by Carol Z.
How did you hear about the position and what made you decide to take it?
I had been attending the meeting as Intergroup Representative. After Steve C., the previous Chair, stepped down, we had a meeting with no chair, no agenda, and no minutes from the previous month’s meeting. I volunteered to run it that evening, using minutes from an earlier month as an agenda. At the end of the meeting, Intergroup Reps and others present asked if I might step up to fill the position of Service Committee Chair. I discussed it with my retired husband, and since I’m also retired, and had the time, it was a service I could perform.
What are the responsibilities of the position?
As Service Committee Chair, I facilitate the East Bay Intergroup (EBI) Business Meeting on the third Wednesday of each month. I also run the EBI Service Committee Meeting on the 2nd Wednesday of each month, for the chairs of the various EBI service committees. I attend the EBI Board of Directors (BoD) meeting, on the 2nd Monday of each month so that I’m fully informed on what we need to be doing and can anticipate upcoming business. As the Service Committee Chair, I can also choose to attend the individual service committee meetings from time to time.
I send out the agenda and meeting minutes for the Service Committee meeting, and collaborate on the EBI Intergroup Meeting minutes with the meeting scribe, Jacob M. The Office Administrator, Lindsay P., distributes the agenda and minutes to the IGRs.
What do you like most about it?
I’ve gained new and interesting knowledge about how A.A. is organized and the how and why of it. I get to use my skillset as a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with many years of experience and expertise gained during my working career as a Senior Enterprise IT Projects Manager at UCSF and Stanford, where I served clients from Nobel laureates to undergrads. The PMP motto: “If you fail to plan, then, plan to fail.”
I really have come to appreciate, admire and respect the experience, expertise and dedicated service of the many people who support East Bay Intergroup, Inc. Together, by using many of the same skills and gained experience, they expertly support the important service work being accomplished at East Bay Intergroup, Inc.
Have there been any opportunities for growth?
There’s a lot we can do to improve our cohesiveness and communication with the groups. I envision training or orientation for IGRs. Since the pandemic, new IGRs can’t learn the job from the existing reps the way they did when we met in person. We can do more to help them know what to take back to their groups as well as how to bring their groups’ concerns to the meeting. We’re exploring ways to reach out for more Intergroup Reps as well as filling our service positions. It takes everyone, like a symphony. My personal growth comes with knowing my part in the symphony.
