For the past two decades, I have dedicated myself to serving the Society on an international scale. My active participation as a member and Chair of various committees has not only broadened my understanding of the Society but also fueled my unwavering commitment to its  mission. Now, I aspire to elevate my service by taking on a leadership role as a Director or officer. Since my initial engagement with STC in 1983 and subsequent re-engagement in 1993, this involvement has significantly contributed to my professional growth. I am eager to guide our newer members, emphasizing how serving the Society can be a valuable career-building experience and fostering a mentoring environment for them.

About the Candidate:

Dr. Jackie Damrau, a distinguished professional with over 25 years of experience in business process management and software development, is a seasoned product owner, business analyst, and senior technical writer/editor. Currently she holds the role of Product Owner at Cathedral Plumbing of Texas, where she provides business requirements, conducts testing on a proprietary software platform, and maintains documentation for various applications and systems.

A Fellow of the Society for Technical Communication (STC), Dr. Damrau earned the esteemed 2023 STC Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Service. As the Book Review Editor of the Technical Communication journal, she contributes significantly to the field by soliciting books from publishers for over 30 reviewers. With a Doctorate in Business Administration from California Coast University, Dr. Damrau has a deep commitment to learning and sharing knowledge.

Over two decades of involvement in STC leadership positions, including two terms on the Nominating Committee, Chair of the Community Affairs Committee, and Chair of the Education Committee from 2020-2023, showcase her dedication. An avid presenter at STC conferences, webinars, and other professional events, she has published almost 300 articles and book reviews on technical communication, content strategy, and user experience.

Personally, I think the STC is the best venue for students and career changers to make the leap into the field of technical communication. I think the Society provides opportunities for  people new to the field that no other single organization does. However, after 20+ years in higher education, I’ve encountered scores of students and career changers who aren’t aware of the organization, don’t see its value, or don’t understand its true purpose. I want to help the Society rectify this through initiatives that provide a roadmap for people trying to get into the field.

About the Candidate:

Dr. Guiseppe Getto is an Associate Professor of Technical Communication and Director of the M.S. in Technical Communication Management at Mercer University. His research focuses on utilizing user experience (UX) design, content strategy, and other participatory research methods to help people improve their communities and organizations. He has published a co-edited collection, Content Strategy in Technical Communication, as well as a co-authored book, Content Strategy: A How-to Guide, both with Routledge. The findings of his research have been published in peer-reviewed journals such as IEEE Transactions on Professional  Communication; Technical Communication; Computers and Composition; Rhetoric, Professional Communication, and Globalization; Communication Design Quarterly; and Reflections; as well as conference proceedings for the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Design of Communication (ACM SIGDOC) and the IEEE Professional Communication Conference (ProComm). His work has also appeared in industry-based publications such as Intercom and Boxes and Arrows. He has taught at the college level for twenty years. During that time, he has also consulted and formed research and service-learning partnerships with many non-profits and businesses, from technical writing firms to homeless shelters to startups. During his time as a member of STC, he has served on numerous Society committees including the Scholarship, Education, and Jay R. Gould Teaching Award Committees as well as serving as President, Membership Chair, and Treasurer for the STC-Carolina community. He is currently chair of the STC Website Committee. Read more about him at: http://guiseppegetto.com.

I spent many years serving at the chapter level and along the way had the opportunity to serve in several roles at the Society level. I have thoroughly enjoyed each of the roles I’ve had an opportunity to hold. I
believe in the importance of professional organizations like STC and am vested in helping to ensure it continues to be the best it can be. I would like a chance to have a hand in shaping the future of this organization.

Although I consider myself to be a bit of an introvert, I tend to be a natural leader and someone that people look to for advice and guidance (I’ve even been chosen as jury foreperson in the past by a group of people who barely knew me). I have the ability to direct and lead while at the same time giving equal attention to listening and learning. I believe that’s what makes a great team member. I enjoy using my experience and skills to help other people learn and achieve their goals and I think people can see that in me.

About the Candidate:

MaryKay (MK) has been a professional technical communicator for over four decades and an STC member for almost 25 years. She is a Certified Professional Technical Communicator and an STC Fellow. MK has served at the Society level as a TCBOK Editor, ISA Competition judge, CAA/Pacesetter Awards Committee member, CAA Revamp Task Force, Nominating Committee member, and STC CAC Outreach Team member.

