New Northern Colorado SIG Manager steps up

by Frank Tagader

Ralph Tower has taken on the responsibility of managing the Northern Colorado special interest group for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication. A large percentage of our chapter membership is spread across the communities of Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland, Longmont, and other towns. The Northern Colorado SIG seeks to reach out to technical communicators in this area that might not always be able to attend regular chapter meetings in Denver. It also serves as a general networking opportunity for these technical communicators.

A 14-year veteran of the technical writing profession, Ralph is a relative "newbie" to the chapter and STC as a whole. His background is in technical writing for manufacturing facilities. As Ralph says, "I have written about everything from restaurant equipment to industrial machinery, with a little software documentation in between."

While Ralph joined the STC and the RMC last fall, he has been attending meetings and SIGs as a guest for nearly three years. This is his first position within the chapter. He is also a long-time member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

Ralph sums up his goals for the Northern Colorado SIG, as "I want to encourage more members to attend SIG meetings. We need to have more people get involved in activities planning and SIG development. I would also like to bring in some reasonably priced training seminars, if there is enough interest."

SIG plans in the works are to schedule programs farther out next year. Ralph is scouting out relevant plant and facility tours as well. "We have had some success this season with "encore" presentations from RMC meetings. I would also like to post more general interest material on our listserv; it is mostly used for meeting announcements at present."

When asked about the most significant issues facing technical communicators in Northern Colorado, Ralph responded by saying, "Meaningful employment is one. Professional development is another. These are not unique to Northern Colorado, but there are fewer places to work in this immediate area and unfortunately many of the larger employers here have been disproportionately affected by the slowdown in the technology sector."

In regards to what the chapter can do to reach out to its Northern Colorado members, Ralph stated, "First I try to remind everyone here that Denver is really only an hour away when driving south in the early evening. I want to offer more carpools to RMC meetings, especially for those in Broomfield. If there are members that are involved in something they would like to share with us, we would be happy to host their presentation or roundtable discussion."

Ralph would also like to explore some SIG manager planning/brainstorming sessions. He'd be interested in hearing from other SIG managers and leaders on how they developed their groups and generated program ideas. "I attended a membership orientation at my last RMC meeting. A SIG Manager orientation might also be worthwhile."

If you are interested in participating in the Northern Colorado SIG or just want more information, Ralph can be reached via email at retowers@hotmail.com. You can also get information through the Northern Colorado listserv at NCTWG@yahoogroups.com. If you wish to participate in the listserv, please send an email to NCTWG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and you will be automatically added.