STC Board of Directors Visits Bay Area

by Patrick Lufkin

Patrick Lufkin is a longtime member of STC. He is currently Membership Manager of the Management SIG and Chair of the Kenneth M. Gordon Memorial Scholarship.

Bay Area STC members recently got a chance to meet and celebrate with Society directors when the Board, led by Society President, Linda Oestreich, paid a rare three-day visit to the San Francisco Bay Area. Held August 16–18 at the Doubletree Hotel in the Berkeley Marina, the event included two days of strategic planning, a business meeting, and an evening of celebrating and socializing.

As the Society’s main governing body, the Board provides the leadership needed to address the many issues facing the Society and the profession. Internally, the board makes financial and organizational decisions, determines the structure of the Society, sets fees and membership categories, charters new chapters and SIGs, and so on. Externally, the Board represents the Society and the profession to the world.

In recent years, the Board has increasingly concentrated its energies on external issues including developing a body of knowledge for the profession, improving how technical communicators are valued, and managing and marketing how the technical communication profession is perceived.

The Board meets four times a year, once at the annual conference, and then in different cities where the STC has a strong presence. The Board last met in the Bay Area in San Jose in the late-1990s.

Currently, our international Society is represented by a truly international board, with one member each from England, Israel, and Canada, as well as members from across the United States. On this visit, the Board was joined by key members of the office staff, including STC Executive Director Susan Burton. Thursday and Friday were devoted to workshops and planning meetings. Saturday was devoted to a day-long business meeting, which was open to all interested STC members. As the meeting opened, the board welcomed its guests and made it clear that they could join in with comments as the need arose.

The meeting was interesting and often lively. In addition to budgetary and organizational issues, the discussion touched upon revamping the society’s recognition programs, improving the quality of STC publications, and reassessing the value of competitions. The various directors gave status reports on their committees and task forces including those concerned with business development, communication, governance, outreach, education, recognition, finance and audit, and communities. As one of the attendees, I can vouch that the STC currently has a very able board, which is working hard to prepare the STC to meet the challenges of the modern economy.

While business was important, for many, the high points of the event were the early evening mixer and the buffet dinner, both of which provided ample opportunity for locals and board members to meet, mingle, and share concerns.

The event was attended by 18 board members and STC staff and about 30 locals, including STC Fellows and Associate Fellows, past STC Presidents and board members, and chapter leaders from five of the Bay Area chapters. Gwaltney Mountford, who headed up the planning for the event, reports that Linda Oestreich and the board were very pleased with the welcome they received.

The event was the culmination of several months of planning by a team drawn from the hosting chapters. The committee, headed by Gwaltney Mountford, Society Associate Fellow, included Richard Mateosian (President, Berkeley STC), Helen Cheung (President, East Bay STC), Susan Becker (former President, San Francisco STC), and D. J. Cline (President, Silicon Valley STC). Others who helped make the event a success included Joe Humbert (event Web site), Jim Dexter (online reservations), Linda Urban (sponsorships).

Elaine Pendergrast produced a fabulous brochure for the event.

The dinner's success was due in large part to underwriting by a number of corporate sponsors including Adobe Systems, Lasselle-Ramsay, Madcap Software, Farley Technical Services, Synergistech Communications, DJCline, Signature Print Services, and the Mountford Group. Their support of the Society and the profession is much appreciated.

Society Executive Director Susan Burton addresses rapt crowd.

Board President Linda Oestreich (left) chats with
            Society Fellow Dana Chisnell.