Dear Affiliate Leaders!

On behalf of the Affiliate Leadership Council (ALC), I would like to extend a warm welcome to Debbie West of TESOL France, our new Member A for 2015! Welcome aboard, Debbie! I believe that many of you have already met Debbie at previous TESOL conventions. I would like to share that Debbie has been always very active in all ALC events. You might have heard about her collaboration with Kevin Cleary of JALT and Maria Trapero of MexTESOL. On a personal note, I would like to extend my gratitude to Debbie for volunteering to help with the editors’ workshop in Dallas, Texas. Please read more about Debbie in this issue. I encourage others to nominate eligible candidates to serve on the ALC!

In this issue, as the ALC chair, I consider it important to share with you the current changes within the ALC. Jean Italien Frantzy, Member A of 2013–2014, resigned from his position as chair-elect of the ALC because of the demands of his family and professional life. You all know the time involved in accomplishing quality work for the association. On behalf of the ALC, I extend appreciation for Frantzy’s volunteer work for TESOL International Association and congratulate him on the birth of twins last year! I also want to recognize Janet Pierce, the ALC past chair, for accepting the request to serve one more year on the council. Thank you, Janet, for the invaluable service, high-quality work, and support you provide while running the ALC.

TESOL convention is around the corner! Don’t miss the ALC meetings. Find the schedule here. You are invited to attend the Affiliate Leaders’ Workshop and the afternoon break-out sessions on 25 March from 8:30 am–5 pm. The ALC appreciates volunteers who will facilitate the sessions.

1:30 pm–2:15 pm

• Jennifer Shank, Sarah Austin, Larry Fisher, Bruce Rogers, Hilario Benzon, and Dieter Bruhn of CoTESOL: What Is Colorado’s Secret to Their Successful Annual Convention?
• Trish Morita-Mullaney of INTESOL: Strategic Advocacy for K–12 English Learners in Indiana Schools
• Shawna Williams and Karen Rauser of BC TEAL: Engaging Regional Members

2:30 pm–3:15 pm and 3:30 pm–4:15 pm (sessions repeated twice):

• Lori Menning of WITESOL: Advocacy: Connecting Members With Their Passion Within Our Affiliates
• Christina Gitsaki and Naziha Ali of TESOL Arabia: TESOL Arabia: Supporting a Multicultural Community of TESOL Professionals
• Leo Selivan of ETAI: Reaching a Wider Audience Through Online Engagement

On Thursday, 26 March, we invite you to the Affiliate Editors’ Workshop from 1 pm–3 pm. The schedule of the workshop is below.

1 pm–1:30 pm

Ulrich Schrader, MEXTESOL, and Pia Maria White, President of MEXTESOL

• The New Changing Roles of “Editors.” What is an editor? No longer just getting copy, proofreading, editing, and formatting. (They are now more like “communication czars” than traditional editors.)
• What Is a “Publication”? A Changing Concept for Our Times. Subtopics:
•  The use of electronic mailing lists to communicate with members and nonmembers in lieu of a newsletter. MEXTESOL’s experience with “YMLP.”
• The use of videos for communication and diffusion.

1:30 pm–2 pm

Janet Pierce, Secretary, and Robert Mucklo of Three Rivers TESOL

• How we have changed moving from paper to electronic and website visibility (Janet Pierce)
• Search for websites and tools—combining technological and people roles in a changing world—Wild Apricot’s options (Rob Mucklo)

2:05 pm–3 pm

Networking

This year, the topic of the ALC Colloquium is “Crossing Borders, Building Bridges Through Affiliate Partnerships, and it is scheduled on Thursday, 26 March, 9 am–11:30 am in MTCC 205D. We invite you to the sessions, which will be presented on the following topics:

• Richmond Stroupe of JALT, Johanna Katchen of ETA-ROC, and Suchada Nimmannit of Thailand TESOL: Reciprocal Partnerships Which is Comprised of the Pan Asian Consortium (PAC)
• Jey Venkatesan and Elizabeth Smith of TexTESOL V: Reciprocal Partnerships Between Yakut TESOL and TexTESOLV
• Shawna Williams of BC TEAL: Partnerships and Collaborating Between BCTEAL and WATESOL

During the conference, we encourage you to stop by the Affiliates Booth and to attend the Affiliate Assembly, which is scheduled on Friday 27 March. See you all in Toronto, Canada in March!

Larisa Olesova, ALC Chair 2014–2015