As I begin writing this article, so many things come to mind. For those who really know me, I am the most unlikely to be a runner, so it seems very funny that my mind is thinking of a sport analogy.  The past three years I feel like I am in a fast-paced race.  Balancing home, work, hobbies, and learning. Time went by too quickly while I have served as the Region D Coordinator, and now my season is ending.  I will hand over the baton to someone new beginning October 1.

With my decision comes sadness because I have grown and learned so much in my professional career.  From the beginning of my introduction to STTACC, I believe, and still do, in their mission.  I attended my first STTACC conferences to meet new people, increase my network of colleagues, and hear about best practices on other campuses.  As I continued to attend, I realized I must seek opportunities in leadership if I am to grow professionally.  STACC has provided this in more ways than one.  First, as a volunteer reporter I provided quarterly news to the college contact.  As I became comfortable in this role, I was asked to serve as the college contact.  Along with this responsibility, I served on our college Staff Development Committee in a variety of ways.

Fast forward to 2015, and I realize I am a 17-year veteran employee with Big Bend Community College.  STTACC was struggling to get members to volunteer for leadership roles, and timely correspondence was not being distributed to the classified staff.  I came to realize that for the future of STTACC, it was a good time for me to volunteer as a Region Coordinator and expand my skills and abilities.

From the very beginning I set a goal to reach out to all Region D colleges and educate, train, and mentor them about STTACC and leadership opportunities.  I have had great support from my supervisor and college administration.  For the past three years, I have hosted ‘meet and greet’ sessions for classified staff at a variety of campuses.  When you are introduced to a network of colleagues, you find out about their professional development needs, meet college administrators to encourage them to rejoin STTACC membership, and provide short workshops about STTACC and the web resources.  Recently I even shared how I overcame my fears when I took the first steps in my personal leadership journey.

As I close, I want to introduce the new Region D Coordinator, Roxanne Bernal from Walla Walla Community College.  She works at the Coyote Ridge Correction Center in Connell, WA.  Roxanne is not new to SBCTC and higher education.  She has worked for 8 years with faculty in the Instruction program who provide education opportunity for students at the facility.  I am thrilled to walk beside Roxanne and am confident she will learn her role quickly.  She is excited to start serving Region D in this leadership capacity.

Barb Collins
Big Bend Community College