She was very active in the STC Chicago Chapter for over 20 years. During her time with the chapter she held multiple officer positions, including two terms as Chapter President. She held multiple committee manager positions and managed, co-managed, or judged in the local competition for over 15 years.

She is a writer and editor and has 15 years of team management and project team lead experience. She currently is a User Assistance Development Architect (Writer/Editor/Team Lead) at SAP and is a remote employee working with multiple global teams. She has presented multiple times at LavaCon, Spectrum, Leadership Days at STC Summits, STC Chicago meetings, other STC chapter meetings, and internal SAP conferences.

The STC community in Rochester and Central New York were instrumental in my career change by providing me with the support and continuing education I needed to move from teaching to writing. I want
to make sure that kind of opportunity is available in 3, 5, 10+ years. For that to happen, the society must evolve. As someone who has hit many a roadblock in community leadership, I want to make that path easier for future leaders, and I bring a recent community leadership perspective to that issue. I have also struggled through programming and recruitment, created new programs (Books that ROC!), and re-envisioned conferences to the approval of many (Spectrum's panel format, Unconference, and STC Summit). I want to apply that knowledge and skills to the society as a whole.

I have been an active community leader since 2019 when I took on the challenge to be the Rochester Spectrum volunteer coordinator. Since then, I have served on several Rochester council positions, including President, Programs Manager, and, not officially appointed, I did much of the PR work when I was Programs Manager. I have also Chaired and Co-Chaired 3 (Sept. 2024 will make 4) Spectrum Conferences.

For the last 3 years, I have participated as a judge in the Carolina Chapter's Competition; 2 years serving as a Lead Judge. This year, I have assisted in organizing the Alliance competition and am serving as a Lead Judge.

About the Candidate:

Dr. Amanda Patterson is a technical communications manager with a proven track record in the manufacturing sector. She specializes in developing strategic communication strategies and leads technical writing teams to streamline processes and deploy advanced software solutions. Her leadership has resulted in significant reductions in time to market and the successful implementation of AEM Guides and DITA structured authoring. An active member and leader within the Society for Technical Communication, Amanda contributes to the field through conference presentations, community leadership, and webinars. Her expertise in content management, process improvement, and compliance with regulatory standards positions her as an expert technical communications professional.

I have a long-standing respect for technical communicators and STC and would like to use my leadership skills and project management skills to advance STC and its members.

I am a reliable coworker who brings excellent tools for organizing work and getting the job done. I employ my leadership skills in all aspects of my work. I am a cheerleader for others and a strategic and tactical
thinker. I enjoy helping others grow and am always friendly!

Several of my jobs have required strategic thinking about the future of the department or how the organization will consider equity with its budget expenditures. My roles as STC Rochester Vice President and President required short-term and long-term planning while managing and maintaining a healthy budget.

My experience does include Director of DEI for the Project Management Institute Rochester Chapter where I managed a committee to set a standard operating procedure and outline activities for DEI for the chapter, reporting to the President. I was also responsible for managing the STC DEI Advisory Panel in 2020, reporting to the President.

About the Candidate:

Dr. Wendy A. Ross, STC Associate Fellow, has been a member of STC since 2008. With 20 years of technical communication experience, she has served as Vice President, President, and mentor for STC Rochester and as an Advisory Panel Chair for STC.

Dr. Ross is a project manager for the City of Rochester, managing technical projects with budgets up to $1.5 million and 50 team members. She earned an Ed.D. in Executive Leadership in 2022.

Dr. Ross is dedicated to leadership that helps people reach career success while respecting their authentic selves. As an STC Director, she would apply her project management skills to help STC successfully implement strategic plans.

STC has been crucial to my professional development for more than a decade. Between bolstering my knowledge and skills as a technical communicator, volunteering has been an opportunity to learn other soft skills like project management, collaboration, event planning, and leadership. STC has been a constant presence as I’ve navigated my way to a stable career. Giving back and helping to keep the Society alive and moving forward is the least I can do to help.

