As the end of 2022 approaches, I am thankful for my first year serving as the Executive Director for ACES: The Society for Editing. Whether it has been collaborating with the board, staff, committees, partners, members, or supporters, I am fortunate to be in the company of such thoughtful, passionate, and knowledgeable leaders.
I am very proud of the progress we’ve made over these months for ACES. We are refining the roles and responsibilities of the staff and board and working on internal processes to help streamline the work while the board focuses on ACES' strategic vision. 2022 came with great successes.
After two years without an in-person conference due to COVID, we were thrilled to have one again in San Antonio, TX, with over 460 attendees. It was great meeting ACES members in person and seeing the passion our members have for the industry. ACES also hosted what is now our annual virtual conference with over 1,200 attendees. ACES Accelerate was two full days of over 40 educational sessions. We also hosted our first-ever Coffee Chats within the virtual conference, facilitating small group discussions within particular segments of the editing industry, and promoting collaboration and networking. It resonated so well with our membership base, we are offering a similar concept to our in-person conference in 2023. The ACES board also met for their mid-term strategic planning sessions where we developed goals for the next two years. These goals focus on a range of categories such as training, education, membership, advocacy, marketing, and diversity and inclusion.
Another highlight was strengthening our training partnership with Poynter. 2023 will yield a revamped and refreshed online training progression for Introductory, Intermediate, and Advanced Editing Certificates. We are thrilled to bring valuable, relevant, and inclusive online training opportunities to our membership.
While we celebrate the successes of 2022, we have also been impacted by the sudden loss of our longtime member and mentor, ACES Education Fund President, Henry Fuhrmann. I feel honored and privileged to have worked with Henry over the past year. Although it was a short time, he was one that made you feel as though you had known him for years. We will continue to honor Henry by continuing his work advocating for editors and helping students to develop their careers. We will have a celebration to honor Henry at the ACES Evolve conference in Columbus, OH.
On behalf of the ACES staff, Education Fund Board, and Directors, wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful festive season and a happy New Year. I look forward to what 2023 will bring.
Gigi Sutton, MBA
Read More:
End of The Year Reflection from ACES President
Review 2022 with ACES Education Fund
