Get in the Running 2008

by Gwaltney Mountford
STC Associate Fellow

Gwaltney co-owns Mountford Group, Inc. and is currently the East Bay STC's Hospitality Manager

Editor's note: We are especially needing someone to fill in the Vice President of Programs position. Interested? Email Helen, our President, helen_ews@yahoo.com.

It's that time again — time for our members to pick our next leaders. Our bylaws provide for six elected, voting members of the board, and two members of the Nominating Committee, who are not members of the board.

This year is different from previous years. The chapter is moving to a calendar year instead of a fiscal year from July to June. So, new officers will start in January 2009 instead of July of this year. Ballots will be mailed out in October with results announced at the November 2008 meeting.

This is a great opportunity for you to grow in your profession by becoming one of EBSTC's leaders. Listed below is an overview of the activities and benefits for each of the chapter's leadership positions. For more detail about each position, see the chapter bylaws at http://www.ebstc.org/ChapterResources/final_eastbay_bylaws2003.pdf .

President

Activities: Provides overall management of the chapter's affairs. Specifically, appoints special assistants for specific tasks, controls the budget, works with chapter volunteers to meet chapter goals, submits chapter reports to the Society and its board, meets with the chapter's board, and schedules annual elections.

Benefits: Creating or maintaining fabulous visibility, not only in our chapter, but also at the regional and Society level. Honing management and organization skills. Shaping chapter's direction and goals. Having fun.

President-Elect

Activities: Assumes the duties of the President if the President is incapacitated, oversees SIGs, maintains the Bylaws, encourages special projects, and becomes President next year.

Benefits: Learning to be president. Creating or maintaining visibility. Honing management and organization skills. Shaping chapter's direction and goals. Having fun.

Treasurer

Activities: Keeps the books, prepares and monitors the budget, makes deposits and payments, and prepares (the very simple) Annual Fiscal Report.

Benefits: Creating or maintaining visibility. Shaping the chapter's direction and goals. Having fun. If you like numbers and money, this is the job for you.

Vice-President of
Programs

Activities: Manages the Program Committee, including planning chapter meetings, finding speakers, and working with speakers to be sure audiovisual and other needs are met.

Benefits: Meeting interesting leaders in the profession. Creating or maintaining visibility. Honing organization and scheduling skills. Shaping the chapter's direction and goals. Having fun.

Vice-President of Arrangements

Activities: Oversees arrangements for meetings, accepts reservations, and coordinates with the restaurant to be sure chapter needs are met.

Benefits: Developing negotiating skills while working with restaurants. Creating or maintaining visibility. Honing interpersonal and organization skills. Shaping the chapter's direction and goals. Having fun.

Secretary

Activities: Records minutes of all board meetings, handles official correspondence, sends thank you notes to speakers and VIP visitors, and acts as liaison to newsletter editor, web weaver, and database manager.

Benefits: Creating or maintaining visibility. Honing organization and report-writing skills. Shaping the chapter's direction and goals. Having fun.

Nominating Committee Members

Activities: Selects qualified candidates for the annual election, prepares and distributes the ballot, validates and counts the votes, and notifies board and chapter of election results.

Benefits: Honing persuasion and interpersonal skills. Shaping the chapter's direction and goals. Having fun.

Get Involved!

In case you didn't get it, one of the great advantages about being a leader of EBSTC is that you gain visibility while having a great time. Help lead our chapter into a winning future.

If you are interested in any of these positions or would like to find out more about them, contact Gwaltney Mountford, or our president, Helen Cheung.