The last two years have been difficult and certainly challenging for the Board. A large part of my term has been focused on collaborating with the STC Board and staff to figure out the best strategies to help keep STC afloat. A big part of that is thinking about STC holistically and seeing the trends happening with the membership. Sometimes difficult—but necessary decisions—have to be made. While we are not done pulling ourselves out of the hole we’ve been in, we’re starting to see the light. A big part of that is spending wisely, and recognizing that we cannot operate like the huge association we had in the past. We need to work within our means and scale appropriately. Sometime that fosters some backlash from membership, but to keep an active membership and status as an association, we need to have outside of the box thinking and strategies to meet the needs of today and tomorrow’s membership, not satisfy the needs of the past. Creative thinking and working towards the goals of the Society, not any personal goals, is what will benefit the Society going forward, even with the tough decisions.

About the Candidate:

Danielle M. Villegas is based in Central New Jersey and is currently a knowledge management senior analyst at Cox Automotive. Her background is grounded in content strategy, web content management, UX/UI strategy, technical writing, social media, project management, e-learning, and client services. She has worked at several global companies in the pharmaceutical,  financial, manufacturing, and non-profit industries, and has taught at New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Danielle is known for her tech comm blog, TechCommGeekMom, and she has presented globally at several tech comm conferences. She has also authored articles for the several leading tech comm and e-learning publications, and was included as the only American commentary contributor in the ISTC’s fourth edition publication of Reginald Kapp’s The Presentation of Technical Information (2018).

Danielle is an active member of the STC. A 2021 STC Distinguished Community Service Award winner, she is currently serving her first term as an STC Board Director and has been doing marketing and social media for the STC for the past year. She has held several roles in the Philadelphia Metro Chapter, including Chapter President and Conference Chair for the chapter’s conference, CONDUIT. She has also been a member of the STC Education Committee, STC Community Affairs Committee, the Website Task Force, and has chaired the STC Distinguished Community Service Award and Marketing committees.

I believe that the committee and directors could use some diversity. This is not a cultural comment. It is more about adding different perspectives and fresh ideas to the team to boost membership and provide additional opportunities and values to those in the technical communications sector.

I am a first-generation citizen of the United States who continually strives to assist, empower, and inspire others to be the best professional versions of themselves. I utilize my education in technical writing to produce impactful resumes that are visually dynamic and powerful through professional storytelling. I volunteered my time with STC to assist technical communicators in understanding the job market, resume writing, LinkedIn content building, and interview preparatory work.

In 2022, STC awarded me one of two STC Scholarship awards for the 2022-2023 academic year.

About the Candidate:

I am a seasoned professional with a real estate, marketing, manufacturing, finance, and technical writing background. I earned my Bachelor's in English with a specialty track in technical communications from the University of Central Florida in May 2022. My education in technical writing birthed a new company, Propel Resume and Career Services, LLC., in West Palm Beach, Florida, where I assist job seekers in preparing their career documents to land fulfilling employment opportunities.

I have been a member of the STC since 2015 and in that time, I have worked with my local chapter (Michigan Great Lakes), the IDL SIG, and the Technical Editing SIG in. Volunteering with these groups has allowed me to contribute to the STC and also expand my expertise. This year (2024) I will be volunteering at Summit and presenting on my first panel. I think volunteering for SIGs, chapters, and the national organization is something every Society member should try to do.

I have attended every Summit since 2015 and have used my time there to learn more about our profession and also to enlarge my circle of colleagues and friends. I hope to encourage others in the Society to step up and get involved. I believe that being a contributing member of an organization like STC is more engaging and beneficial than just being a spectator.

About the Candidate:

I joined the STC in 2015. I was editor of the IDL SIG newsletter from 2018-2019, and have been membership manager, social media manager, and co-webmaster for the Michigan Great Lakes chapter since 2018. I have published articles in Intercom magazine, and was a 2022 recipient of the Distinguished Chapter Service Award. I hold a Master’s in Technical Communication Management and a Master’s in Information Technology. I have published two non-fiction books and worked as the Senior Editor of Quilters Newsletter Magazine. I currently work on the Business Continuity team for Dart Container Corporation where I manage the team’s documentation and website and plan and conduct annual IT disaster management exercises.