Outgoing council: Thanks for serving!

The Government Social Media professional association is served by a group of elected volunteer advisors representing six regions across the United States. Election results were recently announced for the Southeast, Southwest and West regions.

Contributed by Kristy Dalton, GSM founder and executive director of the professional association. 

As the terms of three regional representatives of the GSM professional association Membership Council come to an end, we are appreciative of their dedication and service to the government social media community. 

Thank you Kristen Waggener, Chelsea Sawyer and Mamiko Carroll! The association grew to over 500 members during their time on council! Working with Team GSM and fellow council members Marie Tweedy, Katie Grant and Andrew Belanger, who continue their terms, the council led our inaugural quarterly virtual meetups for each region, initiated a yearly survey to members, and launched Canada memberships.

Representing the Southwest region, President Kristen Waggener with the City of Arlington, Texas, led this cohort with expertise and thoughtful counsel, always providing a helpful voice to both fellow members and the greater socialgov community. Kristen most recently co-led the Awards Committee and helped bring special additions to the Golden Post Awards program and led significant updates to our revamped judging process. 

Kristen is one of the longest-serving volunteers of the Government Social Media Conference! Even before her time on the council, over the past 9 years, she’s stepped in as a speaker, set-up/tear-down helper, badge stuffer, check-in support and assisted in countless other significant ways. 

Chatham Emergency Management Agency’s Chelsea Sawyer represented the Southeast region and also served as a co-chair on the Awards Program. She was one of the masterminds behind the revamped award ceremony in 2022, creating the visual “spectacle” worthy of honoring our esteemed finalists and winners! In 2023, Chelsea also helped incorporate a new offering of providing feedback from judges to Golden Post Awards entrants.  

Mamiko Carroll, with the Hawai’i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, stepped in to serve as the West region representative after her region’s predecessor took a role outside of government. Mamiko led her region’s first virtual meetup and repped her region virtually during our first annual membership meeting during GSMCON. We couldn’t be more grateful for the time she spent serving on the council and her thoughtful contributions during her term.   

Thank you to Kristen, Chelsea and Mamiko for spearheading new initiatives, bringing the association’s vision to life and for consistently bringing inspiration and expertise. Much like their predecessors on the council, they have established a crucial foundation not only for our organization but also for the incoming representatives in the Southeast, Southwest, and West regions, as well as for the broader government social media community.

Best communicate with the public you serve and get connected with fellow socialgovs by registering for the 2024 Government Social Media Conference happening in Palm Springs, California or virtually from wherever you are! Join our free network for bi-weekly Government Social Media Chats or professional association for member-only webinars. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on training, events and more.

We support the largest network of government social media professionals in the U.S. by guiding government agencies through complex social media issues. Government Social Media helps you successfully communicate with the public you serve, protect your agency and keep public trust while finding your support community.