STC Florida’s Annual Spotlight Awards & Elections
By: Nick Ducharme
Acting President
Florida Chapter, STC
Friends,
This will be my final article for the 2018–2019 chapter year as the Florida Chapter’s Acting President (formerly our Vice President).
On Thursday, June 20th from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, STC Florida will host our annual awards ceremony. We will also hold our annual elections and install our new Administrative Council for 2019–2020. (Fun fact: I will literally be passing a gavel and giant hat to the new Chapter President!)
As with many of our initiatives this year—our first full term carrying the mantle of Florida Chapter—this ceremony will mark some notable firsts in STC Florida’s 41-year-long history:
- This will be our first awards ceremony that supports virtual attendance! We’d love for everyone to be able to join us onsite at the Chuy’s restaurant on Semoran Boulevard in Orlando. However, we’ve also interacted with many great folks from far outside the Central Florida area, and we’re committed to properly recognizing their efforts from this moment on.
- On that note, we’re rebranding this year’s ceremony to The Spotlight Awards! This namesake is a first. In addition to the many honors we traditionally bestow (such as the President’s Award, Active Member shirts, and congratulatory certificates), we’ll also be unveiling a new award called the Spotlight Award. The purpose of this award is to honor someone’s extraordinary efforts that have not been fully in the public consciousness. I believe this objective will grow in importance with each passing year as we continue to connect with technical communicators throughout Florida and beyond.
- Another (potential) first: We’ll be raffling off a limited-edition STC Florida cap! Any chapter member in virtual or physical attendance will be eligible to win.
Naturally, STC Florida’s Annual Spotlight Awards & Elections is free to attend. We only ask that those attending in-person please purchase some food/beverages to support the restaurant that is hosting us. Guests are absolutely welcome; please include them in your RSVP count. I hope you can join us either virtually or in-person for this Thursday’s celebratory event—and perhaps win a chapter cap in the process!