Happy New AWC Year!

By Dara Quackenbush, 2012-2013 AWC Austin Chapter President

June 1 is the beginning of the new board year for AWC Austin and every new year is a time of celebration and a time of planning. Recently our new board had its retreat where we spent the day preparing for the new year.

One thing struck me as we went around the room discussing why we each joined AWC Austin – the importance of the relationships we’ve each developed being part of this organization. Many folks joined the organization for their career but found it gave them so much more.

I am amazed by the caliber of women who offered to serve on the board this year. From senior communicators to young professionals just starting out, these ladies are full of ideas and enthusiasm for AWC Austin. I am honored that each of them are serving with me this year.

At the retreat, the board outlined five key areas we want to focus on this year:

Membership – we do a great job signing up new members, but we don’t always get our new members involved and bring them into the fold. We want to do better with that this year. We also want to be more active in our recruitment, specifically in the area of diversity.
Website – this year we want to give our website a redesign. Amy Hufford has already volunteered for this project, and we look forward to getting it underway.
Mentors – We relaunched our mentor program a few years ago and this year we will look at ways to enhance it. We have members, as well as students from UT and Texas State student chapters, who are looking for mentors. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please complete our mentor volunteer form and we’ll be in touch.
Development – This year AWC Austin awarded $9,000 in scholarships. If we want to continue awarding this amount, and if we want to continue bringing in great speakers for Banner Brunch and Get Smart, we need to look at how we are raising money.
Programs – Our monthly luncheons are a great way to network and learn and it’s one of our best recruiting tools. We’ve had some great programs in the past because it has always been one of our key focuses.

To accomplish our five goals, the board needs your help. One of the best ways to get involved and build the great relationships AWC Austin offers is by volunteering. We are building a new volunteer database where you can sign up to become a volunteer. Please look for details to come. In the meantime, you can email members@wcaustin.org to volunteer.

I’m looking forward to serving you this year. If there is anything I can do for you, please feel free to email me at president@wcaustin.org.