The path forward

Change can be terrifying. It can be unsettling. Or it can shake things up, shove things forward.

Change has come to Media of Birmingham.

Our humble organization begins an exciting new phase this month, one that will help us grow and make the group more useful to members and community alike.

While big changes have rocked the industries we inhabit, we at the MOB have not done enough to prepare you for those changes that affect our companies, our careers and our lives. So let us take a peek at what’s coming next for the MOB.

In March, we started by asking for volunteers to serve on a board of directors. After we received applications, we sat down with each applicant for a short interview.

The board members have been selected and notified; you’ll meet them shortly.

This board will guide the MOB from this point forward. We couldn’t have asked for a more talented, more diverse group of passionate, innovative and experienced people to lead us.

They will canvass the membership for ideas, suggestions and help. You are the MOB; you have a say in what this group stands for and how it can best serve you.

They will formalize their own structure, so that the volunteer leadership can be sustainable. This will allow them to renew the board over time to avoid burnout or staleness.

They will plan for next month, next year and the coming years. But they will not be burdened by history. What the MOB was in 2003 in the beginning, or in 2009, will not necessarily be the MOB of 2010 and beyond. What you and they dream up can be done.

I do not have a vision for the MOB. I have been fortunate in having a hand in guiding this group for the last few years, and blessed to have Andrea Walker as a partner in coordinating events this past year.

But it is time for a new group to take the reins. My vision ended with assembling this board. After I hand over the virtual keys to them, my role will be that of member and volunteer, and if needed, advisor.

I am extremely grateful to the new board for stepping forward to take on this assignment. I’m thankful for our many volunteers over the years who have helped this group grow and pull off great events. I tip my hat to founder Christina Tutor for getting us started on the right foot.

And I step aside with only one regret: that we didn’t do more as a group in these last few years.

I look forward to many more years of MOB membership, to attending panels and mixers not as a harried greeter but as a regular attendee, and to posting more exclusive updates about Birmingham’s media scene to our website.

Change has come to Media of Birmingham, and with it, new possibilities.

Wade Kwon

Photo by J&M Photography and Design.