Authored by:
Tonya Edvalson
Western Section Immediate Past President
University of Utah
Email:tonya.edvalson@hsc.utah.edu
As your Immediate Past President in the Western Section, it’s my honor to act as the nominations chair for our upcoming elections for officers. In the very near future, you will see an announcement appear in your inbox asking for interest in two positions that are open this year.
- President-Elect
- Secretary
You might be asking yourself, “Am I ready for a role like this?” My answer to you, “ABSOLUTELY!” If you are entertaining this question, you are absolutely ready. Serving in SRAI leadership has offered me more than I have ever had to give to the position. If I ever talked myself out of running, I would have never realized the growth I have seen in myself since running about four years ago. Serving as President of our section left me with opportunities to meet more of you and network across the entire organization. I learned more about leadership, working and collaborating with peers, and the fine art of delegation. Today I am much more confident about putting my name out there for opportunities at my institution and finding that I enjoy my position in ways that I never saw would happen. Did you know budgets were important? I even learned about those! In research compliance, we are usually protected/removed from that process. (Please don’t tell people at home – they still think I don’t get it.)
If you have any questions about the process or requirements, please reach out to me. I am more than happy to talk to you about what these roles require or put you in touch with those that have done it before so you can get other opinions. So far, I haven’t talked to anyone that has regretted their decision to serve our colleagues. You will have support from many people around you when you are in either of these roles. I promise that you will be part of something fantastic and will never be left out there on your own. You are always supported with other officers, SRAI Headquarters, the SRAI Board of Directors, and countless volunteers around you.
Now that I have talked you into it, let’s talk. Call or email me at tonya.edvalson@hsc.utah.edu or 801-213-3603. Nomination packets will be due December 31, 2018. I hope to see several of you applying. I know you want to be included.
#Elections#WesternSection