President elect one-year term, 2000-2001: Terrence J. Coan

Currently Vice President for Accutrac Software, Inc., Terrence Coan has built a distinguished career in the records management profession, starting in 1983, when he took a position as Records Clerk for Kelly Services, Inc. Between those first and present posts, Coan has served Pepper, Hamilton Sr Sheetz as Records Supervisor; Hertzberg, Jacob & Weingarten as Records Coordinator; Glendale Federal Bank as Records Supervisor; First American Records Management, initially as an Account Executive then as Vice President.

Coan's records management experience includes: Active records management

Inactive records management

Vital records identification and protection

Records inventory and retention schedule development

Procedures development

Corporate training

Micrographics

His management and leadership talents are equally wide ranging. He's supervised large project groups and, as Chapter President, led the Greater Los Angeles Chapter to its Large Chapter of the Year Award in 1994. Coan is also known as an effective business writer, public speaker, and skilled sales personality.

Besides longstanding membership in ARMA International, Coan has also been a member of PRISM International. He was selected as a member of the International Who's Who of Professionals in 1996.

Terrence Coan earned his Associate of Arts from Macomb Community College, Warren, MI, and his Bachelor of Arts in Management from the University of Phoenix in Los Angeles.

Coan's current and. previous ARMA positions/honors include:

Chapter

Past President/Advisor, Greater Los Angeles Chapter

President, Large Chapter of the Year Vice President, Finance

Historian Director

Membership Director

Vice President, Operations

Chair, Bylaws Committee Region

Treasurer

Co-chair, Regional Conference

Member, Regional Conference Program Committee

Speaker, Regional Leadership Conference

Association

Director, Pacific Region, 1998 to present

Member, Strategic Planning Committee

Compensation Committee Governance Structure Task Force

Realignment Task Force

"Re-Vision" Team

Member, Awards Committee

Member, Election Management Committee

Speaker, Chicago Conference

Speaker, Nashville Conference

Position Statement

1. What key strengths or skills do you possess that will make you an effective member of the Board of Directors?

I would bring a mix of skills, experience, and dedication to the role of President-Elect. I have been an active member of ARMA International for nearly 15 years, serving the Greater Los Angeles Chapter in several positions, including Chapter President. As President, I led the chapter through its selection as Large Chapter of the Year.

At the Association level, I have been active in a number of committees and task forces including the Nominating Committee (now the Elections Management Committee), the "Revision Team" (also known as the Organizational Structure and Governance Task Force), and the Region Realignment Task Force. I currently serve as the Pacific Region Director on the Board of Directors.

An individual in a leadership position should possess three key attributes: a vision for the future, an ability to engender support for that vision, and a commitment to see the vision realized. I believe I possess these skills. I am also able to listen to and integrate competing opinions when evaluating issues, making objective decisions that best reflect the needs of the entire membership and the Association.

2. What do you see as ARMA International's future roles and responsibilities in light of changes in the workplace and less time for volunteering?

This is a significant challenge for ARMA. As an association of members, we struggle with the competing demands of family, career, and professional development. In light of this, we must develop ways to broaden the responsibility of"managing" our association. An excellent example is the Region Coordinator Program, created by ARMA to assume the chapter support role formerly performed by the Region Director. By empowering members as Region Coordinators, we require less of all people involved, while ultimately improving the service provided to chapters and members.

Given that fewer members are willing AND able to volunteer to serve ARMA, we must continually look for ways in which we can leverage the staff at headquarters. We have already added several new staff members during the past two years, creating a dedicated Member Services Department. As new funding sources are identified, we must continue to add staff that can assume key responsibilities on behalf of the membership.

Finally, we need to formalize a mentoring program at the association level, targeted to cultivating future chapter, region, and association leaders. Some chapters and regions do this quite successfully, but these efforts need to be initiated in all chapters across the association.

3. The image of Records and Information Management (RIM) continues to change. How or what would you do to elevate the RIM profession?

Our professional "image" begins with each and every one of us. We cannot expect others to view us, and our profession, in a positive way until we begin to view our role with the significance that it holds. Many people, especially senior management, tend to view records and information management as simple - almost as if it should take care of itself. We must proactively promote the value of our profession, demonstrating its integral role in effective organizations.

We must also develop ways to target this message to senior management, emphasizing the necessity of dedicated RIM professionals within their organizations. With today's technology proliferation, it is even more critical to have skilled professionals who are able to integrate information management needs together with advancing technological capabilities. As President Elect, I would make development of these initiatives a top priority.

Finally, through education and research, we need to develop an approved "body of knowledge" for the profession. We must move towards recognized standards of practice to improve our credibility as a profession.

4. If you are elected to the Board of Directors, on what two areas will you focus and why?

My first priority will be education. Although we have made some strides in recent years, we need to develop additional educational content that is responsive to the needs of our diverse membership, as well as potential members. It must cover the full spectrum of information management issues, including information and knowledge management, and technology integration. Education must also be delivered utilizing innovative methods, including via distance learning, video and audio conferencing, webbased learning, and local seminars developed for target audiences.

My second focus area will be the development of value added services that effectively meet the needs of our broad membership base. Our challenge is to be able to meet the needs of the member who is new to the profession, while also fulfilling the needs of the seasoned RIM professional. We must also begin to develop products and services with greater appeal to potential members, enhancing our ability to attract members from related information management fields and those who work in senior management positions.

