STC 2023 Election: Slate of Candidates

The 2022-2023 STC Nominating Committee announced the preliminary slate of candidates for the 2023 STC election!

Here are the candidates on the election slate:

- President (Automatically succeeds from the office of Vice-President) Timothy Esposito
- Vice President (1 candidate for one position; three-year commitment) Elizabeth (Liz) Herman
- Secretary (2 candidates for one position; two-year term) No elections for Secretary this year
- Treasurer (Two-year term) Roberta (Bobbi) Werner

Director (4 candidates for two positions; two-year term)

- Guiseppe Getto
- Jennifer Goode
- Sree Pattabiraman
- Jamye Sagan

Nominating Committee (3 candidates for two positions; two-year term)

- Rachel Houghton
- Zohra Mutabanna
- Sean Stevenson

The 2023 STC election is scheduled to open in March.

December 31, 2021January 1, 2022

Why I joined the Instructional Design & Learning SIG

A personal journey

By Maralee Sautter

Why did I become a member of the IDL SIG? Maybe the IDL chose me, or maybe I was following an intuitive path that clarified when I joined the SIG. The outcome, however, was serendipitous.

What’s My Backstory?

My journey started over 23 years ago when I became a member of the STC. Technical writing was an exciting path into a career full of possibilities. To discover the many facets of technical writing, I nurtured my tech-comm knowledge by attending Willamette Valley Chapter program meetings and pursued a secondary degree in technical writing at the local university in Portland, Oregon—Portland State University (PSU).

Most of my technical writing jobs in the Willamette Valley area, dubbed the Silicon Forest, have been in high-tech; however, a side trajectory unfolded when I was asked to teach Technical Writing in 2007 at my alma mater, PSU. As an adjunct instructor, I was able to teach in-person classes in the evening, which allowed me to continue my day job. Eventually, I created e-learning modules for some of my writing classes, which allowed me to teach online (asynchronously), never having to set foot on campus. These modules were delivered through Blackboard and Desire to Learn (D2L), two online learning management systems.

As I pursued tech-comm, I developed stronger writing skills, prepared and delivered PowerPoint presentations, and studied the tools of the trade, such as FrameMaker, HTML, RoboHelp, and Flare. I attended as many STC conferences as financially possible—one of the best ways to learn about technical communication.

In 2006 at the Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jane MacKenzie presented a web-design and user interface session, which was so inspirational that I became her greatest fan. (Jane is a former SIG manager, 2004–2007, and a Performance Consultant and Instructional Design Mentor). In 2007 I joined the SIG’s leadership team as secretary at the Summit in Philadelphia. Then I moved on to the co-manager position along with Jamye Sagan. (Yes. I’m SIG manager for the second time around.)

What’s My IDL Connection?

In retrospect, it seemed as though I followed Jane, but in reality, there was an underlying connection between my passion to teach, and desire to learn the tools of the trade, plus a willingness to rub shoulders with the IDL knowledge-bearers.

Our SIG’s mission is to help STC members identify and develop knowledge and practical skills to design, develop, and implement technical instruction in electronic and traditional classroom settings. The SIG strives to promote sound design practices and provide information and education about instructional theory and research.

Our goals are similar to other groups, such as the Association for Talent Development (ATD, formerly ASTD) and the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPSI). While training and teaching are important, the way we design and write our materials connects us to STC, because we focus on technical writing, communication, and the user experience.

Promoting a practical approach to teaching and virtual learning is why I remain an instructional designer and teacher at heart, because I derived my knowledge through experience and practical application. Over the years, STC and the SIG have provided me with many opportunities to learn IDL practices, and I’m delighted to be a member of both.

December 24, 2018December 24, 2018

Passing the Torch

By: Lori Meyer, outgoing co-manager

Where did the time go? At the beginning of 2016, Viqui Dill and I started our terms as assistant co-managers of our SIG, became co-managers in 2017, and have had the honor of leading our SIG for the past two years. Now, it’s time to step down, and as my term ends, I want to give my thanks to the incredible leadership team we’ve worked with.

Mellissa Ruryk, you were the first volunteer to welcome me to the SIG leadership team in 2014, when I stepped into the role of SIG secretary. Your support of me has never diminished. As the creator of our first SIG manager handbook, you have left a valuable guide for future SIG leaders.

Jamye Sagan, you’ve been a role model of taking on multiple roles. You have excelled in everything you have done for the SIG, and your love of cats has brought me much joy. As the inspiration behind the creation of our virtual open houses, you helped us provide a creative and fun way to introduce ourselves to the techcomm community and encourage membership and involvement in our SIG.

