New Beginnings for WCA

The new 2013-14 board for Women Communicators of Austin came together for their board retreat in mid-June full of energy and ideas for the year ahead. As our organization embraces a new name and an independent status, we were excited to talk about the opportunities that lay ahead in the coming year. We also looked back at the significant accomplishments of the past year and spent time getting to know each other to truly appreciate the different talents and perspectives each person brings to this incredible board.

A big thanks to Julie Tereshchuk for taking us through our organization’s three-year strategic plan, which provided a framework for goal-setting. The plan is based on member and non-member surveys and provides substantial feedback for growing our organization into Austin’s most relevant resource for communications professionals. Our board will be working with the following three priority areas set by the plan and developing goals that align with specific needs arising from our new independent status.

Engagement: We’re looking at new ways to make sure our members can easily make connections and grow both professionally and personally. We’re doing an excellent job of recruiting new members and bringing back some familiar faces, but we’re also focused on engaging and retaining the members we have, as well as engaging the communications community as a whole. Among our goals is to diversify our membership in multiple areas, including industry, specialization, race, age and gender through outreach and programming.

Programming: We’ll be building more value into our programs, with a focus on takeaways that you can bring back to your business. Look for innovative programming beginning with our September 13th Get Smart conference!

Operational Excellence: We’re a growing organization and have some remarkable opportunities ahead. To make sure we grow strong, we’re focused on putting a solid foundation in place with excellent member communications, streamlined membership processes, robust development programs and consistent brand messaging for our new identity. Our new website launched this spring and we’ll be growing that along with an internal Wiki to help our volunteers find the resources they need and communicate more efficiently.

We have a fantastic year ahead and many great volunteer opportunities! If you are interested in serving, please fill out our online volunteer form or email members@wcaustin.org. I’m looking forward to serving this year as your president. Please email me at president@wcaustin.org if I can be of any help.

Susan Jahns

WCA President