President’s Message

by Joseph Humbert
EBSTC President

Hello, all. In my new role as President, I am getting my feet firmly planted. One of the ideas we wanted to explore was to podcast our speaker programs for our members. As luck would have it, our first speaker in September was Jerry Franklin, who talked about podcasting and using Audacity, free software to record and edit audio podcasts. We used it and now have his program available for you. Go to the website homepage, click on ‘Podcast’ in the upper right corner. If you are an EBSTC member, you should have received by email the username and password to access the podcasts. If you are a member and haven’t received this information, email me with the subject line, EBSTC Podcast. And, no, you do not need an iPod or similar mp3 device to download or hear the program. You can use your computer and Windows Media Player. We also have Jerry’s PDF file of his PowerPoint presentation for you to follow along.

For October, we have no podcast because our confirmed speaker cancelled the weekend before the meeting. Mama said there’d be days like this. We scrambled for another speaker but could not find one on such short notice. So, each attendee brought in their own work to share with those who attended. We actually had a very lively discussion and it was very interesting to hear and see what others do. Sorry if you missed it.

We want to welcome two new volunteers to the Leadership board. Ann Adams does our Hospitality for us now, giving Gwaltney a much needed break. Also, meet Toni Thompson, who is helping Dave, our newsletter editor, and me with our website work. Thanks, Ann and Toni, for joining the team.

We are still in need of a Nominating Committee (two or more experienced members), and a Secretary to take notes at our Council Meetings (about four times a year), and write up the minutes. The Secretary position is an easy assignment for a new volunteer.

The College Connection Committee made their first appearance at a job fair at St. Mary’s College this month. They talked to many students and gave out materials including a coupon for half off the student rate at our meetings. Hopefully, we will see some of the students attending our meetings soon. The Committee gained insight on how best to present themselves at job fairs and will apply those lessons at new fairs in the Spring.

They will need help at these fairs. If you can volunteer, go Leadership in the website and contact Gwaltney. Also, they are taking applications for speakers for a panel in the classroom. See the website homepage for the application and contact information.

Now is the time to think about renewing your membership to STC, and especially to the East Bay chapter. The benefits are huge.

• A reduced chapter meeting rate.
• Access to a resume counselor to rework your resume.
• Email notice when the award-winning newsletter is published.
• NEW: Podcasts of speaker programs for members only.
• Educational and networking opportunities provided at chapter meetings.
• Membership in an award-winning chapter that works to benefit you.

Before the holidays catch up with you, consider renewing your membership now. You won’t regret it.

HELP! We need to hear from you on how we in Leadership can best
serve your needs. The best way, of course, is to come to the monthly meetings and talk with us. Another way, a new approach we are instituting
this year, is to join the EBSTC Yahoogroups discussion group. Go to http://www.ebstc.org/yahoogroups.html to join up. We actually will be soon asking members to join. We have over a hundred members in the chapter
and we only hear from a fraction. We want to know your concerns, your opinions, what you like about what we are doing, what you don’t like. This
is an easy way to make your voices heard!

The Leadership will soon be revising our Strategic Plan and conducting a Chapter Re-charter. We will re-examine what the chapter’s mission and goals are and to determine what steps are necessary to achieve those goals and that mission. You can be a vital part of this process by joining Yahoogroups and letting us know what you want your chapter to do for you. Or, you can email me directly at Jojohumx@aol.com. Better yet, come to a chapter meeting and tell me in person.

Again, we all urge you to make a commitment to come to at least one chapter meeting or function this year. We would like to meet you and see who are membership are. Thank you. See you next time. Joe