializes in certification schemes internationally. As part of this effort, we are also working to align our educational and conference offerings to the certification paths we are developing.

In the coming months, we will be introducing the revamped program, starting with a foundation-level certification. More information about the program will be communicated to all STC members and certified practitioners later this year.

Summit in Columbus, Ohio

This year’s Technical Communication Summit will be held in Columbus, Ohio, 21-24 June 2015. We are making some changes to the Summit to expand the fun and strengthen an already great learning experience.

We will have both an opening and a closing keynote speaker this year:

  • Opening Keynote: Nancy Duarte, bestselling author and CEO of Duarte, Inc., will show us how changing the world starts with transforming an audience, and the audience will only change if you resonate with them.
  • Closing Keynote: Denise Jacobs, a Creativity Evangelist, will teach us techniques to make our creative processes more fluid and to make our work environments more conducive to creative productivity.

There will also be some significant changes to the way we honor our award winners and recognize our Associate Fellows and Fellows. Everyone is welcome to attend the Honors Reception for free as part of your conference package this year. Our goal is to make this a more inclusive and entertaining event, and to give our honorees more exposure and recognition. Come join us to honor your peers!

Staff Updates

CEO Chris Lyons, Director of Membership & Corporate Relations Stacey O’Donnell, and Director of Communications Liz Pohland provide excellent leadership for the office staff. Elaine Gilliam continues her work with meetings, committees, and volunteers, and Kobla Fiagbedzi provides IT and Web support.

Promotions

  • Lida Khodabakhshi was promoted earlier this year to Senior Accountant and is doing a stellar job of managing our accounting and working with Chris to continue to improve our financial position.
  • Cheryl Miller, Membership Services Manager, was recently promoted to this position and will now focus her efforts on working with Stacey to build membership and support existing members.

New Hires

  • Molly Jin, Director of Meetings and Education, is an enthusiastic and creative leader with a background in association management and continuing education.
  • Kimberly Kelly, Education Manager, has worked for several associations and has a strong background in marketing and education. She works with Molly to create compelling, quality educational programs for our members.
  • Marisa Seitz, Communications Manager, has a background in technical communication and works with Liz to manage the marketing and communications, Web content, and Intercom and Technical Communication
  • Deborah Repasy, Membership and Education Coordinator, has just joined the staff in early January with a background in iMIS and educational administration.

Conclusion

The road ahead for 2015 looks smoother and straighter than ever. It is a pleasure to work with the dedicated staff, board, and volunteers who make STC possible.

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