From the Executive Director
Walter Bacak, CAE
walter@atanet.org
ATA’s Board of Directors met April 30-May 1, 2016, in Alexandria, Virginia. The Board met in conjunction with the Certification Committee and Language Chairs meetings. (In ATA’s Certification Program, each exam language combination has a language chair administering the passage selection and graders. ATA currently offers testing in 30 language combinations.)
Here are some highlights from the Board meeting.
Secretary Vacancy: Secretary Rudy Heller resigned recently due to health reasons. The Board approved the appointment of Jane Maier, currently a director, to serve as secretary until the election this November. Lois Feuerle was approved to serve the remainder of Jane’s term as director, which expires this November. The bylaws (Article IV, Section 4) call for a Board vacancy to “be filled without delay,” which prevents the Board from leaving the vacancy until the November election. By bringing in Lois, who served as a director from 2009-2014, we have an experienced member who knows the process and is familiar with many of the current issues.
Working Budget: The Board approved the working budget for July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017, as well as draft budgets for 2017–2019. The approved budget of $3.1 million is a $200,000 increase over the current fiscal year. The working budget provides an interim financial framework. By using this interim budget, changes and revisions can be made based on the actual year-end figures. The final budget will be approved at the next Board meeting.
Presentation of Candidates: The Nominating and Leadership Development Committee, chaired by Past President Dorothee Racette, presented the slate of candidates for this year’s election for director (three positions, three-year terms): Maria Brau, Evelyn Yang Garland, Christina Green, Cristina Helmerichs, Karen Tkaczyk, and Tess Whitty. There will also be a special election for secretary for a one-year term to complete Rudy Heller’s term. Jane Maier is the candidate for secretary.
2020 Annual Conference Host Hotel: The Board approved the Westin Boston Waterfront as the host hotel for the 2020 ATA Annual Conference in Boston, Massachusetts. The conference is scheduled to be held in San Francisco (2016), Washington, DC (2017), New Orleans, Louisiana (2018), and Palm Springs, California (2019). The site selection process will likely look to the middle of the country for 2021.
Public Relations: The Board was briefed by ATA Director and Public Relations Committee Chair Madalena Sánchez Zampaulo on how the committee has been working successfully with an outside PR firm to place “penned pieces.” These articles have been written by members of the PR Committee’s Writers Group. The articles have been picked up by a diverse group of publications, including Retail Environments (store fixtures and design) and the International Association of Business Communicators’ Communication World Magazine.
New Affiliate: The Board approved the Association of Translators and Interpreters in the San Diego Area (ATISDA) as an ATA Affiliate. ATISDA is ATA’s 10th Affiliate. (ATA has 14 chapters.)
Gode Medal Award Committee: The Board approved the appointment of the members of the 2016 Gode Medal Award Committee: Nicholas Hartmann (chair), Muriel Jérôme-O’Keeffe, Peter Krawutschke, Jiri Stejskal, and Thomas L. West III. (All are past presidents.) The Gode Medal is ATA’s highest and most prestigious award that recognizes outstanding contributions to the translation and interpreting professions. (Nominations are still being accepted.)
The Board meeting summary and minutes will be posted online once they are approved. Past meeting summaries and minutes are always posted online at www.atanet.org/membership/minutes.php. The next Board meeting is set for July 30-31, 2016. The location is to be determined. As always, the meeting is open to all members, and members are encouraged to attend.
Candidates Announced
ATA Election, 2016 Annual Conference, San Francisco, California
ATA will hold its regularly scheduled election at the upcoming 2016 ATA Annual Conference in San Francisco to elect three directors. There will also be a special election for secretary for a one-year term to complete Rudy Heller’s term. Further nominations, supported by acceptance statements in writing by each additional nominee and a written petition signed by no fewer than 60 voting members, must be received by the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee by June 20.
Acceptance statements and petitions may be faxed to the chair of the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee, Dorothee Racette, to ATA at (703) 683-6122, or scanned and emailed to walter@atanet.org. Candidate statements and photos of the candidates will appear in the September/October issue of The ATA Chronicle and on ATA’s website. The candidates proposed by the Nominating and Leadership Development Committee are:
Secretary (one-year term): Jane Maier
Director (three positions, three-year terms):
Maria Brau
Evelyn Yang Garland
Christina Green
Cristina Helmerichs
Karen M. Tkaczyk
Tess Whitty
Note: This article has been updated since publication. The correct deadline for receipt of petitions is June 20.