Outgoing Membership Council - Thanks for Serving the Community!
The Government Social Media professional association is served by a group of elected volunteer advisors representing regions across the United States, and election results were just announced for the Northwest, Midwest and Northeast regions.
Contributed by Kristy Dalton, GSM founder and executive director of the professional association.
As the terms of three regional representatives of the volunteer Membership Council have come to an end, we reflect on how grateful we are for their dedication to the organization and the government social media community as a whole.
Warren Kagarise, Jessie Brown and Emily Allen Lucht leave a legacy that includes the growth of the organization and the formation of the association’s first-ever committees, which were architected and led by council co-chairs. With the assistance of the outgoing council members, in partnership with Team GSM staff and fellow council members Chelsea Sawyer, Kristen Waggener and Zach Whitney who continue their terms, we successfully launched our first-ever hybrid Government Social Media Conference and brought back the revamped Golden Post Awards.
As president, Warren Kagarise of King County, WA, helped the association weather the impacts of 2020 and beyond – through his thoughtful counsel, as well as giving strength broadly to our members when they needed it. Warren helped champion many projects during his tenure, including coordinating a recent initiative to expand membership eligibility.
The service of Iowa DNR’s Jessie Brown as vice-president also helped guide the organization through the past couple of years through her thoughtful insights and unending support as a self-care advocate for the community. Jess volunteered to champion revamping the Golden Post Awards program from the ground up in 2020 and helped us pivot to a virtual program in 2021. In tandem with Team GSM, co-chair Chelsea Sawyer and the awards committee, Jess contributed greatly to organizing 2022’s glamorous new awards ceremony.
As Emily Allen Lucht embarks on a new career with the US Naval Academy Alumni Association & Foundation, we are incredibly grateful and look forward to seeing her continued impact in this world. As a leader in championing accessibility rights, Emily was recognized with the Social Media Leadership Award for contributing to a more inclusive social media community for all. Co-leading the first-ever GSM membership committee along with Zach Whitney, she helped offer a path for members to get more involved in the organization.
Thank you for championing new projects, executing the association’s vision and for always being a source of inspiration and knowledge. You’ve laid an important groundwork — like the council members before you — for this organization, incoming representatives for the Northwest, Midwest and Northeast regions, and for the government social media community.
Meet the Author
Kristy Dalton
Founder & CEO - Government Social Media LLC
Kristy Dalton is known for creating the largest network of government social media professionals in the United States, following her own service in local government for 10 years. She founded the Government Social Media Conference, which brings government employees together with representatives from every major social network, and she serves as the executive director of the first professional association for public sector social media.
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