Meet the Candidates: Craig Baehr

This entry is being posted on behalf of Craig Baehr, candidate for Vice President in the 2019 STC election. More information about Craig can be found on his STC election page. You can ask questions of the candidates on the STC Election Forum. The election begins 25 February and runs through 11 March.


My name is Craig Baehr and I am running for STC Vice President.   As a member of the Society since 2000, I have served and supported many STC communities and initiatives.  I have served as Chief Examiner of the Certified Professional Technical Communicator (CPTC) Program, Chair of the Technical Communication Body of Knowledge (TCBOK) Project, Program Director of the Academic SIG, Faculty Advisor of the Texas Tech University Student Chapter, and voting member of the Board of Directors.  I have been a technical communicator for 27 years and have worked in both industry and the academy.

Currently, I am Professor of Technical Communication and Director of Graduate Studies at Texas Tech University, author of three books, and have presented and published on a wide range of topics, including instructional design, content strategy, hypertext theory, online publishing, and information design.  I have written articles for Technical Communication and Intercom,  presented many times at STC’s Summit, and taught short courses for the Society.

Previously, I worked in industry as a technical writer, editor, Web developer, trainer, and program director for ten years for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and received two U.S. Army Achievement Medals for Civilian Service.  In this role, I worked on many geotechnical and environmental engineering projects with District and Division personnel throughout the U.S. and abroad, as well as with other agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Having served STC at all levels of leadership (community, SIG, and society-level), my goal as Vice President would be to guide the direction of the Society so that we can foster programs and initiatives (like Education, Communities, Academic partnerships, and Certification) that support a successful profession and help increase the membership and interest in the Society.  From my service experience, I have learned it's the value of what we contribute to an organization (like STC), rather than receive in tangible benefits, that makes it better–I want to help communicate that message to help inspire other technical communicators to join and grow the Society.   As such, the Society should continue to strengthen and invest in our thriving communities and its members by providing additional resources, leadership support, shared content, and mentorship opportunities.  We should continue to target recruiting efforts on students and new professionals, since they represent the future and emerging trends in our profession.  We should also continue to support innovation and expansion of our programs.

The Society should continue to follow industry trends but also work to involve the academic community by increasing its corporate and student membership initiatives, which would provide more value to the membership while cutting costs to keep the Society viable as an organization.  We also need to invest in new sources of revenue, funding, and programs that support a strong Society and its continued growth.