Date & Time: May 26 2005, 7pm
Location: Restaurant Thoumieux, Paris 7e
Speakers:
Stuart Culshaw, VP France Chapter
Vici Koster-Lenhardt, STC Region 2 Director Sponsor
12 members and 2 non-members attended our AGM evening dinner event on Thursday May 26 at the Thoumieux restaurant in Paris. In addition to electing the new members of the STC France Board, enjoying some good food and wine and networking with colleagues, the meeting aimed to encourage those present to get involved in thinking about the future of our chapter. Nearly everyone present took up the challenge and completed the volunteer questionnaire form, offering their skills and a bit of time to assist in the creation and running of our projects and working committees over the coming year.
New board members were elected at the meeting. In addition to the members present there were 15 electronic votes. Thanks to everyone who participated. The STC France Chapter board for 2005-6 is as follows:
President: Stuart Culshaw
Vice President: Jennifer O Neill
Secretary: Ellen Lebelle
Treasurer: No one ran for Treasurer, so Ellen will be doubling up as treasurer until we're able to find a willing volunteer. If you're interested in this role, please contact a member of the board!
We had one France chapter member come in from afar for this meeting: Ami Wright, from Boston, who organized her trip to France around the date of the meeting. It was great to meet her and she was able to renew contact with the chapter.Other attendees included both recent and returning members, and Marie-Louise Flacke, member of the Conseil des Rédacteurs Techniques and vice-president of INTECOM.
Vici Koster-Lenhardt, our STC Regional Director-Sponsor, was our special guest at the meeting and she provided us with some interesting feedback from the recent STC conference in Seattle on the changes and innovations going on within the STC worldwide.
Vici was in Paris to lead the newly-elected and out-going members of the STC France Board through two days of intensive strategic planning. These strategic meetings took place all day Friday and Saturday following the dinner event and provided the opportunity for the Board to develop ideas and strategies for building a more effective chapter.
Many chapters are facing the same challenges as the STC France Chapter - finding volunteers, having well-attended and effective meetings and ensuring leadership continuity and membership growth. It's always good to know that you are not alone and that, because others are dealing with the same problems, some solutions are out there!
With Vici's help, we worked through the STC Rechartering Exercise, designed to focus in on ways to improve the value that our chapter provides to members and to the community at large and at the end of the two days we had established a number of policies and objectives for the coming year and beyond, as well as a provisional calendar of events and an ambitious list of To-Do's. More information to follow!