Letter from the President - June 2013

[Brigitte Martin]

Letter from the President – June 2013

Hello Everyone! My name is Renee Zettle-Sterling and this is my first letter, of many, to you as president. I would like to start off my first letter by taking a moment to thank a very extraordinary individual in our lives, Dana Singer. Dana will be leaving SNAG this October and she will be deeply missed. Dana was SNAG’s first professional Executive Director and she helped lead SNAG into a new era as an organization. She has been SNAG’s cornerstone for more than fourteen years, making many considerable and generous contributions to this organization by providing vision and much-needed continuity of leadership.

Dana participated in three strategic plans, worked on the development of four websites, launched Riveting News, coordinated the evolution of SNAG News, developed the digital version of Metalsmith and has served as Metalsmith’s publisher. She’s assisted with fourteen conferences, overseeing the creation and evolution of the Professional Development Seminar, Education Dialogue, Portfolio Reviews, Education Resource Room, and the Exhibition in Motion, as well as the new format coming in 2014. She has hired everyone who works for SNAG and Metalsmith, wrote and secured countless grants, most notably many from the Windgate Charitable Foundation and the NEA, and represented SNAG at innumerable shows, conferences and events across the country. She has worked with nine of our twenty presidents, dozens of board members, and countless committees. I speak for all of us when I say that she has been an incredibly kind, steadfast, and inspiring leader.

Don Friedlich, past president, put it succinctly and beautifully when he said, “Dana was a joy to work with and will be truly missed by so many members. She is more than an Executive Director, she is a wonderful friend.” Please join me in thanking Dana and wishing her well on her future professional endeavors. When you have a moment, go to SNAG’s Facebook page or email her; let her and others know what she has meant to you, because no one can say it better than you.

While it is hard to imagine SNAG without Dana, the Board and I believe this will also be an exciting time. It is an opportunity for us to usher SNAG into a whole new era, with different ideas and perspectives. We are currently beginning the search for the new Executive Director, and I have organized a search committee comprised of member-at-large Christine Bossler, ACC Executive Director Chris Amundsen, and Executive Committee members Sue Amendolara, Anne Havel, and me. The posting for the position opens on June 18th and will close July 18th. Based on our timeline we are hoping to have a new ED in place in September.

As you can image it has been a busy spring for SNAG, especially with the conference in Toronto. The conference was a huge success; it was dynamic and reflected well the diversity in our field. A heartfelt thank you to conference co-chairs, Paul McClure and Melanie Egan, and their respective host organizations George Brown College and the Harbourfront Centre, for the endless hours spent planning the conference. The conference is an ENORMOUS amount of work for all involved and takes incredible manpower by volunteers to make it run smoothly or run at all. Thank you to our dedicated volunteers, outstanding conference presenters, planning committees, exhibition committees, fundraising committees, donors, staff, and thank you for attending this year’s conference. I feel like I cannot say thank you enough!

The elections at the conference went well and hopefully everyone voted at the conference; kudos to the first 200 who received the very cool and beautiful SNAG Vote Pin. Thank you to Nicole Jacquard for designing the pin, Michael Dale Bernard, Frankie Flood, and production team for modifying the design and making the pins, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Jewelry & Metalsmithing program and its Digital Craft Research Lab for donating the use of their space to help the Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC) gather more votes.

Thank you to outgoing NEC Chair Courtney Starrett whose term on the Committee has ended, and help me welcome Kristi Kloss as the new Chair and newly elected member Laura Wood. Thank you to those who ran for seats on the board and the NEC, without the willingness of members to come forward and offer their skills and time by serving, honestly this organization would not exist. I would like to welcome new board members Jim Bové, liaison for the Exhibition Planning Committee, and Becky McDonah, Guild liaison. And another big welcome to newly appointed board member, Todd Pownell, our Forging Entrepreneurs Symposium liaison.

Other news happening with SNAG, Mary Lee Hu’s term on the Lifetime Achievement Award (LAA) Committee has ended and we welcome Myra Mimlitsch Gray as the new LAA Chair. Thank you so much Mary for your years of service. Thank you to Michelle Pajak-Reynolds, who is stepping down from coordinating the Conference Student Scholarships and welcome to Joe Churchman who will be taking over Michelle’s position. Thank you to Nicole Jacquard for staying on with the Exhibition Planning Committee for one more year, and welcome to the Committee’s many new members: Linda Threadgill, Sandra Zilker, Jennifer Wells, Josh Craig, and Andrew Kuebeck. After 10 years with the Professional Development Seminar (PDS) committee, Andy Cooperman is stepping down and Harriete Estel Berman and Brigitte Martin will continue with a new third person, which will be announced once secured. Thank you Andy for your valuable contribution to SNAG and the PDS.

I am especially excited about a new SNAG initiative we are putting in place this Fall: “Road2Success” is our new mentoring program geared towards connecting experienced members from our field to pass on their wisdom and experience to upcoming and mid-career talent. The focus of this program is on business and career skills. As an educational organization, SNAG will be of assistance when it comes to questions about entrepreneurship and business and career development in a variety of industry sectors. The Steering Committee of Road2Success (Jim Binnion, Brigitte Martin, Bryan Park, John Rose) will first start this initiative as a one-year pilot program. Then assuming the project is successful after its initial year, we will be ready to broaden the scope and number of participants. Right now, we are asking those interested in mentoring and those interested in becoming mentees to get in touch with the Steering Committee. Send a brief email of interest. They look forward to hearing from you!

Over the next few years, I look forward to creating a healthy and proactive dialogue with you and I hope that you feel there is always an open flow of communication. I am interested in diversity within the membership and actively reaching out to you. I am asking each and every one of you to help me in this task. Talk, talk, talk, and talk about SNAG to everyone you know, encourage other jewelers and metalsmiths to join us in this fantastic organization, encourage your students to join, because they will be the future of this organization and our field. I believe that each of you has a voice in SNAG and are the key to our organization being viable to all artists in our vibrant community. Be an ambassador for SNAG wherever you go, use your unique skills to volunteer when and wherever you can, and assist the board and myself in promoting SNAG’s evolution as a resource and educational tool for the membership. If you are interested in volunteering please contact our amazingly organized and dynamic volunteer coordinator Katie Poterala.

I want to know what motivates you and how can SNAG be a part of that motivation. I feel honored and humbled by my position and will do my best to hold the organization in trust and I look forward to working with you.

Before I sign off, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sue Amendolara and Dana Singer for their support and mentorship over the last year.

Happy Smithing!
Renee

We want to take this opportunity to recognize our Corporate Members, Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company and K.M.Paulson Goldsmith Ltd. for their support.