Thursday Three - 19 01 2023

  • The year ahead
  • New AAG blog
  • Farewell to Catherine Stace

    Member essentials: The year ahead

     

    In our first AAG Thursday Three for 2023, we start by wishing our members a very happy new year. This first issue comes to you a few days before Chinese New Year, so we also wish you all ‘new year happiness’. 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit, which promises to bring hope, peace, prosperity, wisdom and – of great relevance to AAG – longevity.

    In the coming weeks, we’ll be sending a survey to all members. We’ll be asking what you like most about being an AAG member, what we could do differently or better, and how we can help you make the most of your membership. The results of the survey will be considered by the Board at its strategic planning session in March. We will also, of course, share the results with AAG members.

    Before we all get caught up in our usual work/study/home routines, please take a moment to check that your member profile is up to date. It’s important for us to have accurate information on our members, including current contact details and communication preferences:

    • Log into your AAG membership account
    • Check and update your contact details
    • Under ‘My profile’, make sure your information and photo are current
    • Under ‘My preferences’, indicate your communication preferences.

    If you get stuck at any point, please send an email to [email protected].

    AAG in action: New AAG blog

     

    This year, AAG is introducing a monthly blog. 'AAG 500' is named after the planned number of words in each blog and will present topics of broad interest to our members. We also invite members to suggest topics, or to be guest bloggers.

    In our first blog, we look at the tightrope between stakeholder engagement and survey fatigue. Why this topic? First, because we're about to do our first member survey in several years and wanted to avoid common pitfalls. And second, because many of us work on auto pilot when we're doing surveys, it was timely for us to review some of the key points for successful surveys.

    People: Farewell to Catherine Stace

    We announce that Catherine Stace has left her position as Executive Officer of the AAG Research Trust, to take on the role of Head of Foundation at Australian Business Community Network.

    Over her 16 months in the role, Catherine has shared her creativity, expertise and energy, and leaves behind a strong legacy. We thank her sincerely for her service to AAG and wish her all the very best for the future.

    Looking ahead, the role of Executive Officer of the AAG Research Trust will be restructured and incorporated into the AAG CEO role, with the support of several members of the AAG team. Grants management will be handed over to Dr Meg Polacsek, whose role of Communications and Advocacy Manager will be extended to include the additional responsibilities. Policy and Advocacy Manager Dr Amber Mills will facilitate the focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led projects, while Executive Assistant Misha Sharma will coordinate the executive organisational functions for the Research Trust and grants programs.

    With this new structure, we will continue to promote the important opportunities and benefits of Research Trust activities to our members.

    There will be no Australia Day T3 on 26 January 2023. 

    We acknowledge that for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples this day is known as Survival Day, Invasion Day and the Day of Mourning.