Executive Director Update
November 1, 2011
This is another in a series of occasional ASHA Executive Director updates. These updates are intended to provide ASHA members with a more in-depth view of various ASHA programs and National Office units, key member services and initiatives, and the names and roles of ASHA staff. Information about staff changes and ASHA National Office recognitions/awards is also included.
Many thanks to those of you who have provided feedback regarding the previous updates or suggestions for future Executive Director updates.
ASHA's New Online Member Community
ASHA tries to be on the leading edge of technology, but not so far out in front that we take a risk on unproven technologies without established benefits to members. Making sure we offer real benefits to members with a proven technology is exactly the approach we took with ASHA's new online community. Many members have pointed out the importance of online connections and the power of new technologies to enhance the member experience. We have been carefully monitoring member needs and feedback, and evaluating the available technology for online communications.
The result of all this effort is ASHA's new online community. The ASHA Community is a new service that the Association is offering to members to enhance their online experience. In the past, the membership directory and our online communities (e-mail lists and forums) were disconnected silos of member interaction. With the launch of the online ASHA Community, the member directory, e-mail lists, and discussion groups are being merged into a fully integrated platform. The ASHA Community provides a professional, members-only community with the ability to connect like Facebook but without the at times unwanted interactions of a public forum.
New Community Directory
With the new Community Directory, ASHA and NSSLHA members can post a profile photo, provide information about their areas of interest and specialties, and share information about their work history and education. All of this information is behind the member firewall, and members have complete control over how their data are shared. In addition, the new directory has a comprehensive search function. You can find members by name, location, Special Interest Group affiliation, area of expertise, work setting, and more.
Discussions and Resource Libraries
The new ASHA Community discussion groups combine the best features of a discussion forum and e-mail list into a single platform. Only members can post, and members who have completed a profile can quickly be identified by photo and area of expertise. All attachments posted to discussions are archived in a dedicated Resource Library. You can also add documents to share anytime you want. Just as important, you can manage your subscriptions to all discussions in one place. And, you can choose to receive formatted daily digests or real-time e-mails by individual group.
ASHA Community Available Now
The ASHA Community is available now—log in and get involved. At this year's Convention in San Diego, we will have an ASHA Community Lounge where members can get help creating a profile or uploading a photo, or learn how to navigate the new community platform.
You don't need to wait for Convention to get involved. It's easy. Just follow these steps to get started:
- Complete your profile. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can easily import the information.
- Customize your privacy settings, including your contact preferences.
- Subscribe to ASHA Discussion Groups, customize how you'd like to receive updates, and start posting comments.
- Browse or post content to the community library, including documents, videos, and audio files.
- Find an ASHA Community member to connect with using our online member directory.
If you have any questions or need any help, you can post a message to the ASHA Community Feedback group, or check out this list of frequently asked questions.
The goal of ASHA's online community is to increase the number and quality of online connections between members. By allowing members to "see" who they are talking to in the discussion areas, and by making it easy to manage your information and your connections, we expect the ASHA Community to be an active and productive new way for members to communicate.
National Office Staff Updates
The following individuals are new to the ASHA staff since August 2011:
- Saba Ahmed, Accreditation Coordinator
- Nicole Beidler, Marketing Manager, Product Database & Live Events
- Caroline Goncalves, Associate Director of Federal Advocacy
- Debra Grandy, Associate Director, Certification
- Danish Haider, User Support Technician
- Gennith Johnson, Associate Director, Health Care Services
- Haley Jones, Volunteer Operations Manager
- Lily Schuermann, Director, International Programs
- Tracey White, Editor/Writer
The following ASHA staff have changed positions since August 2011:
- Jill Straniero, Online Collaboration Manager
The following individuals have left ASHA to pursue other opportunities:
- Marilyn Burns, Certification Case Manager (Retired)
- Vanessa Dennis, Manager, CE Registry
- Sylvia Ngwa, Certification Data & Communications Specialist
- Kate Romanow, Director, Healthcare Regulatory Advocacy
- Venkatram Sunkara, Web Developer
- Zeresenay Wolday, Accounts Receivable Analyst
Recent ASHA and ASHA National Office Awards
ASHA was named the sixth most exceptional business in the state of Maryland by The Gazette of Politics and Business. The Gazette's "Exceptional 53" program acknowledges businesses in the state of Maryland for their innovation, community service, and "great place to work" attributes. ASHA was recognized for its continued efforts to evolve and improve programs and services, strong and active commitment to social responsibility and community outreach, employee satisfaction, and the National Office's wellness program. This is the fourth year that ASHA has received this recognition.
The Next Executive Director Update
ASHA's Special Interest Groups