President's Message

Wow, another program year is almost gone! In a couple months, we'll be recognizing all the volunteers who make this chapter run: the elected officers, the managers, the newsletter contributors, and the one-time folks who gave freely of their time. None of us get paid in money for what we do for the STC, but we definitely gain in other areas: time management, project management, people management, and networking opportunities. As the late Margot Beutler used to say, "Why not volunteer for this job? Another bullet on your resume!" I have several bullets on my resume that all have to do with STC – competition judge, publicity manager, competition manager, and elected officer. Even though I've never been a project manager on the job, I can now point to my experience with STC and say I've managed a volunteer organization. Our chapter always has volunteer opportunities open for even the shortest time block. We want to hear from you, even if you only have an hour or two to spare. You can reach our Volunteer Coordinator, Mairi-Kate Campbell, at volunteer@stcwvc.org.

The annual chapter election is scheduled for late April/early May. All active members of the chapter are eligible to vote. Watch for the announcement. You'll be voting for a 1st Vice President instead of a 2nd Vice President. Our current 2nd VP, Kathee Kuvinka, is stepping down from the leadership due to family and job obligations. We wish her the best of luck! Maralee Sautter, the current 1st Vice President, will step into the role of President on June 17th at the End of the Year Banquet. With her experience as the first president of the Rose City student chapter, and her year as 1st VP, I'm sure she'll do an admirable job of leading this chapter into the future.

Currently, STC is undergoing a transformation. Several articles were published in the February Galley from the members of the Transformation Team. On February 18 th and March 17th , I also listened in on Transformation broadcast conference calls. The members of the team are providing more information on how STC is restructuring itself to be a value-added proposition to its members. Watch this newsletter and the announcement list for future news about this transformation.

As we prepare to wrap up one program year and move on to the next, the chapter leadership will be asking you to provide input on a variety of topics with a survey. Please take our survey when it is announced – it is one of the tools we use to make the program year valuable for you.

Rachel Houghton
President, Willamette Valley Chapter