The Chapter Council Needs You

By Lance-Robert, President

The 2005-2006 chapter year is nearing its end, and there are going to be five open seats on next year's chapter council.

Have you ever:

Wanted to be a part of the effort that brings presenters and workshops to the chapter membership?
Wished you had more of a say about who the presenters and topics are at the monthly meetings and workshops?
Felt like giving something back to your fellow chapter members?

If you answered yes to any of the above, the chapter council just might be for you. Please consider applying for any of the positions listed below that appeal to you. If you have questions about a position, please contact the person who currently holds that position for more information, and that person will be happy to assist you.

No prior experience is necessary for any of these positions. We will train you, and you will be encouraged to attend and participate in all remaining council meetings through the remainder of the chapter year. We want to ensure that each of our successors has all the knowledge and confidence they need to fulfill the positions after our terms are over in June. STC also provides a wealth of information to guide you-in all honesty, probably more than you'll ever need. We will not leave you high and dry, holding the bag, or stuck with any other frustrating and unpleasant metaphors!

President

The chapter president helps to coordinate the efforts of the chapter council and ensures that council members get any assistance they need to perform their duties. The chapter president is responsible for the council's adherence to the STC bylaws and makes quarterly online progress reports to STC headquarters in Virginia. The chapter president is required to co-sign all checks written by the chapter treasurer and make periodic checks of the chapter's post office box, currently located at the post office in Carmel Mountain Ranch, just off Interstate 15 at Exit 21.

The chapter president receives many queries on a variety of STC and chapter-related topics and must answer those questions or refer the persons making the inquiries to someone else, perhaps another council member or a member of STC's office staff, who can better answer the question. The chapter president is responsible for planning and organizing the monthly council meetings. These meetings include a moderately priced dinner at various locations around town and are typically held the week before each monthly chapter meeting, except during June and December.

The chapter president also plans and organizes the council summer planning meeting in August. The chapter president sends out meeting, workshop, newsletter, and seminar information and reminders by e-mail to the chapter membership through the STC San Diego Yahoo! group; announces meetings and workshops by email to other STC Southern California chapters through the STC SoCal Yahoo! group; and invites members from other non-STC groups, such as SandCHI/UPA, ASI, and SD/PEN, to attend various chapter meetings that would also be of interest to their memberships. The chapter president informs the chapter meeting venue, currently the Courtyard by Marriott Kearny Mesa, of any changes or additions to the regularly scheduled chapter monthly meeting dates. Finally, the chapter president writes the President's Podium column for Signature.

Currently held by Lance-Robert (president@stc-sd.org).

VP Programs

The Programs VP is responsible for booking our monthly chapter meeting presenters and conveys any speaker fees or travel costs to the chapter treasurer for resolution. The Programs VP gets the program information and speaker bio, then passes this along to the chapter Web master for publication on the chapter Web site's meeting announcement page. They also introduce the speaker(s) at the chapter meetings and might sometimes need to arrange or provide ground transportation for presenters from out-of-town. The Programs VP might be called upon to arrange an additional or special monthly meeting if a visiting industry leader can make a presentation to the chapter in conjunction with a conference or seminar not on the chapter's regular schedule, such as last year's special presentation by William Horton.

Currently held by Anh-Chi Robertson (programs@stc-sd.org).

VP Professional Development

The Professional Development VP is responsible for coordinating periodic workshops of interest to the chapter membership, such as Ann Coil's recent career workshop in SabreSprings. The duties of this position are identical to those of the Programs VP above, except that the presenters in this case are booked for half or full-day workshops, typically held on a weekend. It is foreseeable that the Professional Development VP could collaborate with the Programs VP to have a presenter make an overview presentation to the chapter during the monthly meeting, then conduct a more detailed or hands-on workshop the following day.

Currently held by Deborah Gill-Hesselgrave (prof-dev@stc-sd.org).

VP Web Site

The chapter Webmaster is responsible for informing the membership of forthcoming meetings, workshops, seminars, conferences, and other topics related to the technical communications industry, including non-STC events. The Web master also maintains the meeting registration pages, makes Web site updates on a weekly basis, and maintains the chapter e-mail aliases. The Webmaster also works with the Newsletter VP to post Signature, the chapter's award-winning newsletter, online. A strong working knowledge of Dreamweaver and Microsoft.Net Server is extremely helpful for this position.

Currently held by Liana Harlan (webmaster@stc-sd.org)

VP Newsletter

The chapter Newsletter editor coordinates each issue of Signature. With the help of volunteers, the editor finds content, supervises the editorial process, seeks advertising, and attends Council and Chapter meetings when possible. The editor works closely with the chapter president and wWebmaster to publish the newsletter September through June.

Currently held by Karen Field Carroll (newsletter@stc-sd.org)

VP Membership

The Membership VP is responsible for all matters relating to STC membership. The Membership VP brings informative STC membership flyers to the monthly chapter meetings, meets and greets first-time attendees at the chapter meetings, and is the local contact for anyone making changes or having problems with membership. The Membership VP works with STC office staff to resolve any membership issues on behalf of chapter members, and makes monthly membership reports to the Newsletter VP for publication in Signature. These reports include new and returning members, members transferring from other chapters, members who have achieved senior membership after five years, and the total membership count for the chapter.

Currently held by John White (membership@stc-sd.org).