Digest Newsletter | December 2020
TECNA Board Chair Message
Hello TECNA Community,

As 2020 comes to a close (thank goodness), it’s hard for me to not be excited about the coming new year. I am a big believer that language creates your future. That’s why I am not afraid to make bold claims. Sure, there’s a chance you could be wrong, but the joy of potentially being right is worth any risk. 

Therefore, here are some of my bold claims for 2021: 
  • TECNA will announce a new, full-time, leader. Stay tuned!
  • With all hope, we’ll be looking at the COVID-19 pandemic through the rearview mirror, but maybe not until mid-2021 (please stay safe and use good judgment).
  • Tech policy issues will continue to be front and center of news headlines. It may seem like important issues are only being discussed at the Federal level, but don’t lose sight of State and Provincial leaders making moves. This is where battles can be fought and won. A close ear to the ground will ensure proactive measures to support (or not) important legislation. 
  • Associations can thrive in times of crisis, and I am confident you will all thrive in 2021. If you want to buy some insurance for this claim, consider the following: don’t stop adapting when things return to “normal.” We all showed we can overcome adversity, keep proving you can provide innovative solutions to big problems. In other words, listen closely to your customers, and we’ll do the same for TECNA. 
  • Growth will come in 2021, and it will arrive in three ways - organically, through acquisition, and with investment. Each of you will experience one or all of these situations in 2021. Keep your eyes open to these growth opportunities. Don’t forget to leverage the TECNA network, which includes several of us who’ve been there before. You are not alone. 

The end of the year is typically my time to escape and recharge the batteries. For the past two years, I have been fortunate enough to travel to some unique destinations in the world. Celebrating a new year in a foreign country is personally more memorable. Though that luxury isn’t available this year, the opportunity to recharge should not pass us by. Take care of yourselves, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and I hope we can all start the New Year fresh and ready for what’s to come in 2021.
Thank you,
Ryan Weber 
Chairperson | Technology Councils of North America
President & CEO | KC Tech Council
TECNA 2021 Membership Renewals
TECNA Membership is at a high with 64 Member Councils in 2020! We appreciate the strong peer network created by TECNA, and are especially pleased with how we've continued to serve the community throughout the many challenges presented by COVID-19 this year.

Don't forget to process your Renewal Invoice or pay your dues online so you continue to receive TECNA Member Benefits in 2021 - click here.

Thank you for your continued support of TECNA!
TECNA Member News
Arizona Technology Council last month recognized the winning companies and individuals for their continued pursuit of excellence and innovation during the virtual Governor's Celebration of Innovation Award Ceremony - read more. They also released its latest quarterly Arizona Technology Industry Impact Report to keep its constituents informed on the progress of Arizona’s technology community and put a face to the industry’s success stories - see here.

At Palm Beach Tech's Code for Good Hackathon, team GetSpeedBack attacked a big problem that food banks and other social impact agencies are having delivering to their home-bound clients - read more.

Wisconsin Technology Council hosted more than 400 participants in their virtual 2020 Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium which facilitated more than 500 Investor Intros, plus pitch meetings judged by live investors and two annual award presentations - read more.

WEtech Alliance shares Embrace Health Tracking wins $15k top prize at Scale(Back)UP Cohort 4 finale powered by Libro Credit Union as part of #GlobalEntrepreneurshipWeek celebrations - read more.

Tech Titans hosted its first 5G Grand Challenge where winners demonstrated how 5G can enable risk-free interactions during this time of uncertainty and pandemics. Celebrity judges completed final judging stage: Mark Cuban (Shark Tank), Charlotte Jones (Dallas Cowboys CMO) and AT&T’s Consumer CEO Thaddeus Arroyo - read about the winner.

TechPoint's 2021 Xtern program continues, with the Indiana tech accelerator placing 102 students with positions at Indiana tech companies at their annual Fall Finalist Day (hosted virtually this year). In all, 2,035 students from 43 home states and 222 universities applied for the program - learn more.

Tech San Diego will host a Financial Foundations event December 8 with Fist Tech online - learn more.

Minnesota Technology Association shares a recent internship feature from the SciTech Program showcasing how a small irrigation technology firm benefited from hiring two computer science majors to lead their testing facility - read here

ChaTech awarded scholarships totaling $22,000 to 18 computer science and IT majors. ChaTech Scholars is a program to support our goal to invest in the region’s technology talent. This is one strategy ChTech employs to attract and retain a wide range of IT professionals from entry level newcomers to senior leaders and specialists.
TECNA Communities of Interest

TECNA Communities of Interest (COI) are peer-to-peer collaborations and information-sharing groups exclusively for members: communications, events, membership, public policy and workforce.
Workforce Community of Interest Webinar
Thursday, December 10, 10:00am PT/1:00pm ET
Join us for a discussion on addressing underrepresentation of women and people of color in tech. Consider sharing specific commitments employers are making, rollout of initiatives to double-down on pervasive inequities, etc.

Communications Community of Interest Webinar
Save the Date: January 13, 2021

Events Community of Interest Webinar
Save the Date: January 22, 2021

Additional Upcoming COI Webinars TBD - watch for dates and topics soon.

Missed a Recent Webinar?
Past COI webinar 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.


Requests or ideas for Community of Interest webinar topics, contact the COI Chairs:
TECNA Public Policy Advocacy
Public Policy - US
TECNA Signs on to support for rural broadband development - read the letter.
TECNA Post-Election Analysis
Tuesday, December 15, 10:00am PT/1:00pm ET

This webinar will feature a panel of top political and tech policy experts who will distill the election results by analyzing voter trends and how the new Congress and Administration will address key policy issues effecting the tech industry and business.

Confirmed panelists:

This event is open to TECNA Members and their member organizations.
SHARE and INVITE your member organizations - click here to download PDF


Contact Alina at ahardy@tecna.org if you'd like to be added to the Public Policy Committee Mailing List.
TECNA Partnerships
TECNA 401k Program Offering

TECNA is partnered with 401(k) Tech Collective to offer the TECNA National 401(k) Program. This is a national retirement program built by the WTIA, one of our member associations. This program has been constructed specifically for technology organizations.
 
This partnership enables you to offer this exclusive program to your own member companies, providing additional value to their membership and helping them attract and retain talent in this competitive time. It also opens the door to a new revenue opportunity for your association.

Please check out all of the benefits here: 401ktechcollective.org
TECNA Health Insurance Benefit

TECNA offers a 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.
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, ahardy@tecna.org.
TECNA Discount for Premier Virtual

We are very pleased to announce TECNA has partnered with Premier Virtual to offer a TECNA Discount for their platform which offers virtual career fairs and virtual hiring events: 
  • First Single Event Cost for TECNA Members $2,500
  • Additional Single Event Cost for TECNA Members $3,500
  • TECNA Member Yearly License Discount 10%
You must be a TECNA member in good standing to get this TECNA benefit.

Review the Info Guide about Premier Virtual’s offering and standard pricing – click here to download or visit their website to learn more.
 
We encourage you to reach out to Jamie Varraso at Premier Virtual directly with any questions or to schedule a demo to learn more about this software that bridges the gap between technology and human interaction.
More Ways to Connect
Subscribe to TECNA 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.


TECNA on Slack
Join TECNA's community on Slack exclusively for TECNA Member Council staff. Slack Channels include membership, events, talent/workforce, policy and private channel for CEOs.
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.
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: news@tecna.org.