Welcome fellow technical communicators to our new monthly newsletter. 

We've got "bunches" going on. On September 21, 6 pm, we will have our first
meeting of the year. This will be a networking meeting. Come get to know
your fellow communicators and find out about our plans for this upcoming
year. We are working on finding a great location and will be announcing the
"where" shortly.

Next up is PCOC, our Practical Conference on Communication. It's October 8-9
in Nashville. We've got great speakers coming from all over the country.
It's an opportunity to learn, meet fellow communicators, and most
importantly, advance your career. There's also a pre-conference workshop on
Captivate on Thursday, October 7. To find out more details, and to register,
visit http://pcoc.stc-etc.org.

A note regarding the Millennium Maxwell House hotel in Nashville: Some of
the larger hotels in the Nashville area have not yet reopened after
Nashville's severe flooding a few months ago. The Millennium never closed
its doors, and it has become a hotel in demand for weekend visitors.
Saturday night rooms are going fast, and the hotel is expecting to be full
during the weekend of our conference. If you haven't booked a room, be sure
to visit our registration page and reserve a space at the $95 rate.

Our new officers for the year held a planning session on Saturday, August
28. Marla hosted us at her wonderful house. We are all really excited about
our plans to reach out to members and students in East Tennessee colleges. 

Meet your new board and volunteers:
Past president: Dorothy McDuffie
Dorothy is a Staff Technical Editor at Life Technologies, a global
biotechnology tools company that supports biological research in
personalized medicine, regenerative science, molecular diagnostics,
agricultural and environmental research, and forensic technologies.
Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, Life Technologies has a presence in
more than 100 countries. Dorothy is a field employee who uses electronic
tools to edit the work of technical writers located in many different parts
of the country and, in some instances, other parts of the world. Dorothy is
a senior member of STC, and she has earned advanced certification in writing
and editing through the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA). She
holds a master's degree in English from the University of Tennessee,
Knoxville. She lives in Chattanooga with her dog Freckles and her cat,
Neferkiti.

President: Mary Knepper
Mary has been a member of STC since the early '80s. She is an Associate
Fellow and member of the IDL SIG and the Chicago Chapter. She was
responsible for initiating the creation of the Chicago Chapter Institute for
Professional Development, which combines theory and practice, and she
occasionally teaches courses on style for the Institute. Her company, Ryba
Associates, develops and delivers training for rolling mills, including
aluminum and steel. She and her associates also deliver courses in
professional communication--writing, speaking, and interpersonal
communication--for scientists and technical professionals in many
businesses, including oil, chemicals, finance, marketing, and research.
Mary taught many years at the college level and currently functions as a
"dissertation coach." Her PhD is in English from Wayne State University in
Detroit. She enjoys pets, woodworking, gardening, music, dancing, family and
friends--and life in Tennessee. ("We weren't born here, but we got here as
fast as we could.")

Vice President: Marla Vinson
Marla is employed as a technical writer for a software firm in Knoxville
where she manages the development and quality control of documentation
related to software design, security, and network engineering. She is also
responsible for writing white papers, information sheets, and teaming with
others for any proposal and innovative research program efforts. Before
returning to Knoxville where she obtained her B.A. in English from the
University of Tennessee, Marla attended East Carolina University for her
M.A. in Technical & Professional Communication. Marla is excited to be a
part of STC-ETC to learn from others, as well as stay current and energized
about all forms of tech comm.

Treasurer: Katrina Gramelspacher
Katrina has accepted the position as treasurer for the second year. She is
Director of Training at Absentys LLC in Chattanooga. Absentys is a software
company which specializes in software to manage federal and state leave
(absence) laws and regulations. She received her masters degree in
Industrial/Organizational Psychology the University of Tennessee at
Chattanooga and her bachelors degree at the University of Southern Indiana.

Secretary: Deidre Evans Garriott
Deidre is a graduate student at UT in the Rhetoric program. She was our
student liasion last year. She works part-time and just recently got
married. 

Web master: Laurel Bowen
Laurel owns two technical writing businesses, TBC Solutions, Inc. and Web
Haven. The first is a prime government contractor, creating publications
ranging from performance and accountability (annual) reports, strategic
planning documents, and land use planning documents (comprehensive
conservation plans and resource management plans). Web Haven is a web design
and hosting business, using web 2.0 tools and well-written content to drive
traffic to a website and converting that traffic into sales. Laurel has a
bachelors degree in special education/elementary education and a second
bachelor degree in chemistry. 

Membership manager: Fatima Hyder
Fatima is a technical editor at an environmental engineering and
construction company in Oak Ridge.  SES Construction and Fuel Services LLC
(SCF) provides a full spectrum of environmental construction and
remediation, general building and civil construction, and fuel services to
U.S. federal government clients.
In addition, Fatima is currently a part-time master's student in the College
of Business at the University of Tennessee.
Her professional experience includes copy editing at daily newspapers;
writing and editing print, web, and e-mail communications for a nonprofit
organization in Atlanta; and teaching editing, writing, and introduction to
communications classes at the college level.

Our student liasions this year are Ariel Cowen, Emily Reed, and Valerie
Segar.

Contact information for all of us can be found at http://stc-etc.org. It's
also a good idea to check the website periodically as we keep it updated
frequently as news and events change.
 

Laurel Bowen
TBC Solutions
PO Box 988 
Clinton TN 37717
865-457-1364 (main)
865-257-1364 (cell)
1-800-615-8893 (fax)
865-259-7133 (call in for conference calls)
laurel.bowen (skype)
http://tbcsolutions.com
http://webhaventn.com