Region Coordinator Position Opened

APPLICATIONS BEING ACCEPTED FOR TERM THROUGH JUNE 2005

The resignation of Leslie Sturgeon from one of the Region Coordinator positions for the Great Northwest Region of ARMA (she's taken a job in California) has left this important position open. Sue Lord, our Region Manager, has forwarded the following information about the work done by the Coordinators:

Region Manager and Coordinator Program
Effective immediately, ARMA International is seeking applications for a Great Northwest region Coordinator to provide the localized, hands-on, day-to-day support of Great Northwest Region chapters and region.

An Opportunity for Improving Leadership Skills
As Great Northwest region coordinator, you will have the opportunity to gain additional leadership experience as you work with a wider network of people that will extend beyond the local chapter level and outside of the ARMA membership. Serving as a region coordinator will also provide valuable training for those who are interested in seeking a position on the ARMA International Board of Directors.

Duties of a Region Coordinator

1. provide assistance and direction to chapters (and to those members who are not affiliated with a chapter) within the specified geographic region

2. visit assigned chapters, as requested, with a minimum of one visit per year to each chapter.

3. help organize and charter new chapters in their region

4. assist the region manager with coordination and implementation of regional activities such as leadership conferences and special projects

5. assist with regional initiatives such as the development of Web sites, newsletters, and budgets

6. forward comments from chapters and unaffiliated members to the ARMA International Board of Directors or ARMA headquarters, as appropriate

7. submit an activity report to their region manager 45 days prior to the spring and fall ARMA International board meetings

8. provide a communications link with the Member Services Department at ARMA headquarters

9. partner with Member Services to provide chapter operations training, as necessary

10. participate in ARMA International leadership training meetings, as required

Eligibility Criteria

1. must have been a member of ARMA International for a minimum of the three consecutive previous years

2. must have prior chapter leadership experience, preferably as chapter president

3. must have strong oral and written communication skills

4. must be detail-oriented and self-directed

5. must have the ability and willingness to travel to chapters in the region

6. must have earned the recognition of members in the region

7. may not simultaneously serve as a chapter president or on any ARMA International committee or task force

Duties of a Region Manager

In addition to the coordinator duties, the Great Northwest region manager will

1. manage two coordinators to provide chapter and region support within your region

2. provide overall coordination of all region activities and initiatives

3. work jointly with the region treasurer to administer the region fund for appropriate travel and related expenses

4. compile activity reports submitted on behalf of your region coordinators and submit the consolidated report to the association’s Board of Directors

Length of Terms

Typically, region managers and coordinators serve two-year terms, but due to the circumstances at this time, ARMA is asking for the Great Northwest Region Coordinator to apply now through June 30 and then again for the July 1, 2005-Jun 30, 2007 term.

Training and Support

Training for Region Manager and Coordinator program participants will be given during the ARMA Leadership Conference during the Great Northwest Region leadership meeting the summer of 2005 and again at the ARMA International annual conference in Chicago, IL, September 17, 2005.

Managers and coordinators must have organizational support for the time commitment required for these positions.

Need More Information?

Those needing more information about the regional manager and coordinator program may contact Anita Willis, Director of Member Services at ARMA Headquarters, whose name can be found on ARMA’s Web site at www.arma.org.

Application Deadline

Apply to be a part of ARMA’s exciting and dynamic new direction by completing the following application form and returning it to ARMA headquarters no later than Monday, November 22, 2004.

Message from the Great Northwest Region Manager

SUSAN LORD REPORTS ON ARMA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AND MORE

Happy autumn to you! The Puget Sound geographical area just had a fabulous fall weekend with mostly sunny skies and mild temperatures. To celebrate this weather, my husband and I raked and scooped over 2000 pounds of horse chestnuts off our lawn and hauled them to the municipal yard-waste station. Oh my aching back!

It wasn’t that long ago that some of us were in sunny California at the 49th Annual ARMA Conference and Expo. What a terrific event! I had the pleasure of arriving a couple days early in order to attend ARMA International’s Board of Directors (BOD) meeting and to participate in Region and Chapter Leadership training. What a pleasant experience that was! On Friday, I was honored to be able to deliver an oral report on behalf of our GREAT NW Region to ARMA’s Board of Directors. It was an opportunity to highlight the accomplishments of our chapters in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington states. I was also able to relay to the Board, in person, a few concerns that members of our Region expressed to me. In addition, I was able to deliver positive messages about ARMA International from the Region. If you ever get a chance, do consider sitting in on an International Board of Director’s meeting as it is quite interesting.

Saturday was absolutely non-stop as it involved many training sessions for Region leaders as well as chapter leaders. I met many new people and continued to learn a great deal about ARMA.

