About STCSTC's strategic goals guide the organization's leadership as they decide where to direct the energy and resources of both member volunteers and staff over the next two to three years. STC values its members and its communities, and seeks to advance the profession by continually improving our core strengths of education and social-media networking. Each task listed below is part of an action plan that identifies specific work items, timelines, and people (volunteers and STC staff) responsible for bringing the task to completion. The Board of Directors will continuously evaluate and monitor these outlined strategic goals to ensure that they remain relevant and targeted.Society for Technical CommunicationSTCSTC is the world's largest and oldest professional association dedicated to the advancement of the field of technical communication. The Society’s members span the field of the technical communication profession and reach across every industry and continent. In fact, the Society has members in almost 50 countries and is continuing to grow rapidly outside of North America and Europe. Through a growing global community, the Society and its members set the global standards for technical communication. The Society’s award-winning publications, Intercom and Technical Communication, are widely read in the field of technical communication, and its annual conference is one of the most-attended technical communication events of the year. The Society, its geographic Chapters, and its Special Interest Groups (SIGs) produce a wide array of educational events throughout the year designed to advance the knowledge of members and promote technical communication education globally. STC educational events regularly feature the thought leaders and practitioners who represent the future of the profession.STC BOARD OF DIRECTORSSTC is governed on a Society level by an elected board of directors. In addition to the Society leaders, each of STC's more than 110 local chapters elects a set of officers.NICOLETTA A. BLEIELPresident - Nicky Bleiel is an STC Senior Member with 17 years of experience in technical communication; writing and developing information for software products in the documentation, media, industrial automation, simulation, and pharmaceutical industries. A popular conference speaker, she has presented talks at the STC Summit, WritersUA, tcworld, CIDM, and LavaCon on many topics, including embedded help, tools and technologies, user assistance design, single sourcing, wikis, social media, agile, and convergence technical communication.KATHERINE (KIT) BROWN-HOEKSTRAVice President - Kit Brown-Hoekstra is an STC Fellow, experienced professional, and small business owner with over 23 years of experience in technical communication. Her STC experience ranges from SIG manager and chapter president to international competitions manager, Society Nominating Committee, and Global Strategies Task Force co-chair, plus myriad other volunteer activities. As vice president, Kit would use her experience and industry knowledge to help STC chart and navigate the best course forward and to promote the profession globally.ALAN HOUSERImmediate Past President - Alan Houser has had a key role in planning the past five STC Summits, including serving as Program Manager for 2009/Atlanta and Conference Chair for 2010/Dallas and 2011/Sacramento. As a technical communication consultant, he deals with many different companies and business requirements, and as a popular conference speaker, he has had the opportunity to engage technical communicators from around the globe. Alan joined the the Society in 1993, is a past president of the Pittsburgh Chapter, and is an STC Fellow.JANE WILSONTreasurer - As STC Treasurer, Jane chairs the Finance and Investment Committee, which is responsible for the annual budget, financial reserves, and financial processes of the Society. Jane is a Senior Member of STC and belongs to the Atlanta Chapter, where she served as treasurer for five years. She is an information architect at GE Transportation Optimization Solutions, where she leads the information products group and is responsible for product documentation and training deliverables.ALYSSA FOXSecretary - Alyssa Fox is an STC Senior Member with over 15 years of experience in technical communication. She is currently the director of information development at an enterprise software company and manages a global team. She has served the Society in multiple Summit committee roles, including Program Chair, on the Intercom Advisory Board, and on various committees.BERNARD ASCHWANDENDirector at Large - Bernard Aschwanden has worked with STC communities online and in person for over 15 years. During this time he has talked to countless members, presented webinars, hosted events with partners, and attended and spoken at conferences on a local, regional, and national level. He has worked with many of the STC partners as well to help develop software and service solutions for people in technical communications. Bernard joined STC in 1997 and is a past president of a community and an STC Associate Fellow.RAY GALLONDirector at Large - Ray Gallon is the owner of Culturecom, a consultancy specializing in the marriage of user experience and user assistance. Culturecom offers clients a unified service that blends aspects of content strategy, information architecture, user experience and interface design, business analysis, and user assistance.DEANNE LEVANDERDirector at Large - Deanne Levander became an STC Fellow in 2010 and has been involved in STC leadership at both the local and the Society