News from Our STC Phoenix Officers - Jan, Miachelle, David, and Kim
Happy New Year, STC Phoenix Chapter members and affiliates! We hope that 2012 finds all of you doing well and that this new year brings you exciting challenges.
The Committee Managers and Administrative Council (CMAC) knows that many of you have questions, such as when our next meeting will be and what is going on! Following are details on chapter activities and upcoming events.
First, the CMAC would like you to know that we are here and we are fully engaged. This year, the chapter’s four elected officers will be taking a different approach to the handling of the chapter’s administrative affairs.
Chapter Changes
Open and frequent communication
We are going to be more communicative about chapter issues, such as our financial status, interactions with STC headquarters, and the content of our CMAC monthly meetings. You deserve to know what is going on and how we are handling your issues and concerns. Your elected officers are fully committed to this goal. We will post our CMAC meeting minutes for all chapter members to read; you can see the issues we discuss, how they are being resolved, and by whom.
Meetings
In the past, chapter meetings were held on the second Tuesday of each month. At the end of 2011, we surveyed chapter members and learned that a change is needed. One of the most consistent comments was a need to change when meetings are held; many also felt meetings were too frequent.
We listened! For 2012, our chapter’s quarterly program meetings will occur on different days. In addition to program meetings, we will have Open Mic Night in April — a networking meeting.
This year, we will also be reaching out to fellow organizations by inviting them to our meetings. A fee of only $5 will be charged to attendees who are not affiliated with the Phoenix Chapter or STC.
We will no longer have our meetings at the Hilton Hotel. That approach requires a signed contract and fee commitments that our budget can no longer support. Instead, we will find different locations where you may purchase your own meals/refreshments.
Administrivia
The CMAC has come to realize that certain fundamental administrative functions have lapsed. The focus for the first six months of 2012 will be to get those administrative functions back in order. One impact of this will be to work toward qualifying for the STC Community Achievement Award again.
Upcoming Events
Following are upcoming events for the STC Phoenix Chapter:
- February Meeting: Our first chapter meeting will be held February 23, 2012. We are still identifying a location, but save the date! Our guest speaker will be ASU Professor Barbara D’Angelo, who will speak on copyright issues. You may be surprised at what you learn! Watch your email and this website for more information soon.
- 2012 Membership Drive: It’s that time of year again! At the end of 2011, we had 80 chapter members, and we would like to see a high rate of renewal. Membership fees are $250, or $215 without a chapter or SIG affiliation. STC is once again offering four monthly installment payments to ease the burden of the membership costs. Visit http://www.stc.org/ to renew.
- Chapter Drawing: The Phoenix Chapter will also be offering a renewal incentive: renew by February 29th, and at the March CMAC meeting we’ll hold a drawing for a $50 and a $25 Amazon gift card! Entry into the drawing is automatic with your STC renewal.
- NAU Partnership: In addition to our ongoing partnership with ASU, we have begun to collaborate with the Professional and Technical Writing faculty of NAU. Stay tuned for news on upcoming chapter/university projects.
- April’s Open Mic Night: Back by popular demand, “Open Mic Night” will take place the third week of April (exact date to be determined). The topic for this Open Mic is “BYOD” (Bring Your Own Device). Have a favorite app? Have a tool you love? How about a funny story about your experiences with a particular tool or device? Come share it, and network with fellow technical communicators. More information to come.
- Arizona Science and Engineering Fair 2012: AzSEF is just around the corner! Last year AzSEF Committee Chair Miachelle DePiano converted the initial round of judging to an online process, with the final round of judging taking place at the Phoenix Convention Center. This year, AzSEF takes place April 2-4, and Miachelle will be looking for volunteer judges again. The online process was a success, with just a few tweaks needed for this year. If you are interested in volunteering as a judge, please contact Miachelle at azsef@stc-phoenix.com.
- Volunteering: Speaking of volunteers, when it comes to non-profit organizations like ours…it does take a village! We can always use volunteers to help with STC Phoenix activities! We are currently prioritizing the projects we need to tackle for the coming year and we will be sending out more information about specific needs in the near future. If you have a volunteer idea in mind now, though, please contact Jan at president@stc-phoenix.com or Miachelle at vice_president@stc-phoenix.com.
The Nominations Committee is pleased to announce the election of our 2012 administrative council. These STC Phoenix Chapter members ran unopposed and were elected unanimously:
- President: Jan Kruse
- Vice President: Miachelle DePiano
- Secretary: David Goldberg
- Treasurer: Kim Rosenlof
Nineteen of 72 eligible members voted during the November 1 to November 8 election. The election was held online again this year using the iContact system.
The administrative council is the decision-making body of the chapter and is composed of the elected officers and the immediate past president, Kathy Graden. They take office on January 1, 2012 and serve through December 31, 2012.
Congratulations to our new administrative council and thanks to everyone who voted!