Robert Hershenow, you supported me through my leadership journey both in our SIG and in the East Bay Chapter. Your impressive skills with graphics and your excellent work on our newsletter provided a strong foundation on which we are continuing to provide this valuable communication resource.

James Bousquet, your impeccable organization as our former treasurer provided an inspiring model of efficient leadership combined with a friendly and open communication style that makes our SIG the special place that it is.

Beth Bailey, your pristine management of our mailing lists has contributed greatly to our ability to communicate with each other efficiency, and has provided a great example of quiet leadership and engagement.

Sylvia Miller, you have demonstrated that you really care about our students. Thank you for leading our successful initiative to provide them with opportunities to have their work published and recognized.

Preeti Mathur, your solid expertise in instructional design has benefited our SIG over the years and has enabled us to offer a training evaluation program for which we were recognized by the STC.

Sara Buchanan, your attention to our members has helped us assure that each new member was welcomed, and your detailed reports made sure that we always knew our membership growth patterns.

Scott McCoy, you have guided our mentoring program for the last several years, enabling us to continue this valuable educational resource.

Marcia Shannon, you hit the ground running, first as our SIG secretary and now as our incoming co-manager. It has been a joy to see you move forward on a leadership path fueled by a sincere desire to serve. We look forward to your leadership in 2019!

Crista Mohammed, you led the re-emergence of our SIG newsletter, IDeal, and never wavered in your effort to provide the best quality content to our readers.

Kelly Smith, as Crista’s successor, your excellent work is enabling us to continue providing a quarterly online newsletter that informs and teaches.

Cindy Pao, you were a co-manager when I began my volunteer journey with the SIG. Your unstoppable enthusiasm, focus on service, and ongoing desire to learn and grow reminded me that the IDL SIG was a very special community.

Maralee Sautter, your many volunteer activities over the years have helped make our SIG a strong community. Your work as our webmaster this year has made it possible for us to provide an online communication channel that keeps our members current and educates the wider techcomm community about the value we add.

Madison Estabrook, thanks so much for joining the leadership team as our secretary in 2019. We look forward to working with you!

And finally….

Viqui, being your fellow volunteer in two STC communities has been a blessing, but I feel especially fortunate to have been your co-manager over the last two years. Your technical skills, multiple talents, enthusiasm, and genuine spirit of giving have inspired and strengthened us all. You always went above and beyond, taking on the program manager role in addition to being a co-manager. Because of your work, we have had an outstanding lineup of webinar presenters. Thank you for being a leader, teacher, and friend to all.

With sincere gratitude all of you,

Lori

September 25, 2018September 26, 2018

Co-manager’s report

By Lori Meyer

Grow with us! Join our leadership team!

Communities like ours are about YOU — about learning and growing in a way that fosters teamwork, friendship, and fun. Every new volunteer, no matter what role they play, has an opportunity to touch our community in a positive way.
We have several volunteer opportunities that are waiting for just the right person to fill them. For each of these roles, our friendly leaders will give you the training you need to succeed — and you will be working with a team of skilled, professional, caring people who are committed to the community’s, and YOUR, success. Being involved with our community is a win-win — you can grow professionally, have fun, and give back to our SIG and to the profession.

Read on and let us know what interests you!

Assistant co-manager

We are delighted to announce that Marcia Shannon has agreed to be an assistant co-manager. Marcia has served as our SIG secretary, filling that role admirably and making many additional contributions. We now need a second assistant co-manager to serve with Marcia.

Needed: One more needed now
What you’ll do: As assistant co-manager, you will work with your fellow assistant co-manager and the leadership team to become familiar with the operation of the SIG, assist the co-managers as needed, and prepare to succeed to the co-manager role after your one-year term ends.
Helpful experience or skills: A high comfort level with online content management will make this job easier. We use the Google suite of documents for records and internal communication. Good project management skills are a plus because we juggle a lot of programs in our busy SIG. But fear not—you do not need prior experience as a community leader, and past leaders will be there to support you. We are a true team in every respect! The SIG management role is an excellent way to stretch your leadership skills, work with some of the friendliest and most talented people in STC, and make a difference.

Secretary

Needed: Now
What you’ll do: The secretary ensures that our monthly leadership meeting notes are documented and performs other support functions for the SIG.
Helpful experience or skills: A high comfort level with online content management will make this job easier. We use the Google suite of documents for records and internal communication. The role of secretary is ideal for volunteers new to the SIG and just getting started in STC leadership. Members of the leadership team will provide support before, during, and after the monthly meeting. This job can be as small as a few hours a month and as large as your own superpowers and commitment want to make it.

