Linda Ong, ABC is IABC/BC’s Vice President, Career and Professional Development and is the recipient of the 2014 President’s Volunteer of the Year Award, IABC/BC’s top volunteer honor. Linda has been deeply involved in the Career Development portfolio for over two years, increasing the visibility and popularity of Special Interest Groups (SIGs), leading the Gift of Communications initiative, and developing processes to support the ongoing work of project teams.
An IABC/BC member for 15 years, Linda volunteered for two years as the Director, Career Development, before moving to her current role as Vice President, Career Development. She has volunteered with IABC/BC since 2002, including serving as an awards adjudicator, conference volunteer, and supporting Membership Services.
At the University of British Columbia (UBC), Linda leads the communications and marketing team at UBC Library, providing communications services to 15 academic and research library branches. As for the reason she enjoys the field of communications, Linda points to the “Man in the Arena” speech from Brene Brown. “I like creating something that hasn’t been developed yet. I enjoy being the ‘first,’ in taking creative risks, being valued for being a problem solver and having the unique perspective of being both a strategist and a tactician.”
Linda’s advice for IABC/BC members who want to volunteer is to think of it as an investment to the profession. Bring a level of professionalism to your volunteer role – it’s an opportunity to give back and create a legacy for your industry association. Be upfront on what you can commit to, and then go ahead and do it. Volunteering is a great way to learn new skills and to network with communications professionals from across the IABC/BC chapter.”
Connect with Linda on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lindaong and on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/linda-ong-ba-abc/1/154/6b3.
To learn more about volunteering with IABC/BC, visit https://iabc.bc.ca/get-involved/volunteering/.
