This entry is being posted on behalf of Todd DeLuca, candidate for Director in the 2016 STC election. More information about Robert can be found on his STC election page.
It is a privilege to be on the ballot this year as a candidate for STC Director. As a longtime volunteer and leader in the organization, being elected as a representative for the Society is an honor and opportunity to give back for the support, encouragement, and experience I’ve gained through service to the community.
My name is Todd DeLuca and I work as manager of a Technical Communications team that produces software documentation. Quickly, I’ve been a senior level technical writer (or similar title) for over 15 years and worn many hats throughout my career. For STC, I’ve recently served as chapter president (Philadelphia) and Community Affairs Committee (CAC) member. Currently I am Conference Chair of the 2016 STC Summit and will be fortunate to receive an Associate Fellow honor this year. To learn more about my background, please visit the linked STC election page.
https://www.stc.org/director/item/todd-deluca
As STC Director, I would represent you with the following points in mind:
1) Competition
There are many options today for people who want to connect or link with other professionals. Associations like the Society for Technical Communication must stay current in this competitive landscape. STC has made adjustments to help differentiate itself from other outlets and I would like to see the Society continue its efforts to produce unique educational offerings and try to keep costs for members as low as possible.
2) Community and Member Support
We should improve the service and interaction with our geographic chapters and SIG communities and find ways to support the volunteers who put a lot of effort into bringing members together. Towards that end, we can look to lower costs, centralize administrative functions, share best practices, and assist with joint live and virtual programs (shared across communities and geographies). STC can also use its reach and communication outlets to promote these programs and help spread the word.
Where else can an employer find a group as committed, experienced, generous, and dedicated as STC members are? We need to sharpen that message and get it to the people and companies who are looking to hire us as a writer, developer, manager, director, strategist, consultant, freelancer, whatever. STC has a platform it can leverage to better promote its members, sharing their successes and accomplishments to a wider audience.
3) Membership Value
The STC offers a lot of value to members, but the conversation sometimes focuses on the cost of annual membership. We need to demonstrate that STC is an investment with many benefits and returns to members and employers who take advantage of it. There are significant program and conference discounts, salary database information, certification, society honors, professional publications, volunteer and leadership opportunities, and more that the Society can help members better utilize (highlight and show that you can get what you pay for).
4) Diversity
We should increase member diversity by continuing to recruit internationally and reach out to younger audiences and students. There are other technical or scientific professions that can benefit from the skills that STC members receive (such as engineers, developers, scientists, medical/pharmaceutical, and so on). We should develop and expand any focused initiatives, trial packages, or special promotions that can attract these audiences (such as mentor or buddy programs). This is how we will get others to try STC and thus grow and bring more vitality and variety to the Society.
As Director I promise to listen to members, consider different points of view, represent varying voices, and bring unique ideas to the Board so that we continue to address the changing needs of members and look ahead to expand and reach forward to meet a broader audience.
Please take a moment or two in the next few weeks to review the choice of candidates in this year’s election and exercise your right to vote. It’s your opportunity to influence the direction of the Society and choose who will represent you in STC. Cheers and thank you for your consideration.
Best,
Todd DeLuca