The Online Writing Centers Association (OWCA) grew out of the Online Writing Centers Community (OWCC). This community started as an effort to advance academic and scholarly conversations about online writing center (OWC) work and create an interactive community of OWC scholars and practitioners. I became a coordinator in 2020 to assist the OWCC founders in transitioning to the OWCA. We were incorporated on August 29, 2020 and officially announced the OWCA on October 13, 2020.
I am the founding treasurer on the Executive Board of the Online Writing Centers Association and co-drafted our articles of incorporation and bylaws. I maintain the bank accounts, financial records/transactions, and receipts for the organization, as well as a budget with the president. We obtained 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, and I continue to advise the board on compliance with IRS 501(c)(3) and Ohio state regulations.
I was the chair of the grants and fundraising committee for 2021 and continue to mentor the grants coordinator. We believe strongly in making our events as accessible as possible which is quite expensive, so we are always exploring ways to increase our revenue. I also co-chair the website and communication committee. As my current position at ODU is related to ePortfolios, this committee is an opportunity to share my expertise and gain even more experience with using WordPress in varying contexts. I serve as a committee member on the virtual events committee and the conference committee.
For our webinars, we invite speakers to present on OWC related topics and devote at least half the time to discussion. We also host reading club sessions facilitated by the virtual events committee. I facilitated a reading club discussion of the article in Praxis: A Writing Center Journal by Liliana M. Naydan “Toward a Rhetoric of Labor Activism in College and University Writing Centers” in May 2022.
If your work intersects with online writing centers (fully online or with online elements) or with digital composition, please consider joining the Online Writing Centers Association. Per the OWCA’s Anti-Racism Statement, any student or professional who identifies as a person of color can obtain a 3-year membership at no charge.
For a look at what the OWCA entails, see the video below of the special interest group I presented, along with our president and vice president, at the International Writing Centers Association’s Listen. Learn. Lead. online event in 2020.