New ATA staff role set to boost member engagement

Prepare to get engaged! The Teacher Employment Services (TES) program area has added a new focus to help get members involved with the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA). Last spring, the Provincial Executive Council (PEC) approved the creation of a new associate coordinator position to lead this bold direction. Filling this role is executive staff officer Jonathan Teghtmeyer, recently returned from academic leave. 

“There have been many leaders at the Association who have spoken about developing our member engagement for many years,” said Teghtmeyer. “So, it really is a perennial theme that continues to surface. It’s an important piece of work that needs to be prioritized for the Association.”

Teghtmeyer will bring his extensive expertise in member organizing and communications, as well as new learnings from his recent studies, to enhance the ATA’s capacity to reach out and actively engage the membership.

“In communications, we’ve managed several member engagement projects. That will provide a solid springboard for developing even more in-depth engagement,” said Teghtmeyer. “I’ve been studying user-centered design and other theoretical frameworks that could be applied to the question of member engagement.”

Teghtmeyer said the exact scope of the new position has not yet been finalized and the next several months will include conversations with various member groups about what they’d like to see.

“Building member engagement is not something that can be done from Barnett House. It’s something that must be done in all corners of the province and all areas of the Association,” said Teghtmeyer. 

Because teachers interact with the Association in different ways, Teghtmeyer plans to collaborate across program areas to engage directly with members and subgroups about the work they do and what member engagement looks like for them.

“I like the idea that it’s something that I can dedicate more focus to as part of my work.”

With the new position added, TES will now be known as Teacher Employment and Membership   Support (TEMS).

Given Teghtmeyer’s move to the new position, the communications team needed a new leader. Acting associate coordinator of communications Kristine Wilkinson, who filled in for Teghtmeyer during his leave, was the logical choice.

“I was very excited to learn that I would be working with such an amazing and competent team on an ongoing basis,” said Wilkinson. “We really seemed to gel this past year, and I’m looking forward to the incredible things we can accomplish with the challenges ahead.”