Newsletter of the Society for Technical Communication, San Francisco Chapter
October/November 2005
| Newsletter of the Society for Technical Communication, San Francisco Chapter October/November 2005 |
The November meeting is on Wednesday, November 16, 2005, from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm at the Elephant & Castle in San Francisco's financial district. For details about the location and instructions for purchasing tickets, visit www.stc-sf.org/stc-meetings.htm.
The San Francisco Chapter STC celebrates its 25th anniversary with a panel of past, present, and future chapter leaders speaking on future trends in technical communication, with insights from the past.
Come enjoy a lively discussion among our panelists: past presidents Andrew Davis and Meryl Natchez, current president, Julia Cope, and new chapter member, Barbara Giammona. Find out where they think technical communication is headed in the Bay Area and hear some tales of earlier times in our chapter. Bring your questions and be prepared to add your insights.
The moderator, Barbara Giammona, relocated from New York City to the Bay Area in March 2005. She is currently a vice president at Morgan Stanley on assignment as a business analyst and formerly was the Manager of Communications for the Company IT Division. Barbara has been a technical communicator for more than 20 years and a manager of technical communicators for more than 15 years.
Barbara's article, "The Future of Technical Communication: How Innovation, Technology, Information Management, and Other Forces Are Shaping the Future of the Profession," published in Technical Communication, the Society's journal in August 2004, was the recipient of the Frank R. Smith Award for Distinguished Technical Communication.
Andrew Davis was a Tech Writer of sysadmin and developer docs for 8 years before starting Synergistech Communications in 1995. Synergistech was a respected recruiting firm for technical writers and similarly skilled professionals in the Bay Area until its 'hibernation' in late 2001. Andrew is now readying Synergistech "v2.0", as a full-spectrum IT recruiting firm, not one focused only on information developers. He is currently filling requisitions for all kinds of IT professionals on the West Coast and even as far afield as China.
Andrew was chapter president in 1993-94.
Julia Cope is an assistant vice president and Communications Manager for Wells Fargo's Private Client Services (PCS) in San Francisco. As part of the Internal Communications team, she currently manages the PCS Intranet, fulfilling the duties of project manager, editor-in-chief, information architect, graphic designer, and content strategist for an audience of 6,000+ financial services and support personnel.
Julia is the current president of the San Francisco Chapter STC and has served as vice president and webmaster.
Meryl Natchez has been CEO of TechProse since 1982. TechProse specializes in providing technical writing and training for clients in corporate and public sectors. Meryl developed TechProse from a single-person operation to a corporation with over 75 employees. An alumna of Harvard University, Meryl has received numerous awards for business development and community service. She is a founder of OPTIC, a nonprofit organization that provides low-income Contra Costa residents with technology, literacy, and life skills to become economically self-sufficient.
Meryl was chapter president in 1991-1993.
Copyright © 2005 by the Society for Technical Communication, San Francisco Chapter (www.stc-sf.org). This article may be reprinted in another STC publication under the provisions of the chapter's copyright policy.