level for most of her career. She is currently the managing editor of the Technical Communication Body of Knowledge (TCBOK). Her experience with local and Society activities includes chapter, conference, and competition leadership that started with her participation as a member.BEN WOELKDirector at Large - Ben Woelk, architect and former team lead of the Community Affairs Committee Outreach Team, is a Senior Member and a past president of the Rochester chapter, where he held a number of admin council positions. Ben works in the information security office at the Rochester Institute of Technology where he’s responsible for policy development and security awareness communications and training. He teaches courses at RIT in cyber self-defense and effective technical communication, and is a past co-chair of the awareness and training working group of the EDUCAUSE Higher Education Information Security Council.STC StaffThe Society’s staff represents the core operational team responsible for developing, planning, and managing the entire portfolio of products and services offered by STC.CHRIS LYONSExecutive Director - Technical communication is an art and science that billions benefit from daily. Every time information is accessed on a device as expected and every time an explanation or instruction is clearly understood, someone is enjoying the efforts of a skilled technical communicator. It’s ironic that the higher the quality of the product, the less the user recognizes that it is right there in their hands and mind.GREG LARSENDirector of Finance and Administration - I see the Finance Department delivering great customer service while following best business practices and maintaining financial integrity. Our members expect and deserve to have their resources used in a responsible manner with appropriate accountability. Complete, accurate, and timely financial information is critical to every organization in order to successfully accomplish their mission and we will deliver.STACEY O'DONNELLDirector of Member and Corporate Engagement - To guarantee STC longevity, we must continually review member needs. We must provide value to new members as well as more experienced members. STC will develop valuable new products and services for its membership, which will not only enhance the membership experience from year to year, but also support STC members in all phases of their careers. Through this, STC members can continually look to the Society as a stronghold for the advancement of their professional careers today and in the future.LIZ POHLANDDirector of Communications; Intercom Editor - My vision for Intercom and all STC publications is that they are cutting-edge and address a wide readership, providing both a venue for essential research and practical examples/applications of technical communication in a space fostering open knowledge sharing and conversation. With one foot in industry and one in the academy, I hope to lead STC in providing clear communication within its publications and also in balancing the relationship between research and practice.LLOYD TUCKERDirector of Meetings and Education - Education is the most valuable product an organization can offer its members or employees. While STC currently offers tremendous educational opportunities, I envision the time when STC has an education and training program that is without peer in either the nonprofit or private technical communication world.KEVIN CUDDIHYMedia Manager; Intercom Assistant Editor - Writing at its core is meant to inform, to educate, or to entertain. The best writing, I believe, does all three. My goal is to assist in making sure the STC publications fulfill that promise (with as few distracting mistakes as humanly possible). Be it Intercom, Technical Communication, STC's Notebook blog, or any of the emails or other communication from STC, I want it to be the most interesting and free of errors it can be.KOBLA FIAGBEDZIWeb & Systems AdministratorELAINE GILLIAMMeeting Manager/Communities Relations - My role as meetings manager will be to create the best possible environment for the members of STC and other technical communication professionals to learn from the experts, have the opportunity to improve their skills and to spend time exchanging ideas with each other. STC is the leading professional organization for the industry and the best source for information. I look forward to assisting in making the conferences the definitive meeting place.MEGAN MCBROOMMembership Services Manager - Working in membership is about supporting the needs of our members. My goal for the membership department is to ensure that we are providing excellent service and helping people take advantage of the full range of benefits STC can provide. Our members deserve to have the best support possible to help promote and advance their careers and I will do everything I can to ensure that we taking care of those needs.CHERYL MILLERMembership Services Coordinator - Membership is the heartbeat of any association. It is my role to provide assistance to the membership department so that we as a team are able to give excellent service and communicate to our members the significance and value of STC membership. Our membership department supports the mission of STC to advance the theory and practice of technical communication, a mission that benefits consumers worldwide.REGINA TATUMEducation Coordinator - People don’t remember what you try to teach them, they only remember how they learned it. As the education coordinator, I am your direct link to the educational offerings at STC. They say that first