In January 2006, the STC Board elected Martha K. Sippel an Associate Fellow. Martha has worked in the technical communication field for more than 15 years in a variety of geology-related positions, later at CH2M HILL as the Manager of Intranet and Information Design, and now as an independent.

"I am honored to be in the company of so many respected members of STC as an Associate Fellow," Sippel said. "As a volunteer in various positions over the years, I feel like I receive more than I give. I enjoy meeting new people, and I especially value personal and professional relationships with STC members. I'm also very grateful to the wonderful advice provided by my mentors (who include Linda Gallagher, Bonnie Biafore, and Laurie Lamar), my colleagues, and many others who made this award possible."

Martha has served STC RMC in many different capacities including vice president, president, and past president. During her presidency, the Chapter won a Chapter Achievement Excellence Award. The Chapter also received an Award of Excellence for Technicalities in the STC newsletter competition while Sippel was newsletter editor in 1999.

She also served on the nominating committee and as both a local and international competition judge, and has continued to spearhead our strategic planning efforts, co-manage programs, and more. Martha is also currently a member of the nominating committee at the Society level.

For her work on a database-driven Web application, she won an International STC Online Competition Distinguished Award and was also honored this year with a Distinguished Chapter Service Award. She has also presented at STC Annual Conferences and Region conferences.

Martha founded AzuWrite, LLC in 2001 and primarily designs and creates web applications and web sites. She also provides accurate and relevant assessments of usability issues and facilitates cross-functional teams to create and develop user-friendly web applications.

Join me in congratulating Martha for her tireless efforts on behalf of our Chapter and the Society! She has been, and continues to be, a valuable member of our Chapter.

Mary Jo Stark was elected STC associate fellow by the STC Board of Directors in January 2006. "I am deeply honored to have received my Associate Fellow." Stark said. "STC was instrumental in helping me get and keep the job that I have. I felt like I was giving back to the Society. This award is icing on the cake."

Mary Jo has been involved in technical communications for more than 15 years in different energy-related positions and most recently, as a Principle Information Developer for Halliburton Digital and Consulting Services.

Stark was Society treasurer for 4 years from 2002 through 2005 and is currently serving as Assistant to the President (AP) for Transformation. At the international level, she also serves on the STC Finance, Society Audit, and Community Funding committees.

At the chapter level, Mary Jo was STC RMC treasurer, served on the nominating committee, and managed and judged art entries in the latest competitions. She was nominated for Halliburton employee of the year and also for their Top Gun award. She has presented at regional and international STC conferences and wrote articles for Technicalities and other publications. Stark also has mentored past STC RMC treasurers and the current Society treasurer.

Congratulations to Mary Jo on her well-deserved award for her excellent work on behalf of the Society and our chapter!

In February 2006, at the STC Board of Director's meeting, Hugh Templeton was elected STC Associate Fellow. Hugh has been active in the field of technical communications for 36 years and has been a member of STC for 28.

At the Society level, Hugh was a major contributor to STC's 33rd annual conference and helped to form the Society's Consulting and Independent Contracting (CIC) Special Interest Group (SIG). He has presented at two annual conferences.

Hugh served the Southeastern Michigan chapter of STC in various capacities including starting its first mentoring program and developing the first Directory of Communication Professionals, which advertised communication services to southeastern Michigan companies. During his tenure with this chapter, Hugh served on the nominations committee, competitions committee, bylaws committee, and directory committee. He also served as president and vice president, and wrote articles for the STC Southeastern Michigan chapter's newsletter, TECHcomments. In 1991, Hugh received the Distinguished Chapter Service Award.

In the Rocky Mountain chapter, Hugh is serving on the mentoring committee and is active in the Northern Colorado SIG. From 1999 to 2001, Hugh served as a judge for the chapter's publication competitions.

When asked how he felt about the nomination, Hugh replied, "I was surprised and not quite sure it was real. Once it sank in, I felt gratitude — gratitude to the people who nominated me. They are the same persons who have given me the greatest encouragement and support. I'm also grateful to the many others who have been so kind, giving their patience, ideas, and support over the years."

Currently Hugh is a technical communicator at Advanced Energy Industries in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he writes, edits, and updates hardware and software user manuals. In his spare time, Hugh writes articles for the Larimer County Horseman's Association, Inc. newsletter, the LCHA Roundup.

Please join me in congratulating Hugh on receiving this honor!