A message from Ellen Vander Linden, Chair of the 2023-2024 IABC Pacific Plains Region (PPR) Board.
As communicators, we know a thing or two about change. As a regional board, we’ve had front row seats to recent changes underway at IABC.
At the Annual General Meeting in June, members voted for several changes to further our mission to sustain IABC as the leading professional association for business communicators. You can find a recap of the meeting and voting details on iabc.com.
Three things I want to highlight:
Region Finance Directors will sit on the International Finance Committee.
I believe this should drive increased collaboration and understanding around IABC finances. This can help us learn about and fine-tune the centralized finance model. A handful of chapters in the Pacific Plains Region (PPR) have opted in this year and we expect to learn a great deal from them.- Past chairs from each region will serve on the International Executive Board. This change begins with the 2024-2025 board year and should provide an avenue to share each region’s perspective at the international level. I believe this is increasingly important as we integrate new processes and operating structure.
- Taskforce 2.0 will kick off this month. The group will be comprised of IABC leaders from international and regional boards. They are charged with figuring out how we operationalize the vision put forth by the Operational Taskforce (1.0) earlier this year. We expect to remain close to this work so we can offer guidance to chapter leaders and advocate for our region’s best interests.
The PPR board is just beginning to form our goals for the year. In fact, as I write this, the PPR board is finalizing plans to meet in person this fall. Our efforts will focus on supporting and developing IABC leaders, engaging our growing numbers of members at large, and driving member retention and recruitment.
We will continue to shine a spotlight on opportunities to engage with IABC content across our region. In July, I attended both an IABC Seattle ProTalk and a presentation from Shel Holtz, hosted by IABC San Francisco. It’s awesome we can connect so easily with peers and experts 1000 miles away from our own desks.
IABC PPR will host our own virtual professional development event on August 16. Registration for The Latest IC Insights and Trends, Including the Emergence of Generative AI is free to members and non-members. Invite a friend, co-worker or client!
I am thrilled our board members represent all corners of our geographic region. Thank you to the following leaders who I’ll work alongside this board year.
Kristie King, Vice Chair (San Francisco Bay Area)
Tammy Nienaber, Past Chair (Minnesota)
Jay Farrell, Communications Director (San Francisco Bay Area)
Kay LaCoe, Finance Director (Great Plains)
Kathy Arizon, Chapter Advocate (Seattle)
Mike Godfrey, Chapter Advocate (San Diego)
Tami Wendt, Chapter Advocate (Minnesota)
Lynda Carlisle, Member at Large Advocate (Chicago)
We’d love to hear from you. Please reach out to us with your ideas and questions.
Sincerely,
Ellen Vander Linden, SCMP
IABC PPR Chaire