I am honoured to have been nominated and selected to the position of IPEd Chair at our Board meeting on 25 May, taking over from Kerry Davies. Over the past five years, with Kerry as Chair, IPEd has seen enormous changes and is now in a solid position as an international organisation. Among Kerry’s achievements are her role in overseeing the transition of IPEd from being a peak body for the state-based societies to a direct-membership professional organisation that represents editors across Australia and New Zealand.
I would like to thank Kerry for her enormous efforts during those years. Anyone who has worked with her knows of her seemingly infinite capacity for work at all levels – at branch meetings, being across all the issues at branch committee meetings, and strategically moving IPEd forward at board level. Through her role leading the IPEd Board she has really advanced the profession of editing, and I hope to be able to exercise the vision, dedication, professionalism and diplomacy she has shown in the years I have been working with her. I am particularly grateful that we will be able to have a handover period to ensure a smooth transition with minimum disruption for IPEd. Kerry is continuing to serve IPEd as the new Chair of the Style Manual Steering Group and remains as Chair of the Pay Rates Working Party and as Budget Officer for Editors Queensland.
The IPEd Board is made up mostly of IPEd members: working editors from a range of different editing backgrounds. We are looking forward to working together and with branches and members as we implement the next stages of our strategic plan for the issues that affect us all.
Ruth Davies AE
Chair IPEd
Photo: Ruth Davies AE
Photo credit: Ruth Davies