Membership manager

Needed: Now
What you’ll do: The membership manager is the first point of contact for new members. Once a month, the membership manager runs a community report from STC, which indicates our SIG membership count, along with changes in the number and status of our members and the names of our newest members. The membership manager reports this information to the leadership team, and sends a SIG welcome package to each new member to help them get the most of their SIG membership.
Helpful experience or skills: A heart for welcoming new people, and a high comfort level with email and online content management will make this job easier. We use the Google suite of documents for records and internal communication. The role of membership manager is ideal for volunteers new to the SIG and just getting started in STC leadership.

Social media and surveys manager

Needed: Now
What you’ll do: You will monitor our social media activity and help us publicize SIG events and news through postings on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. In addition, you will develop and publish surveys of our SIG members to help us get to know them and what they want from our SIG. We will train you in the use of SurveyMonkey and Google Forms.
Helpful experience or skills: Hands-on experience with social media tools will be a great background for this role, along with any experience or insights regarding developing effective surveys.

Content Curator

Needed: Now
What you’ll do: The content curator is responsible for keeping in touch with the instructional design and learning field online and finding online content that would be of interest to our members. When you find an interesting article or post, you may decide to share it on one of our social media outlets, suggest it as a possible newsletter article, or even submit it for inclusion in the STC Technical Communication Body of Knowledge (TCBoK). This job can be done anytime, anywhere, and in a variety of formats. Make this job your own by using your favorite communication platform and passing on what you find to the rest of the leadership team.
Helpful experience or skills: Hands-on experience with social media tools will be a great background for this role, as well as natural curiosity and a nose for news.

Additional opportunities

We have many other opportunities for your helping hands. If you are interested in being more involved but don’t have time to commit to an elected or appointed committee leader role, contact us at manager@stcidlsig.org and let us know your ideas! Or, plan to attend one of our monthly leadership meetings, where you can get to know us and find out more about everything we do. We meet via GoToMeeting on the fourth Wednesday of every month.

Marcia Shannon is our new assistant co-manager

Making a bold and courageous move, Marcia Shannon, our SIG secretary, is stepping up to be the next co-manager. You already know and love her as the vivacious volunteer and get-it-done servant leader on our team. Now, she’ll be serving as our assistant co-manager for the rest of 2018 and will be taking on the co-manager role in the new year. We welcome Marcia into the new role with an enthusiastic cheer and promise to provide her with support as she takes on new duties and empowerment as she makes improvements and puts her own special superpowers to work.

Jayme Sagan is our new treasurer

We are delighted to announce that Jamye Sagan, our social media and survey manager, is now our new SIG treasurer. Jamye is a long-time SIG member and an accomplished volunteer. She has served on the Community Affairs Committee, and most recently served as the Community Achievement Awards (CAA) evaluation committee. Thank you for stepping up for this important role, Jamye!

Sara Buchanan steps down as membership manager

After more than two years of faithful and committed service, our beloved membership manager, Sara Buchanan, is stepping down. Sara has worked behind the scenes, greeting new members and keeping up with current membership, and we will miss her terribly. Her service to the SIG and to STC is exemplary. Sara is an active member of the Northeast Ohio chapter and currently serves as their newsletter editor. She has been instrumental in building a bridge between her chapter and our SIG and contributed a number of member spotlight articles published in both newsletters.

SIG awards program launched!

We’re proud to announce a new IDL SIG awards program to recognize the service of our dedicated leaders and volunteers! This program serves as an additional way to express our gratitude for those who give their time and talent to our SIG, to STC, and to the profession.

Two awards will be given:

Volunteer Achievement, which honors a SIG member who has served as a volunteer for at least two years and has offered significant service to the SIG.
New Volunteer, which honors a SIG member who has served as a volunteer for two years or less, and who “hit the ground running” with volunteer service in that time—or who has been a SIG member for several years but is volunteering for the first time.

SIG members in good standing, regardless of their STC membership grade or previous STC recognition, can be nominated for either of these awards. The awards will be given once a year. Recipients will be announced through our SIG communication channels, and will be given special recognition at our annual business meeting during the STC Summit conference.

Watch for information about submitting nominees for our first SIG awards!

Lori Meyer, an STC Fellow, has been a member of the IDL SIG for more than five years, and has served as co-manager (with Viqui Dill) since 2017. Lori is a member and volunteer in several other STC communities, including the Rochester, San Diego, East Bay, Washington DC, Puget Sound, and Carolina chapters, as well as the Technical Editing SIG.