By: Alex Garcia
President
(Orlando Central) Florida Chapter, STC
president@stc-orlando.org

What a momentous past couple of weeks, as I saw not one, but two of my presidential visions come to life. First, your Chapter’s Leadership Development Program (LDP) has softly launched. The LDP, carefully driven by Education Committee Co-Chair Dan Voss and Chapter Historian Mike Murray (both STC Fellows), was an idea I have been toying with for years. The reality of life is that as people retire and leave organizations, certain intangibles leave with them. There is a formidable set of STC Fellows and Senior Members in your Chapter who possess organizational knowledge and leadership skills that need to be passed down. At the same time, our mentoring program has harvested the cream of the crop of less experienced Technical Communicators, who continue to step up into Chapter leadership. The time is now for a knowledge transfer to commence—before that knowledge drives off in a Winnebago. Stay tuned in the months to come for updates about the progress of this monumental program.

Secondly, and most importantly… 

“Members and Friends of the Florida Chapter STC…” That has a pretty nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Well, everyone, it is OFFICIAL! The STC Board of Directors has approved your Orlando Central Florida Chapter’s evolution into the Florida Chapter STC. This endeavor is about 18 months in the making, since your Chapter merged with the Suncoast Chapter (and really since 2012 when we welcomed the Space Tech Chapter into our fold). After our investment in capabilities to share your Chapter’s programs and resources with members throughout Florida, we are very grateful that STC has ratified your Chapter’s name change, and we believe it will allow professional communicators to grow wherever they live in Florida. Please bookmark your Chapter’s new website address: www.stcflorida.org.

Leveraging on his 45 years of Communications experience with Lockheed Martin, I asked W.C. Wiese to pen a press release announcing this momentous occasion. It appears below:

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                           Contact:

20 March 2018                                                                     W.C. Wiese (407) 356-4792                                                                                                       gt6pilot@aol.com

STC Announces Expanded Professional Resource
for Technical Communicators in Florida

Recognizing the outreach initiatives of its only professional chapter in Florida, the Board of Directors of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) has renamed the Orlando Central Florida Chapter as the Florida Chapter. The new name recognizes an expanded service area and a dynamic change in the way local chapter operates.

For years, the former Orlando Central Florida Chapter has provided programming and leadership for professionals beyond the Orange/Seminole County area. By implementing local subgroups and offering them access to budget resources, the Chapter now serves professionals in other parts of the state, including Tampa Bay, the Space Coast, and Jacksonville. Outreach continues to ensure that members in South Florida, and outside of Florida in some cases, feel a greater connection to STC and have access to educational resources.

The Chapter has been recognized nine times as a Chapter of Distinction—STC’s highest recognition.

STC 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. Through a growing global community, the Society and its members set global standards and provide professional certification for technical communicators. Information about STC can be found on its website at www.stc.org. Information about the Florida Chapter is available on its website at http://www.stcflorida.org.