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September 24, 2006
Call for Candidates: Public Information Co-ordinator
Hello, fellow IAFA members, particularly those of you who have an interest in becoming more involved with the association and working behind the scenes. After two terms as IAFA's Public Information Co-ordinator, I'm stepping down in order to run in the next board election (coming soon; stay tuned for more).
That means that there will be a need for a new Public Information Co-ordinator, who will be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the board, in accordance with IAFA bylaws.
The following is some information about the position; if you're interested in the position, please send an email to me, Chrissie Mains, at cemains AT shaw.ca, telling us a little about yourself and why you think you'll be a good fit for the position. I will be forwarding a list of interested parties to the board for further consideration. Anyone who is a member in good standing is eligible to apply, and that includes grad students (obviously, or else I wouldn't be doing the job).
Board Position: Public Information Co-ordinator
Effective: post-conference 2007 (transition period beginning, well, now-ish)
Term: 3 year appointment, renewable at the President's discretion
Duties: The Public Information Co-ordinator, shockingly enough, co-ordinates information. The job basically covers two functions: Public Relations and Secretary.
Public Relations:
* preparing and distributing the call for Papers in different venues
* updating the website (with conference information, award winners, etc.)
* posting announcements to the listserv and the Newsblog
* preparing flyers for the conference registration packets
* other PR tasks that might arise (like distributing a flyer via mailing list)
Secretary:
* taking minutes at meetings (which means attending meetings)
* participating in and archiving mailing list discussions
* serving as the Board's memory and, sometimes, nag
Time Required:
It's hard to set a definite number of hours per week or month for the position, as the duties vary depending on the time of year. Obviously there's a fair bit of work before, during, and after the conference. But I've had no trouble getting the work done while still juggling teaching, research, and other service commitments, so I don't think it's unreasonable, especially if you're a fairly well organized person.
One essential requirement, however, is the attendance at meetings. During the conference, the board meets on Wednesday evening, and holds a business meeting, usually on Thursday just before dinner. This does cut into the conference fun with friends, naturally. The other big commitment is the annual board meeting, which takes place over a weekend, usually in early June, in Florida; the expenses for this meeting are covered by the board, but it is a bit of an inconvenience.
I've taken on other tasks over the years, including preparing the program book, but those tasks aren't part of the PIC's responsibilities; however, if the new PIC is interested in helping out in that area, maybe in taking it over in the future, that's certainly a possibility. It just isn't a requirement.
Other Skills:
Aside from being organized and acting as the board memory, there are a few software skills that are required, basically a certain comfort level with updating websites and blogging, and some familiarity with InDesign is good (especially if you're interested in getting involved with the program book). And of course you should be able to mess around with MSWord.
If you have further questions, drop me an email. I've enjoyed my two terms as Public Information Co-ordinator, and I'm sorry to step aside. But I think I can continue to serve the association in other ways, and it's time for someone else to have some of the fun.
Chrissie
Posted by ChrissieMains at September 24, 2006 02:44 PM