Communications Committee

The communications team keeps you up to date about all our wonderful classes and instructors, events, and happenings  that make OLLI at Duke great. 

​​This team is the behind-the-scenes volunteers who bring Spotlight to your e-mail inbox on alternate Sunday mornings, keep our website fresh and up-to-date, and manage the OLLI calendar.

​Read more about the team members, what they do and why they joined the team. Consider joining them to help keep OLLI members in the know. Positions that are currently available are marked 'Open'. For more information or to volunteer for a position contact  Jackie Scott, Communications Chairperson at communications@olliatduke.org​​

Communication Committee Member Profiles  and Roles

Chair & Assoc. Chair
Publications Coordinators
Spotlight Editors & Writers
Webmasters
Communications Chairperson: ​​​Aline Dawson
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The Communications Chairperson represents the Communications Committee at Board meetings and major member events. Other responsibilities include:
  • creating reports about Communications for the Board
  • representing Communications with the other committees
  • recruiting and supporting committee volunteers
  • ensuring communication plans for major events, e.g. 40th Anniversary Celebration
(Workload estimate: 15 hours week)
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​Communications Associate Chair: Open
The Associate Chair assists the Chairperson as needed and will eventually be a candidate to be appointed as Chairperson. 
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Publication Coordinators

Publications Coordinator: ​Irwin Abrams
The Publications Coordinator is the primary interface between contributors and the Spotlight/website publication team. Spotlight and website updates are generally scheduled twice a month. Responsibilities include:
  • sending a "Call for Articles" email to potential contributors for upcoming Spotlight publications
  • reviewing news and events submissions for completeness and readability,
  • maintaining a shared folder for team collaboration
  • managing the Spotlight preview process
  • performing a final review of the Calendar, Spotlight and website publications
(Workload estimate: 8 - 12 hours per 2 weeks)
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​Publications Coordinator Associate: ​Open
The Associate assists the Publications Coordinator Associate as needed and will eventually be a candidate to be appointed as the Publications Coordinator.
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Spotlight Editors and Writers

Spotlight Editors: Joan Walker
The Spotlight Editors are responsible for publishing the Spotlight, Spotlight Extra editions, and the Conscious Aging Special editions using Constant Contact, an email marketing communications tool. Spotlight Editors:
  • coordinate news and events content with the Publications Coordinator and the Webmaster
  • find and manipulate images based on submissions; add links to website
  • edit and create Spotlight copy when needed
  • send Spotlight Preview to Publications Coordinator; revise content as needed when feedback is received
  • schedule the sending of Spotlight through Constant Contact
(Workload estimate: 8 - 16 hours per issue for the responsible editor.)
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Interviewers/Writers: Barbara McLean, Beth Timson, and Carol Pinkasavage
Communications Committee Interviewers/Writers help us recognize outstanding Instructors and Volunteers by creating Profiles that are published in the Spotlight and website publications. They also create other articles as needed. Assignments can be one time only, on a regular basis, or as needed. 

Webmasters
PictureIrv Eisen, Webmaster
Webmaster:  Irv Eisen
The Webmaster is responsible for the OLLI Member website using the Weebly website builder tool.



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​Responsibilities include:
  • updating the website in conjunction with Spotlight editions
  • managing web pages
  • creating site backups
  • sending publication previews to the Executive Director for review
 
If you are interested in joining our team, please contact us at  communications@olliatduke.org.
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PictureKen Snyder, Group Webmaster

​Group Webmaster and Calendar Coordinator: ​Ken Snyder
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The Group Webmaster and Calendar Coordinator is responsible for updating the Special Interest Groups webpage and managing all Calendar entries. 
 PictureAlan Zagoria, Associate Webmaster
Associate Webmaster: Alan Zagoria

​​The Associate Webmaster assists the Webmaster in maintaining the OLLI Member website using the Weebly website builder tool.  Responsibilities include:
  • maintaining content for specific pages as requested by the Webmaster 
  • obtaining Webmaster approval for web page changes prior to publication
  • assisting with managing site content (freshness, relevance, etc.)
  • recommending site design changes / enhancements
  • developing and maintaining deep knowledge of Weebly features used on the OLLI@duke.org site
PictureMary Alexion, Tools Coordinator
Tools Coordinator: Mary Alexion

The Tools Coordinator is responsible for managing access to and software renewals for tools used by the committee. These tools include iPage (for OLLI mailboxes), Constant Contact (email lists and user subscriptions to Spotlight and other OLLI e-mail communications), Calendar Wiz, and Google Analytics.
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