We may have been taking a break from dinner meetings, but we were still busy this summer! We participated in a NorCal President’s meeting, launched the 2017 Touchstone competition, and our website is now hosted on the STC server!

The July 2017 NorCal President’s meeting was the brainchild of Berkeley Chapter President Nicki Davis. Remembering the spirit of cooperation from years ago, when we were all part of STC’s  “Region 8,” Nicki suggested the NorCal chapter leaders get together periodically to discuss issues that affect all chapters. At the July meeting, we discussed the future of the Touchstone competition, how to attract more people to meetings, and ideas for more shared events, such as the recent tour of the Bay Model.

Speaking of Touchstone, I’m very happy to be part of the 2017 Touchstone competition team. The competition recognizes outstanding work in the field of technical communication, and the proceeds fund the STC Kenneth Gordon Scholarship. (The scholarship provides financial aid to technical communication students in Northern California.)

Many Touchstone participants say the best part of the competition is the peer feedback. I’m thankful that Richard Mateosian and Patrick Lufkin are graciously chairing the competition again, and I urge you to enter the competition or volunteer to be a judge.

Many thanks to Jane Olivera for coordinating a seamless transfer of our website hosting to the STC server. This was the final step in modernizing our website, and it feels good to be done. Now we can concentrate on content!