For the first time, ARMA conducted a General Membership Meeting prior to the beginning of the conference on Sunday. While modestly attended, I think it was very appreciated by those in the audience, including myself. The meeting was led by President Dave McDermott. He delivered a comprehensive presentation on the current state of and goals of ARMA. One of those goals is called “Transparency” where the BOD is delivering to the Association information on what it is doing, including posting its agenda and “discernment” items on the International website. Mr. McDermott also discussed what the BOD believes to be the top twenty issues that have impact on our organization. This list is called their “Radar Screen” of issues. The top four issues are considered to be of the highest concern. The “Radar Screen” should be posted at arma.org and the Board is asking for comments from the members. After the formal presentation, the audience was invited to bring questions to the BOD. To be sure, there were some lively discussions!

I also attended the “Candidate Forum” that morning. This was a venue for those candidates running for ARMA International BOD positions in 2005. Each candidate had an opportunity to give a brief “stump” speech then a Q & A period followed. One of the candidates for a Board of Director seat is Bonnie Nadler from the Bellevue/Eastside Chapter. Good luck Bonnie!

I have to admit I was pretty tired BEFORE the actual conference got started, however, I never, NOT ONCE, fell asleep during an educational session! I believe the courses in Long Beach were really the best! I don’t think it was luck, either. I believe the Conference Program Committee really had its “finger on the pulse” of the membership and arranged for top-notch speakers with very pertinent subject matter. Some of my favorite courses were: “Access Rights to Business Data on Personally-Owned Computers” by John Montana; “Discovery, Spoliation, and Legal Holds: Issues Affecting Your RIM Policies” by John Isaza, Esq. (both of these topics were results of projects sponsored by ARMA International’s Educational Foundation); “Retention of Client Files in Law Firms-Ethics Opinions” by Beth Chiaese; and one of the most valuable courses, for me, was called “RIM 101-Technology Basics” by Rick Stirling.

Especially nice was a chance for the members of the Great NW Region to have lunch together on Monday of the conference. I believe there were nearly 50 of us there! It was so very nice to meet and greet the members of our Region. We are a lively bunch and that lunch hour went by too fast, I believe! I would like to extend my thanks to Great NW Region Coordinator Leslie Sturgeon for making all of the arrangements for the Region Luncheon. Her efforts were appreciated by us all!

There were evening events, too! I attended a “Welcome Party” aboard the Queen Mary. What a beautiful ship! I also attended the very nice Awards Banquet. While there were no awards given to our Region’s chapters this year, many of us met after the dinner and “toasted” our Region and the GNW Chapter Members of the Year. Sadly, I missed the Canadian Party, as prior to the event, I accidentally erased all of the Conference images I had taken on my digital camera. I was so remorseful, I couldn’t bear to go to the party!

The Conference was great! The educational sessions were outstanding! I expect the same next year in Chicago. If you have an opportunity, do plan to attend the 50th Annual ARMA International Conference and Expo in Chicago next September.

Very truly yours,
Sue Lord, Manager
Great NW Region

Report from the Long Beach Conference...

LISA MOLSEED REPORTS ON ARMA INTERNATIONAL'S RECENT CONFERENCE
The word of the day is TECHNOLOGY!! Seek, and ye shall find a whiz-bang solution for a more efficient way to conquer the Information Monster! This was unmistakable at the 2004 ARMA Conference and Vendor Expo in Long Beach, California. The emphasis was not just managing records, but content and information management throughout a company. One of this year’s presenters commented that at past ARMA Expos (e.g. 1990-2000 or so), at least 75-85% of the vendors supported mostly paper-based records management systems (binders, boxes and shelving options). The pendulum has swung to the opposite side, where the majority of vendors currently offer software and computer-based systems to handle records and information management.

The driving theme force behind most Conference sessions was dealing with electronic records. Topics ran the gamut from exploring emerging technologies, imminent security issues, understanding retention requirements, to handling legal discovery requests. I liked the strategy of justifying records and information management expenditures to your company’s management by posing the question of what it would “cost” if they didn’t spend the funds on software and the energy on training its staff. Challenges to track information increase exponentially every year, no matter how it is captured (i.e. paper or electronic media). It was evident that paper storage in boxes is still crucial; however, both hard-copy and electronic information is integrated into the whole system. You not only can locate what is inside an off-site box (via the software), but can request delivery via the computer, without using the telephone! It is truly impressive how the right application, administered in the most efficient manner can free up time to face the next hurdle. It was quite worthwhile to attend the ARMA Conference and Vendor Expo, not only to hear the technical papers, but as a forum in which to exchange ideas with colleagues from a wide spectrum of industries and experience.

I gratefully thank the Scholarship Committee for providing the chance to attend a day of sessions at this year’s ARMA Conference, and look forward to attending next year’s event in Chicago. One year seems to vanish in a heartbeat; put it on your calendar – make a valuable investment in yourself!

--Submitted by Lisa Molseed