Mobile devices are everywhere – but how effective are they as learning devices? Brent Schlenker, fresh from the DevLearn 2011 conference in Las Vegas, will answer this question and many more, at the quarterly STC Phoenix chapter meeting. What better way to celebrate Arizona’s Tech. Comm. Week than with your fellow technical communicators! Bring your questions and join the discussion on Thursday, November 10! (Please note this is a date change.)
We’ll also be voting on the new chapter bylaws, which include a provision for student members to vote in future elections. Please plan to attend the meeting if you would like to see this provision approved.
About the Speaker – Brent Schlenker
Brent Schlenker is a program manager and Emerging Technologies Analyst for The eLearning Guild. He has a degree in Media Arts from UofA, and a Masters in EdTech from ASU. He worked as a contractor for Intel while finishing his masters degree. He then spent some time with SGS Thomson Microelectronics, a little time with an eLearning startup, and then back to Intel for 10 years while he started his family. In 2005, he started blogging and that was engine that kickstarted the rest of his career. Check out his blog. He has worked with internationally recognized futurist Elliot Masie and has been with the Guild for almost 5 years programming DevLearn, doing research, and working as an Emerging Technologies Analyst.
Meeting Details
Thursday, November 10, 2011
5:30 p.m. Check-in & Networking
6:00 p.m. Dinner
6:30 p.m. Announcements/bylaws vote - chapter members
7:00-8:15 p.m. Program
Door prize drawing for Designing mLearning by Clark N. Quinn.
Location
Radisson Hotel Phoenix Airport
427 North 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85008
Note that in response to our member survey, we plan to offer a few different venues for our future quarterly meetings.
Dinner Selections
Chicken Marsala – lightly coated chicken breasts braised with Marsala wine and mushrooms
Salmon with mango salsa
Rice Pilaf
Green Beans Almondine
Also included is a tossed green salad, rolls, iced tea, coffee and dessert.
Registration/Cost Information
All attendees:
- Early registration via PayPal: $25
- At the door: $27
- Program Only: $15
Registration Deadline
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
No-shows will be billed.
Register Online
To register for this event, please click here.
The Nominations Committee is pleased to present our slate of candidates for the STC Phoenix Chapter election. Elected officers will serve from January 1 through December 31, 2012. A link to the online ballot will be emailed to all current chapter members, except student members, by November 1. You can vote in the election from November 1 through November 8, 2012.
Jan Kruse – Candidate for President
Jan Kruse joined the Phoenix Chapter in 1998 and has been an active member since 2009 when she became Program Manager. Prior to that, she served as STC Exhibit Manager and as a judge at the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair
For the past 25 years, Jan has developed user’s guides, user assistance, and training guides primarily for the financial software industry. Jan has also volunteered her time to create training/user guides for Ronald McDonald House and ABCD (After Breast Cancer Diagnosis), Inc. She is currently working as a contractor at Rockwell Automation, Inc
Jan was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and began her technical writing career there after a few years working as a speech pathologist. She is interested in how collaboration and technology are changing the field of Technical Communication and how to successfully influence and adapt to those changes.
Miachelle DePiano – Candidate for Vice President
Miachelle DePiano, our membership manager who will continue to manage the membership committee if she is elected vice president, has been an active member of STC since 2007. She has been active with the AzSEF committee for the last four years, co-chairing in 2010 with Gloria McConnell and chairing in 2011. For the 2011 AzSEF competition, Miachelle orchestrated online judging for the initial round of papers, making it easier for judges to determine who the finalists would be
Miachelle is a technical writer with Intel, and a freelance photographer and journalist for Go Gilbert! magazine. She is a military veteran of the U.S. Army, and her military career was the foundation for her becoming a technical writer. She graduated from ASU in May 2008 with a B.S. in Multimedia Writing and Technical Communication. As a technical writer, she is interested in how social media are changing the industry, as well as how technological advances will change documentation creation and use. She is married and has two children and three dogs.
David Goldberg – Candidate for Secretary
David Goldberg has been a member of the Phoenix chapter for several years and the Dallas chapter before that. He is a technical writer/analyst for JDA Software in Scottsdale and produces online help, installation guides, administrator guides, release notes, and other release materials for a variety of enterprise supply-chain optimization products. He worked for Sabre Technology Solutions in Dallas in a similar writer capacity
David has an interest in collaboration tools and approaches for globally dispersed product teams and SMEs, as well as technological trends that will change the ways we create and communicate information. He is originally from Boston, one of triplets, and enjoys sports, tennis, theatre, and his two wonderful dogs.
Kim Rosenlof – Candidate for Treasurer
Greetings, fellow Phoenix Chapter STC members! My name is Kim Rosenlof and I am running for Chapter Treasurer. A Senior Member of STC, I have been a member of the Phoenix Chapter continuously since 1997. I have presented at two chapter meetings, participated as a CARSEF and Publication, Art and Online competition judge, and spoken at the Southwest Region STC conference. I also served as Membership Chair of the Instructional Design and Learning SIG
Although I am currently self-employed as an instructional designer and marketing communications professional, my work experience includes technical writing/instructional design positions at Data Dimensions, Honeywell, and TraCorp. Often I’m able to split my time between technical and creative writing projects and have published more than 300 articles in about 25 different magazines.
