TAGITM Awards are Open and Board Nominations are Coming Soon! – Tony Gonzales

The Annual Educational Conference is almost here.  Wow, this year just flew by.  The upcoming conference means it’s time for some very important items from you.  Nominations for President, Vice President and Treasurer will be taken from membership.   Board positions are what keep the organization going strong year after year.  Personally, I can tell you it’s a very rewarding experience, and I would encourage everyone to give it a go.  You will make some great friends and have an opportunity to give back to an organization that does a lot for its members.  A sign of a healthy organization is when there are multiple people running for positions, so please consider nominating someone you see has a passion for this organization or consider nominating yourself if you want to take your involvement to the next level. Qualifications for the three Board positions are listed below.

Qualifications to serve as President:

• Have served on the Executive Board for a full term
• Be an Agency Member Representative

Qualifications to serve as Vice President:

• Have served as Secretary/Treasurer for a full term
• Be an Agency Member Representative

Qualifications to serve as Secretary/Treasurer:

• Have served as a committee chair or co-chair for a minimum of one full term or has served on a standing committee for two full years (excluding the nominations committee)
• Be an Agency Member Representative

In case a candidate has not served the full terms of service required, the nominations committee shall have the authority to determine if a candidate has the required qualifications to serve in the nominated position.

We also have several TAGITM Awards you can submit nominations for.  The TAGITM Excellence, Rising Star, Member Emeritus, Rick Moore, Beth Ann Unger Women in Technology, and Industry Partner Awards nominations are OPEN!  The TAGITM Board of Directors are very excited about our newest award, the Beth Ann Unger Women in Technology Award honoring long-time member, Beth Ann Unger who passed away in 2023. You can view these awards categories/submit a nomination on the website here!  Please take a few moments and review these awards and their criteria. Your submission for these awards is a meaningful gesture to lots of folks, so please consider submitting a nomination for one or more awards.

I want to take just a second to talk about the TAGITM Excellence Awards.  I have always “grappled” with these awards.  I am sharing in the hopes it might encourage some of you to submit your own team for consideration.  I personally find it very hard to submit a nomination for awards like this. I used to these as a little bit of self-promotion, and my dad would shake his head at me for indulging in such.  I have come to realize that it is so much more than that.  I have learned to take a broader picture view.  This is an incredible opportunity to recognize my team for a specific project they worked hard on.  It’s not at all about me as a director; it’s about what my Team has accomplished.  There should be no bigger promoter of my team’s successes than me, right? 

In my experience, the IT team doesn’t get enough appreciation internally in many cases.  While I wasn’t around back when this award was created, I am fairly confident that was a big part of the discussion around creating these awards.  This is an avenue where you can make a difference to your team by submitting them for an award and the subsequent recognition that comes with it. 

I look at folks like Shane over in Seguin and see that he has done an amazing job the last couple of years promoting all the success his team has had.  What I see when I talk to his team is a major sense of pride in the work they have done and their sincere appreciation for the sharing Shane does of their success.  Talk about creating some loyalty in your organization!  Shane is “GOALS” when it comes to this. 

I want my team to know how proud I am of them for all the hard work they put in.  It’s one thing for me to tell them in team meetings, 1:1s, etc.  It’s another thing to take the time submit a nomination and possibly get them recognition in front of all of TAGITM!  I encourage you to make the time to submit a nomination in the interests of celebrating your Team’s successes.

Submit a nomination for an Award TODAY!

Tony Gonzales

Director of IT
City of New Braunfels