5. ARMA is going through significant changes. What are your thoughts on these changes, and what other changes would you like to see evolve?

As both ARMA and the organizations for which our members work undergo change, we are challenged to choose between being proactive or reactive. ARMA must prepare its members to lead their organizations through these changes, and it must itself evolve to better equip its members for proactive roles. We can choose to embrace change or be left behind by it!

I have had the opportunity to serve on several committees and/or task forces that operated as "think tanks", where many of the ideas for ARMA structural changes originated. I am very familiar with these changes, and more importantly, I understand the context for why we made them.

As for our future, I expect that there will be additional changes as we solidify our role as the leading information managemerit association. I envision an enhancement of ARMAs role as facilitator, as it works with other related associations. We have increasingly realized that ARMA alone cannot solve all of the issues facing RIM professionals. Through collaboration with other groups, however, we can leverage our expertise with that of other organizations, collectively impacting the profession in a positive way.

6. One of the President Elect's responsibilities is chairing the Strategic Planning Committee. Describe your experience in strategic planning and how you would apply it to ARMA International.

Most of my strategic planning activities have taken place in ARMA. Initially at the chapter level, and then during committee and task force activities, I have applied the concepts of strategic planning. I also currently serve as a member of ARMAs Strategic Planning Committee.

Strategic planning involves evaluating the needs of the association, determining the appropriate direction for the association in response to meeting those needs, defining the needs in terms of goals and objectives, and formulating an action plan in order to accomplish the goals and objectives. ARMAs efforts for continued strategic planning require that we maintain a three-year horizon. It is not the committee's role to execute the plan. It is, however, the committee's role to visualize the future, and articulate that vision into a "road map" of how to get there. Finally, the Committee must work with headquarters staff and volunteer member committees to turn the strategic plan into reality.

Three Issues ARMA Is Facing Issue 1: Education Development and Delivery

ARMAs primary mission is to provide education in the RIM profession. ARMA has developed a successful template for providing education, primarily through its annual conference and ISG mid-year seminars. We have also developed several technical publications, and we have revamped our industry journal, The Information Management Journal (IMJ). These are excellent examples of the quality educational programs ARMA currently offers.

Our current challenge, however, is expanding educational content beyond "traditional" records and information management topics. We must offer enhanced education in knowledge management, technology applications, workflow analysis, and business management skills. Our greatest challenge regarding education will be identifying the scope of education, beyond what we are already teaching, and begin to develop a comprehensive educational curriculum for our membership. It is very difficult to develop education in new areas, however, if we don't fully understand those areas in which we are deficient.

We must also be mindful that, while developing a more comprehensive educational curriculum, we not loose sight of attempting to meet the education needs of those individuals that are not yet members of ARMA. This is our opportunity to attract those individuals who are thirsting for education and knowledge in our areas of expertise.

Finally, I will champion a broader approach of delivering education. To date, we have only scratched the surface of using innovative ways to educate. Currently, approximately 20% of our membership attends our annual conference. How do the other 80 percent obtain their education and professional development? If we develop more options for members to tap into our knowledge base, we can surely increase the number of members (current and prospective) that will benefit from our primary focus fh delivering comprehensive quality educational programs.

Issue 2: Providing value added services across a wide spectrum of membership.

Over the past year, ARMA has improved the quality and breadth of its products and services, and I am very excited about the new products and services that are currently planned. But we must be proactive in developing new products and services that effectively meet the needs of an increasingly diverse membership. ARMA's current membership includes members in both early and advanced stages of their careers. Educational needs and access to resources for continuing education vary greatly across these stages. Our products and services should be suitable for members throughout the professional continuum.

In addition, we must continue to analyze the needs of those individuals who are not yet members. By reaching out to prospective members, with a substantive package of products and services, we are more likely to entice them to participate in our activities and seek membership in our organization. Furthermore, we should target new products and services towards individuals that are senior in their organizations, including chief executives, chief financial officers, and chief operations officers. These executives need to understand the value of well-organized information and knowledge resources in their organization. Having individuals of this nature involved in ARMA will only improve our ability to increase the awareness for the value our profession provides.

Issue 3: Member Retention

ARMA has traditionally done an excellent job of bringing new members into the Association. In a single year, we have added as much as twenty percent to our membership base. At the end of the year, however, our total membership counts are often stagnant, or even worse, lower.

We have now begun to reverse this trend. For the fiscal year ended June 1999, our total membership count grew by 2.2%. Not a phenomenal increase, but at least we are headed in the right direction. The question remains: how can we add so many new members per year and still only have a net increase of 2.2%? The answer is that we have nearly as many members leave the Association as those who join. Attrition (such as members who leave the profession) account for part of the loss, but we also lose members who chose not to renew. We must do more to reduce this loss of members.

As an Association, we are not doing all we can to welcome new members into the "ARMA family" during their first year of membership. As with any organization, people need to feel welcome. They need to recognize the value of their investment. And they need to be encouraged to participate in the organizations activities. The more we can do to welcome new members during their first year of membership, the more likely they will remain members indefinitely.

I propose that the Member Services Department coordinate the development of a chapter mentoring program. This would be an excellent way to give our chapters the tools they need to increase the likelihood that a new member will become a long-term member. If ARMA is to remain a chapter based organization, we need to provide as many tools and services possible to help ensure they are successful, because successful chapters will ultimately create a successful Association.

Copyright Association of Records Managers and Administrators Inc. 1999
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