Would you like to get a different perspective on the Technical Communication field? Or perhaps meet and mingle with a new group of people?
Here’s your chance! The Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association (RMMLA) is holding its annual convention in Scottsdale.
When: October 6-8, 2011
Where: Chaparral Suites Resort, 5001 N. Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ
Cost: Free for STC Phoenix Chapter Members! (Non-member fee is $20.00)
Registration: Pre-registration is highly recommended. Email Jan at programs@stc-phoenix.com by September 30, to pre-register. (To register at the convention, use the email sent to members or your STC identification card to identify yourself as a member of STC.)
Over 50 sessions will be held; the Professional and Technical Writing group has four technical communication sessions and two sessions on writing programs… more
Despite the looming bad weather, the “show” went on at the Spaghetti Factory!
New members, loyal chapter members, large & small businesses, consultants, and academics were all represented. Thanks to all for taking the stage to tell your stories. We hope to hear more in the future!
For more stories (unrelated to Tech Comm), check out Arizona Storytellers.
Profiling the Local Tech. Comm. Community
We all have stories to tell! Here’s your chance to talk about your role as a technical communicator. Take the floor for five minutes to give us a snapshot of your world: share where you work, your challenges, your successes, or perhaps offer some advice. We’d like to hear from you…
This program promises to be entertaining and may give you some insight as to where to look and what to look for in your next position. Come to speak or just listen to others. Plenty of time for networking with those speakers you find intriguing. Walk away with a fuller understanding of Arizona’s technical communication community through listening to attendees’ stories.
Date: Tuesday, September 13th
Place: The Old Spaghetti Factory
Address: 1418 N. Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ (map)
Time: 5:30-8:00 p.m.
Check-in: Starts at 5:30 p.m.
Schedule: Dinner orders will be taken around 6:00. Chapter announcements will start around 6:45, followed by attendee stories. Members, non-members, and guests all will have a chance to be in the spotlight!
Cost: Order from the standard menu and pay your own tab… how much or how little you order is up to you…
R.S.V.P.: Please contact Jan at programs@stc-phoenix.com by Noon, September 13.
Former STC members, we miss you! Please consider the Society’s Alumni Incentive program. It is a great way to re-join the organization. For only $99 total (no reinstatement fee!), you will have membership through the end of the year. Plus, all of your previous years with STC will be restored as if you never left. This offer runs through September 30th. Learn more at http://www.stc.org/welcome-back.
By Kathy Graden
STC Phoenix Chapter President
I have some great news that I hope will please you.
Thanks to the feedback and suggestions you recently provided regarding the chapter’s future, and to the generosity of dedicated, loyal chapter members who have volunteered to lead the chapter next year, the Phoenix Chapter will remain alive and active, at least through the end of 2012!
Thank you to all who participated in our email and phone survey. We enjoyed talking with you and found your feedback to be very valuable. Seventy-two percent of the chapter members on our “permitted to contact” list responded to the phone or email survey. Some highlights:
- The overwhelming majority wanted to see the Phoenix Chapter remain intact and affiliated with STC.
- The top items that members valued from current chapter activities were: programs, expertise, and AZSEF.
- Members encouraged partnerships with other organizations and more frequent activities/information offered online.
- Members also suggested varied locations and days for meetings as a way to increase attendance at chapter meetings. Two members committed to volunteer their time to the chapter.
On August 9, I met with members of the Chapter Management and Advisory Council (CMAC) and other members concerned with the chapter’s well-being (specifically, Jan Kruse, Miachelle DePiano, Tom Barnett, Chanda Child, Debra Gabriel, David Goldberg, Robbie Proulx, and Kim Rosenlof) to discuss the survey results and determine next steps. We reviewed the implications of the survey results, the state of the chapter’s operations and finances, and came up with a plan to move forward between now and December 31, 2012.
Please read the series of questions and answers that describe the outcome of our meeting.
“Open Mic” Night at the Spaghetti Factory – Profiling the Local Tech. Comm. Community
Here’s your chance to highlight to others the role you play as a technical communicator. Take the floor for five minutes to give us a snapshot of your world at work: share where you work, your challenges, your successes, or perhaps offer some advice.
The program promises to be entertaining and may give you some insight as to where to look and what to look for in your next position. Come to speak or just listen to others. Plenty of time for networking with those speakers you find intriguing. Walk away with a fuller understanding of the Phoenix technical communication community through listening to attendees’ stories.
Date: Tuesday, September 13th
Place: The Old Spaghetti Factory
Address: 1418 N. Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ (map)
Time: 5:30-8:00 p.m.
Check-in: Starts at 5:30 p.m.
Schedule: Dinner orders will be taken around 6:00. Chapter announcements will start around 6:45, followed by attendee stories. Members, non-members, and guests all will have a chance to be in the spotlight!
Cost: Order from the standard menu and pay your own tab… how much or how little you order is up to you…
R.S.V.P.: Please contact Jan at programs@stc-phoenix.com by Noon, September 13.
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