Monday, January 25, 2010

STC Elections/ Candidates Info

The following are campaign materials for the STC Elections coming up in March. These materials have been sent to our chapter by the candidates. They are posted per request from the candidates and posting them here implies no endorsement by the SN Chapter.

The following two candidates are running for STC Director-at-Large:

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I’m Tricia Spayer, candidate for STC Director-at-Large. I would appreciate your vote in the 2010 STC elections.

Why vote for me?

· I’ve been an active member in the Northeast Ohio chapter of STC (NEO STC) for almost ten years, six of which I served on the Executive Committee. I’ve gained experience as an adept leader in the positions of President, Vice President, Immediate Past President, Secretary, and Membership Chair. I’m currently serving as the Bylaws Committee Chair. During my year as President, we achieved the Chapter of Excellence award and received an Award of Distinction for PR from STC International. Through this leadership experience, I’ve learned to motivate others through respect, trustworthiness, and tenacity.

· I served as a member of the Planning Committee for the 2007 STC Regional Conference in Cleveland, OH, which was a highly acclaimed, profitable, and professionally-run conference.

· I received the President’s Achievement Award from NEO STC in 2009 for my leadership and contributions to the chapter’s Pacesetter and Chapter of Distinction awards.

· At the Society level, I’ve presented at the 2009 STC International conference, reviewed program proposals for the International conference, and have volunteered for the LCR.

· For my professional work, I achieved Best of Show and an Award of Excellence for an STC Online competition, along with an Award of Merit for an STC Technical Publications competition.

· When I promise to do a job, I do it.

· I am very detail-oriented, and weigh all facts before making an important decision.

· I bring my creativity and enthusiasm to projects.

· I give credit where credit is due. That is, most jobs or activities are the work of committees – I make a point to thank the contributors. Volunteers need to be recognized, rewarded, and thanked.

· It’s time to use my experience to benefit the whole Society.

What future enhancements would I like to see in the Society?

The basic description of STC states that “STC is an individual membership organization dedicated to advancing the arts and sciences of technical communication.” The key word I see is “individual.” I would love to see a program like I have observed in Toastmasters, where people complete a defined number of projects to achieve a certain level of recognition. They complete that level, and move on to more advanced projects to attain the next level, then the next. Toastmasters has a Communication track, as well as a Leadership track, so people can focus on different skills. Achievement is at an individual level, so the faster people work, the faster they reach their goals. Toastmasters has mentors and experienced leaders, just as we already have in STC – it would be great to use these resources to expand our knowledge. I feel that STC members would benefit by learning specific skills and receiving accreditation for these skills.

The work that has already been done to capture the STC Body of Knowledge is a fantastic resource. I hope that project continues to grow and that STC can soon provide certification.

I would like to see STC expand its membership base by advertising and sponsoring through educational institutions, engineering societies, and related professional organizations.

Most of us are aware that STC has been through a difficult period. I am not afraid of challenges. I’ve been a part of huge projects, such as the 2007 STC Regional Conference in Cleveland, and my company’s implementation of a content management software package, with excellent results. I know that change does not happen overnight. It takes determination and dedication to see a project through. I am ready for this challenge.

To see my experience and list of achievements, visit http://triciaspayer.com.

Please vote for me in the STC 2010 elections. Thank you!


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Nicky Bleiel — STC Candidate for Director

I am currently serving on the Society for Technical Communication Board of Directors and am running for another two-year term as a Director-At-Large.

My past two years on the Board have been interesting, challenging, and important. Interesting because I have learned a great deal, challenging because of the hurdles we faced, and important because the Society is at a critical juncture.

"Change" has been a hallmark of the last year, and STC has been no different. We have made many changes to the way we have always done things. We made difficult decisions and took difficult actions, all with the intent to strengthen the Society. We made no decisions without careful deliberation and research. So far, those choices have had the intended effect. But there is still work to be done.

I would like to continue to serve as a Director so that I can see a number of initiatives through and continue the momentum. Specifically, I want to continue work on creating additional revenue sources for the Society (such as Summit@aClick, new educational opportunities, Amazon and Café Press merchandise sales), helping members in need (for example, Job Seeker Bootcamp and Member Recovery Packages), adding more member value (for example, STC's Notebook blog, the new Member Logo program), and further enhancing the Recognitions program.

In addition to my Board experience, my STC experience includes five years as a chapter leader (including President of the Pittsburgh Chapter), a competitions judge, a conference and webinar speaker, and a regional conference planner. I have 15 years of experience as a technical communicator in the software industry. I am heavily involved in the profession, and am a frequent speaker at many conferences, including STC, WritersUA, tcworld, LavaCon, and DocTrain. I have written articles for Intercom, tcworld, TechCom Manager, and more. My areas of expertise include embedded help, tools and technologies, user assistance design, single sourcing, wikis, Web 2.0, and convergence technical communication.

To learn more about me, please see my website: http://www.nickybleiel.com/. It includes my biography; a list of recommendations from members; a list of my presentations, articles, and podcasts; and a rundown of my service to STC over the years.

Here are just a few of the recommendations I’ve received from members:

I wholeheartedly endorse Nicky for a second term as member of the STC Board of Directors. In addition to being an effective technical communicator, Nicky understands the challenges that the profession and the Society need to address. STC membership will benefit greatly from her contributions."
Sarah O'Keefe
President, Scriptorium Publishing Services
STC Associate Fellow

"Over the past three years, I have witnessed Nicky's strength and excellence on the STC Board of Directors. She cares about STC, knows when to make the hard decisions, and always looks at problems from as many perspectives as possible to find the "truth" of the matter. I'm convinced that the STC BoD is stronger and more successful because of Nicky's presence."
Linda Oestreich
Manager, SSM Documentation, Hewlett-Packard
STC Fellow and Past President

Please vote for me when you receive your ballot. Polls open March 9. (Reminder: you must renew your membership by Feb. 28th to be eligible to vote.)

Thank you.








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