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Digest Newsletter | June 2020
TECNA Board Chair Message
June has arrived and by now I think most of us would agree we would like a do-over on 2020. In my April message in Digest, I commented, in the context of the pandemic, “as we all work to carry on, to work through this, it is so important that we remember to be kind, be supportive, and be patient. We are all in this together, and we have to do our part to make sure we all come through this together.” As we witnessed the terrible events over the last week of May, the same message would surely apply, and then some. The opening articles of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights include the following statements:

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law.

Important words I think we can all agree with. We can also agree that we as a “civil society” still have a long way to go, that far too often the actions not only do not live up to the words, they undermine their intent. One of the many events cancelled during the pandemic was True North 2020, scheduled for the first week of June with a focus on what it means to be human, and humane, in our tech-driven word. Certainly would have been timely. For me this theme and the notion of “tech for good” resonates strongly with the work and culture of TECNA and our member councils. Diversity and inclusion are among the core principles we believe in and promote. These recent developments serve to remind us how important those beliefs are, and that the positive values and principles characteristic of the TECNA family can be a force for good in our troubled world. Stay safe people!
Doug Robertson
TECNA Board Chair
President & CEO
Venn Innovation, Inc
2020 Innovation Awards
Next week is the deadline to submit nominations for the 2020 TECNA Innovation Awards.
The 2nd annual TECNA Innovation Awards will be online and occurring virtually on July 23, 2020, at 12:00pm PT/3:00pm ET. We look forward to taking this time to celebrate the extraordinary work of our TECNA member staff in 2019.
Nominations may be made by TECNA member council staff, a member of your tech council or Board, or by a community or government partner of your tech council.

Award categories include:
  • Membership Retention & Recruitment
  • Creative Marketing & Communications
  • Talent Pipeline & Workforce
  • Major Impact on Tech Community
  • Public Policy/Advocacy

We’ve also added a special element to recognize and showcase the top initiatives of our member councils responding and adapting to the COVID-19 Crisis in Q1 & Q2 2020 – to celebrate your innovative work and share the best practices with our members. Nominate your Initial COVID Response Plan/Actions online using the same awards nominations form.

With all nominations, please submit a brief video (guidelines included on website) that can be shared when highlighting finalists and winners.

Nomination Deadline - Friday, June 12, 2020
TECNA Member News
NC TECH is hosting their first  Diversity + Inclusion In Tech Summit  on June 23-24 virtually. They're offering TECNA member councils the opportunity to have your staff participate at no charge and ask that you share the opportunity with your members who can take advantage of the member rate. Contact Tracy for more info

Arizona Technology Council shares a look at some of the hottest technology and innovation in Arizona - read more .

NVTC continues to host the Masters in Leadership series, learn about upcoming events on their website .

Pittsburgh Technology Council have been offering daily Zooms for over 60 days! Providing consistency and relevance for the entire tech community as they weather and endure the impact of the pandemic. They are innovating daily, to ensure they provide a place for people to "gather" and remain connected - Check out their Business as Usual archive .

The Florida Technology Council , in collaboration with tech leaders across the state, launched the newly formed State Advisory Workgroup (SAW) .   The FTC SAW is comprised of former state and municipality agency heads and CIOs, creating a strong voice of experience to address Florida’s needs - Learn More .

WTIA  announced it will join Microsoft, Expedia and Amazon’s Twitch in accepting cryptocurrency for members, sponsors and select partners - Learn more .

Venn Innovation share an article they shared with members "What happens when you get closer to your customers?" - read the full blog post online .
TECNA Launches Health Insurance Benefit

TECNA launched a new health insurance benefit for members, as well your members. TECNA is committed to helping member councils provide additional value to you, your staff and your members. Insurance is one area where TECNA may be able to offer immediate savings on items for which you and your members are currently paying. Your council must be a member of TECNA in good standing to qualify for this benefit. Please click here to see an overview of TECNA’s Health Insurance Benefit.