impressions are always the ones that allow you to have a second encounter; my goal is to be the impression that keeps you coming back for more. I will strive to educate you through innovating the learning platform, and by offering thought-provoking content and hands-on training. I will bring it to fruition via our webinar series, virtual conferences, or by attending our Annual Summit. I look forward to being the one you remember now and in the future!Technical communication is recognized globally as an essential part of every organization’s competitive strategy.STC advances the practice and theory of technical communications and promotes the value of technical communicators globally.INNOVATIONWe cultivate and embrace new ideas, and we take the initiative. We are willing to take reasonable risks.INTEGRITYWe deal openly, honestly, and directly with customers, with business partners, and with each other. We adhere to the highest standards of business ethics, as reflected in our Ethical Principles.PROFESSIONALISMWe define and adhere to the best techniques, knowledge, and practices of the technical communication profession. We are the face of the profession to the world.RESPECTWe foster a culture of respect, where all are encouraged to share and nurture ideas as we work together to advance the profession.COMMITMENT We are passionate about the technical communication profession and dedicated to our mission of advancing it.TRANSPARENCYWe are open, honest, and direct in all our dealings. We act in ways that are visible, predictable, and understandable. We take responsibility for our actions.OPEN COMMUNICATIONWe communicate in a timely, effective, and appropriate way. We openly share information and actively seek the opinions of members, partners, industry, the academic community, and others toward the betterment of our members, the Society and the technical communication profession.INCLUSIONWe are a global organization committed to providing meaningful and relevant services to members, communities, partners, industry, and the academic community, throughout the world.LEADERSHIPWe have a clear vision of how our society and our profession can move forward, and we help others to understand and work toward our vision. We cultivate and value leadership within our society.Global LeadershipPROMOTE STC AS A GLOBAL LEADER IN TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION1Programs & ServicesDevelop, market, and deliver high-quality programs and services to meet the current and emerging needs of technical communicators.1.1Customers & MembersIncrease STC’s overall customer and member base by providing the most robust professional and educational resources available to technical communicators.1.2Volunteer LeadersIdentify, develop, equip, and recognize volunteer leaders, thereby contributing to their professional development. 1.3CommunicationCOMMUNICATE THE VALUE OF TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION2Awareness & PerceptionWork with government and standards organizations to increase awareness and provide an accurate perception of technical communication.2.1GovernmentStandards OrganizationsValue & StaturePromote the value and stature of technical communicators to employers and consumers. 2.2Employers ConsumersContributions DataAggregate, analyze, and publish data on the contributions made by technical communicators2.3Technical CommunicatorsTechnical Communication PracticeIMPROVE THE PRACTICE OF TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION3PublicationsMeet the informational needs of members and the profession through Society publications.3.1STC MembersProfessional Technical CommunicatorsProgramsDeliver high-quality programs that provide professional growth and skill development opportunities for technical communicators at all levels of experience.3.2Technical CommunicatorsCPTC Certification ProgramPromote the value of certification and the CPTC certification program.3.3Education ProgramsFoster constructive working relationships between industry and the academic community to implement high-value education programs for future communicators.3.4Industry Academic CommunityFuture CommunicatorsInternational StandardsContribute to international standards that positively impact the profession.3.5Social-Media Networking & Digital TechnologiesLeverage social-media networking and digital technologies to support member collaborations and professional development.3.6PartnershipsESTABLISH AND EXPAND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS4Shared GoalsFacilitate academic-industry partnerships to achieve shared goals.4.1SynergiesIdentify related organizations and explore potential synergies.4.2Related OrganizationsShared MethodsPursue shared methods to add educational value and demonstrate the value of professional memberships.4.3Best Practices & ProgramsSeek shared recognition of and research on best practices and programs.4.4Professional DefinitionDEFINE THE PROFESSION OF TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION5Skills & AptitudesIdentify and promote the skills and aptitudes that are associated with successful technical communicators.5.1Technical CommunicatorsCertificationRecognize competence in technical communication through certification.5.2RecognitionRecognize outstanding achievement in technical communication practice through recognition programs.5.3Ethical StandardsDefine and promote ethical standards for the profession.5.4Body of KnowledgeEstablish a body of knowledge for the profession.5.52013-08-28http://www.stc.org/about-stcOwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net