Carol Lamarche and Lori Meyer
Carol Lamarche
In this introductory “Co-Managers’ Corner” column, I find myself saying hello and goodbye. Today is nearly my very last day as co-manager of the Technical Editing Special Interest Group (SIG), so these words are bittersweet.
What does one say at the end of such an assignment? (Besides whew!) Allow me to offer a retrospective.
In the last two years, I have seen the fruition of dreams, hard work, and perseverance. For example, the development of a programming committee, now led by the skillful and creative managers Ann Marie Queeney and Li-At Ruttenberg, has taken SIG programming to great heights. The SIG’s Diane Feldman scholarship has again proven the inspiration of many students in technical communication, in part through the generous contribution of the STC Carolina Chapter. And the development of new SIG volunteer awards has demonstrated that the Technical Editing SIG owes its success to those who contribute talent and time. Find the related article in this issue of Corrigo to see who scooped the first-ever awards!
It’s funny how quickly we become used to innovation. Eighteen months ago, at the STC Summit in Sacramento, SIG leaders dreamed about making webinars more prominent in our programs; now webinars have replaced our former telephone conferences. Two years ago, most of our programs were open to SIG members only; now all our programs are available to nonmembers, and our social media channels facilitate participation by a yet larger section of the technical communications community. (Our social media efforts are also garnering accolades. Special thanks to Rick Sapir and Andrea Wenger.)
But is the SIG community inspiring? In 2011 and 2012, the SIG and many of its members have won a host of awards and honors . The community garnered the STC Community of Distinction, Community of Excellence, and Pacesetter Awards, as well as other prizes. SIG members won honors such as Distinguished SIG Service Award, STC Associate Fellow, and STC Fellow.
On a personal level, the last two years as co-manager have been amazing. They have coincided with my best years as a communications specialist. Because I have volunteered with the SIG for half of my years in technical communication, I feel as though I grew up in the SIG. Collaborating with industry leaders and technical editing heroes has been instructive and exciting. Volunteer meetings, project work, and of course, STC Summit experiences all provided priceless opportunities.
It’s been an honor to work together with many accomplished professionals to maintain and grow the SIG. Particularly, it’s been a pleasure to work closely with my SIG co-managers and companions, Jeff Japp and Lori Meyer, and the very thorough treasurer Daniel Riechers.
I’m delighted to see the SIG flourishing. I’m confident that senior co-manager Lori Meyer (volunteer extraordinaire), incoming co-manager Louise Galindo (who has noble intention and a lot of drive to serve and promote the SIG), and the other talented SIG leaders will do a terrific job in steering the SIG in 2013.
To my fellow volunteers, SIG presenters, and other SIG members and colleagues, thank you for making these years so rich.
Warm regards,
Carol Lamarche
Lori Meyer
The past year has been an excellent one for the Technical Editing SIG. Here are some accomplishments of which we can all be proud:
Programs
Our programs in 2012 were both well-received and generated healthy revenue for the SIG. I am grateful to our quarterly meetings manager, Ann Marie Queeney, and our fundraising events manager, Li-At Ruttenberg, for all of their hard work in providing outstanding presenters. Additional thanks go to Li-At, who also managed watercooler chats for us. I also thank Andrea Wenger, who managed our webinar sessions, and Rick Sapir, who was always available to provide technical guidance when we needed it.
Three of our volunteers contributed an excellent session to the STC virtual conference on technical editing in October 2012. Many thanks go to co-manager Carol Lamarche and to program managers Li-At Ruttenberg and Ann Marie Queeney for a fine presentation about the Technical Editing SIG.
Scholarships
We were able to raise the amounts of our scholarships for the Diane Feldman memorial scholarship program. Rebekka Andersen did another exemplary job assembling a team to solicit scholarship candidates and evaluate scholarship applications. We also appreciate the financial contributions of the Carolina chapter to the scholarship fund.
STC Recognition and APEX Award
Because of our accomplishments in 2011, we were named an STC Community of Excellence and a recipient of the STC Pacesetter Award. Our website also once again received the APEX award, a third-party award that recognizes publishing excellence. Many thanks go to Rick Sapir for his hard work in building a comprehensive wiki-based site, and to all of the volunteers who contributed content.
New SIG Awards Program
This year also marks the beginning of a new initiative for our SIG: a new SIG-specific awards program. Its purpose is to complement the recognition programs offered by STC, and provide additional opportunities to honor the work of our volunteers. The program provides two awards: Volunteer of the Year, and New Volunteer. We launched the program late in 2012, and are proud to have our first award recipients.
Finally, I would like to offer a heartfelt thanks to all of you who have contributed to the SIG’s success through your hard work and dedication to advancing both the SIG and the technical editing profession. Because of you, we continue to thrive as an award-winning STC special interest group—one of the largest and most active in STC.
Carol, thank you for all you have done over the past two years to lead, inspire, teach, motivate, organize, and build. Our SIG is stronger for it, and you have my deepest gratitude. It has been an honor to work with you.
Looking forward to a terrific 2013!
With warm regards,
Lori Meyer