STC East Bay Chapter Vision Looking back…moving forward June 4, 2015

Agenda  Who we are – a brief overview of our chapter Our leaders Our members Our accomplishments Our goals  Your story STC in your professional life What is YOUR vision for our chapter?

Our leaders for 2015  President Liz Miller  VP Programs Open (acting: Lori Meyer)  VP Arrangements Jane Olivera and Lori Cooke  Treasurer Joe Humbert  Acting Secretary Lori Meyer  Membership Manager Lori Meyer  Members at Large/ Nominating Committee Patrick Lufkin Richard Mateosian

Our members  Current membership: 42 awesome members 23 Members 9 Senior Members 7 Corporate Value members 1 New Techcomm Professional Member 4 Gold Members 5 Retired Members

Our members  We also have…. 3 Associate Fellows Patrick Lufkin Gwaltney Mountford Vincent Swanson 4 Fellows T. R. Girill Judith Herr Richard Mateosian Lori Meyer

Our members are…  Writers  Editors  Documentation managers  Consultants  Published authors (fiction and non-fiction) Richard Mateosian Liz Miller Joe Humbert

Social media: We’re Visible  Our web site (  Twitter (  Our LinkedIn Group (  Our Facebook Group (

Our Accomplishments  53 years of serving technical communicators in the East Bay area  Award-winning chapter newsletter: Devil Mountain Views  STC Community of Merit, 2006  STC Community of Excellence, 2014 and 2015

Looking Ahead Where do we go from here?

In our last survey (2013), you said….  Your preferred meeting topics: Job hunting skills and portfolio and resume development Information architecture Usability and user experience Trends in technical communication

In our last survey (2013), you said…  Top reasons for joining STC: Networking opportunities for finding jobs (67%) Educational opportunities (58%) Chance to enjoy the company of your peers (41%) Chance to meet others in the field (33%) Chance to stay current in the field (33%)

In our last survey (2013), you said…  Membership costs and meeting fees more than compensate for what I gain by engaging with my peers.  I love the motto “The Friendly Chapter!”  Find ways to improve the Mimi's experience....the room is a little small...maybe we should use a sound system.  A chapter newsletter is an inexpensive way to share information among chapter members and simultaneously share member ideas/activities with the world...Make Devil Mountain Views more of a priority.

Since that survey, we have….  Purchased a sound system  Continued our popular holiday party, where we can network, share our creative side, and welcome old and new friends  Been named a Community of Excellence two years in a row

Since that survey, we have…  Offered more social activities NNLN Discovery Center visit (2014) John Muir House visit (planned for August 2015)  Created a new chapter award to recognize technical excellence. Our First Technology Insight award recipients: Jane Olivera Joe Humbert

We plan another survey in 2015, but until then, please tell us….  The most important contribution that membership in this chapter has made in your professional life.  The most important thing we as a chapter can do going forward to add value for all of our members.

Where do we go from here?  Current initiatives: Complete chapter strategic plan Migrate our web site to WordPress Fill critical volunteer positions Survey our members in 2015 Update our by-laws

Our strategic plan  Outlines goals for the next three years, each with a set of objectives.  Goal areas from current plan: Provide resources to help our members enhance their careers and develop leadership skills. Promote the technical communication profession and STC visibility within the East Bay community. Maintain a sense of camaraderie and mutual support among chapter members. Support STC goals and endeavors.

Web site migration to WordPress  Jane Olivera is leading this effort  Thanks to Joe for web site excellence for many years

Chapter by-laws  Need to review and update as needed  Need to review policy regarding whether president can serve more than one year  We can use our current template to update current by-laws

Leadership opportunities!  President-Elect  VP of Programs  Hospitality Manager  NEW FOR 2016: Communications Manager

What’s YOUR vision?  Offer programs that speak to members’ skill-building and professional development needs  Be seen as a place to discuss topics of interest with peers  Be seen as a community that reinforces that we are professional communicators no matter what our job / career status  Be seen as a welcoming and friendly community

Additional notes  Chapter survey needs to focus clearly on finding out what our members want and need.  We need to bring the newsletter back, as part of the migrated web site.  President-Elect and Programming VP are the most critical leadership roles to fill.