This entry is being posted on behalf of Alisa Bonsignore, candidate for Director in the 2018 STC election. More information about Alisa can be found on her STC election page. You can ask questions of the candidates on the STC Election Forum. The election begins 26 February and runs through 9 March.
I’m Alisa Bonsignore, candidate for one of two Director roles on the STC board. I run Clarifying Complex Ideas, a strategic communications consultancy that works with clients around the world
Technical communication has come a long way since I began in Silicon Valley. Two decades ago, it wasn’t uncommon for the communicators and content strategists (before they had a formal name) to be an invisible cost center, tucked away in another part of the building. Now our role is expanding, increasing our visibility at all levels of the organization. My goal is to create opportunities that enhance our value as individual technical communicators, as well as the perception of technical communication overall.
With that in mind, my priority for the coming years is looking for new ways for the Society to support your professional development. We will continue to elevate the profile of the profession by raising the profiles and expanding the skills of individuals. To that end, our CPTC program has gotten off to a strong start, and is rapidly becoming a qualification that employers desire. But beyond certification, we also need to expand our online education offerings to satisfy the needs of a broader member base in all career phases, industries, and locations. In particular, I think that our new on-demand (“asynchronous”) courses will be more convenient for all members, particularly for our global audience.
As I note in my candidate profile, our financial constraints have limited our growth in recent years. We’re running a lean, solid organization now, with a new CEO and a small but excellent staff, and our financial situation is slowly but surely improving. Looking forward, we have a critical few years ahead of us. In the next two years in particular, we need to look for innovative methods of cost-effective growth to bring additional resources, services, and benefits to our members. I want to continue the strategy and vision work that we’ve done in the first year and a half of my tenure and see new initiatives through to fruition.
You have four strong candidates for Director this year. While it would be my honor to once again represent you on the STC board, I am confident that all of my colleagues on the slate would also do an excellent job. I encourage you to take the time to vote for the candidates who best represent your needs as a technical communications professional.
If you have any specific questions for me, or any of the candidates, please feel free to contact us on the Candidate Q&A forum. Thank you very much for your consideration, and I look forward to seeing you in Orlando!