January/February 2005 | Home

Editor’s Message

by Becky Rude
DMV Managing Editor

As 2004 came to a close, I was thinking about our chapter’s future, particularly in relation to STC’s transformation effort, and wondering what’s in store for us. Although our chapter has had difficulty filling some volunteer positions, we’ve been fortunate that we can carry on with the essential activities.

One of these essentials is publishing our award-winning newsletter that keeps members updated on the latest chapter and Society news and on trends in our profession.

Kudos to Our Newsletter Staff

I’d like to recognize our newsletter staff as they have greatly added to our chapter’s presence in the Society and have provided our members with significant value for their membership dues. Most of this team has been together for several years now, which is unusual in a volunteer organization, but it’s probably one of the reasons we produce a quality newsletter.

Elaine Parrish – Elaine has been with the newsletter since 1998. She is currently our copy editor and works tirelessly to ensure the highest quality of editing. You’ve probably read her informative and highly entertaining column Ask Elaine, a collection of articles that addresses editing issues. Elaine is also expanding her skill set and helping us with the layout.

Hasmig Vasgerdsian – Hasmig has been associate editor for several years. She is now semi-retired, but enjoys working on the newsletter and keeping current on technical communication issues. Hasmig makes time for the newsletter despite a very busy schedule caring for her grandchildren, traveling, and doing part-time technical communication projects.

Angelina Nachimuthu – Angelina was associate editor for several years and switched to doing the web layout last year. She already had experience with Dreamweaver and HTML, but wanted to expand on those skills. Angelina has had no trouble picking up these skills and producing an attractive, interesting layout. This past summer Angelina had a new baby, so with two young children she took a break from DMV, but will soon return. Her schedule is packed with raising two children, working full-time, and working on the newsletter.

Laura Phillips – Laura is the newest member of the newsletter team as our second associate editor. She was an STC member for a few years, but had never attended a meeting because of her work schedule. When she got time to attend a meeting, she was inspired to become more involved with the chapter and volunteered to work on the newsletter this year. Laura recently changed jobs, but is still committed to working on the newsletter. In our last issue, Laura wrote a great article on how to reinvent yourself in this tough job market. We look forward to more such articles from Laura!

Sue Phelan – Sue has held many positions in our chapter. Last year she turned her passion for photography into a way to serve the chapter when she became our chapter photographer. She attends most meetings and snaps away to create a record of events for the newsletter. The photos add so much interest to the newsletter as members who can’t attend meetings can connect to the chapter through the photos.

Dara Golden – Although Dara isn’t officially a member of our chapter, she has certainly earned honorary member status with all the articles she’s written for the newsletter over the past year. Dara is mom to a little boy, which keeps her very busy, but she is also our contributing editor and keeps on top of the profession by researching and writing excellent newsletter articles. Her commitment to her career is pretty amazing given that she could easily stay busy with other activities.

A Few Good TCs

Thank you to this outstanding group of volunteers. You are an inspiring example of what a few good technical communicators can do with a little time and a lot of commitment. Keep up the good work!

Enjoy this issue and please let me know how you like the articles. And remember, we're still looking for a good managing editor to lead our excellent staff!

Becky

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