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| Deb
blends into the scenery during the 2006 Interpreting World
Heritage conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico. |
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Having been an interpreter, NAI commercial member, board member and now staff member has given me many different perspectives on our association. I feel a connection to NAI that has meant many friendships, networks, and professional relationships through the years. I can’t imagine a more perfect job than working with and for friends—what better work environment could there possibly be?
As events manager, it is my responsibility to handle the logistics of the national workshop, international conference and the certification training courses. You might say that an eye for detail is a prerequisite. I also love putting together events that are meaningful for the participants, especially when it comes to professional development and expanding participants’ perspectives about how interpretation can make a difference in our world.
The national workshop has been a touchstone for me since I attended my first one in 1981 when AIN (Association of Interpretive Naturalists) and WIA (Western Interpreters Association) held a joint workshop in Estes Park, CO and I was part of the registration committee. When national workshops were planned by volunteer committees, I volunteered as often as I could because workshops were one of the most my rewarding aspects of being an NAI member. Now that NAI plans national workshops five years out, at any one time I may be managing six national workshops in various stages. Imagine how gratifying it is for me to work on these events on a daily basis!
Planning and attending NAI’s international conferences has been a tremendously rewarding experience for me. The participants, though different culturally, speak the same language when it comes to interpretation. Hearing the conference attendees talk about their respective existing programs and future possibilities makes it seem that the world of interpretation is not quite so large or complicated as the world we read about in the news. The personal connections made at this event show us how much alike we really are. It brings interpretation to a prominent place when we realize that all of us face similar problems or that the problems we face are not nearly as serious as those faced by interpretive institutions at other locations in the world. Either way it provides good perspective. If you have not had an opportunity to attend one of our international events, please try to attend; it will make you a better interpreter and a better person.
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