Committees

STC Committees are formed to address specific issues that are important to members of the Society. If you are interested in volunteering on a committee let us know by using the response form on the committee's page.

The Associate Fellows Committee formally recognizes Senior STC Members for having attained distinction in the field of technical communication.

The Audit Committee meets with external auditors on the auditing of the Society's financial statements and communicate findings and recommendations to the board.

The Body of Knowledge Committee develops and maintains a repository of technical communication, which is the Technical Communication Body of Knowledge (TCBOK).

The Certification Committee oversees the the STC certification program. The program is a three-tiered professional certification:
Foundation, Practitioner, and Expert.

The Community Achievement and Pacesetter Awards Committee oversees community awards given by the Society. The Community Achievement Award recognizes a SIG, professional or student chapter’s outstanding accomplishments in achieving the Society’s goals through a wide range of programs and activities. The Community Pacesetter Award recognizes innovative and successful community initiatives.

The Community Affairs Committee (CAC) establish two-way communication and co-operation between community leaders and the Board of Directors/staff. The CAC also hosts educational sessions for community leaders. They also maintain their own website as a model for communities, www.cac-stc.org.

The Conference Committee plans and oversee the education program for the annual STC Summit. They also provide support at STC Summit for both attendees and presenters.

The Distinguished Community Service Awards recognize the hard work and commitment of STC’s community leaders. The three awards—the Distinguished Chapter Service Award, Distinguished SIG Service Award, and Distinguished Service Award for Students—recognize an individual’s exemplary effort, energy, and dedication to their community and its activities.

The Education Committee works with the STC staff to establish a strategy and yearly education program that provides the technical communication community with professional development opportunities.

The Excellence in Service to STC Award Committee (formerly the Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Service) recognizes meritorious service to the Society for Technical Communication by an individual who has demonstrated significant and sustained acts of volunteer service with enduring benefits to the Society, and consequently, the profession. This award acknowledges a lifetime of service to the Society that spans multiple accomplishments, levels, and long-lasting impacts.

The Fellows Committee formally recognizes STC Associate Fellow with the rank of Fellow, the highest honor an STC member can receive. This honor is bestowed upon Associate Fellows who have continued to make exemplary contributions to the arts and science  of technical communication and to the advancement of the profession.

The Finance and Investment Committee ensures that STC finances are managed in a legal and fiscally responsible manner.

The Frank R. Smith Award Recognition Committee recognizes the authors of exceptional articles that appeared in Technical Communication during a calendar year. Since 1966, STC has paid tribute to the authors whose contributions have made Technical Communication one of the most highly respected journals devoted to the arts and sciences of technical communication.

The rank of Honorary Fellow is conferred upon a person who is not a member of the Society but who (1) has achieved eminence in the field of technical communication or (2) has performed a significant service for the Society.

The Intercom Awards Committee recognizes authors for superior articles and guest editors of superior issues in the Society’s magazine during a calendar year.

The Intercom Editorial Advisory Committee identifies content that informs readers of trends and best practices in technical communication. They collaborate to establish topics for the editorial calendar.

The Jay R. Gould Award Recognition Committee honors true academic mentorship; a record of successful students, defined as those who are involved in STC, and actively working in the profession; involvement in student activities outside of the classroom; innovation and creativity in teaching, and involvement in research that leads to changes in the way technical communication is taught.

The Ken Rainey Award honors research that has made positive, significant contributions to technical communication practice and teaching. It rewards a lifetime of quality research in the field, a single high-quality empirical study, or a set of related high-quality studies.

The Nominating Committee ensures the STC annual election is conducted in a secure and ethical manner, on schedule, and with appropriate candidates.

The Scholarship Committee recommends to the Board policies and procedures for awarding Society-level scholarships and grants, provides oversight and recommendations for geographic community scholarships and grants, reviews applications for scholarships and grants, and recommends recipients to the Board.

The student honorary societies Sigma Tau Chi (STX) and Alpha Sigma (AS) recognize student members of the Society who have distinguished themselves as students and have demonstrated promise of future contributions to the Society and the profession.

The TechComm Editorial Advisory Board identifies areas of research that are most likely to inform best practices in the field of technical communication.

The Website Review Committee reviews STC.org and its associated child sites, like Notebook and Intercom, and make recommendations to improve the user experience on each.