Coming Soon: Member General Liability, Professional Liability (Errors & Omissions) Cyber Liability, Property & Workers Compensation Insurance.

Questions: Contact Tim Jemal, [email protected].
Communities of Interest Webinars
TECNA Communities of Interest (COI) are peer-to-peer collaborations and information-sharing groups exclusively for members: membership, events, workforce and communications.

During webinars and Slack discussions, TECNA members share best practices and gain valuable insights on solving common challenges.
Bi-weekly Events Community Online Huddle
Informally discussing challenges and best practices in online events every-other-Friday at 10:00am PT/1:00pm ET.
Next Webinar Date: June 12

Workforce Community of Interest Webinar Q2
Monday, June 8, 10:00am PT/1:00pm ET
Discussing how workforce development will reshape to address virtual tech internships, virtual job fairs, IT employment/hiring outlook and remote work.

Membership Community of Interest Huddle
TBD in July
Join us for a discussion of current challenges and successes.

Communications Community of Interest Webinar Q2
Date: TBD
Topic: TBD

Requests or ideas for Community of Interest webinar topics, contact the COI Chairs:

Recent past COI call recordings and slide decks are available for download in the members-only portal on the TECNA website. Login at tecna.org/login and click on the Resources tab to view.
TECNA Summer Conference Cancelled
Due to the impact of COVID-19, 2020 TECNA Summer Conference originally set to be held July 22-24, 2020, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is postponed.
We are also pleased to announce that the 2021 TECNA Summer Conference will be held in Pittsburgh and hosted by TECNA member Pittsburgh Technology Council. We plan to utilize all venues and activities previously scheduled for 2020 when we meet in-person next year. The PTC team has worked hard to orchestrate the logistics, and we appreciate their willingness to be flexible in hosting this signature TECNA event.
TECNA CARES Act Advocacy
TECNA Urges Paycheck Protection for Tech Associations
On April 6, 2020, TECNA, along with nearly the entire U.S. membership, sent a letter to the U.S. Congress and the Trump Administration urging that trade and membership associations can apply for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under the CARES Act. To read the full letter, click here. TECNA also published a news release, to see the news release click here .
TECNA Signs On to 324 Signatory Business Letter to US President and Secretaries - Nonimmigrant Visa
On May 21, 2020, TECNA, signed on to a coalition letter on high-skilled immigration sent to the Trump Admin. and signed by most of TECNA's U.S. member association. In all there are 324 signatories on the letter. To read the full letter, click here.
TechGirlz Partnership Opportunities for TECNA Members
TECNA and TechGirlz are partnering in 2020 to offer member tech councils the opportunity to host a workshop.

The TechGirlz program works to make learning technology both thrilling and inviting for middle school girls, through their free extra curricular workshops (or TechShopz as their coined them!). From programming to robotics, web/app design, genetics and beyond, there is so much for the TechGirlz to experience. Their vision is to create a world where girls have a lifelong passion and confidence in their use of technology throughout their careers.

TECNA member councils interested in organizing a TechGirlz workshop please contact Alina Hardy, [email protected].
Subscribe to TECNA Event Calendars
Click a link below and follow the prompts to synchronize with the default calendar on your system (if available). To synchronize with a different calendar, copy and paste the desired URL into your calendar software in the location where feeds are accepted, often identified with "Subscribe", "Add Calendar", etc.



Contact Alina for assistance, [email protected].
TECNA on Slack
Join TECNA's community on Slack exclusively for TECNA Member Council staff. Slack Channels include membership, events, talent/workforce and private channel for CEOs. A policy Slack Channel will be launching soon.
TECNA Members Only

You can group chat, private message, share files and search the discussion archive for help and best practices shared by other members.

Contact Alina Hardy with questions about Slack.
Thank You to TECNA's Strategic Sponsors
Keep Us Informed
We are always looking to provide valuable content to TECNA members. If you have any suggestions for content in the TECNA Digest, please email: [email protected].