The IES Ottawa is a volunteer organization that relies on the commitment and dedication of the members of the lighting community.
If you are interested in getting involved in the IES Ottawa section in an elected role or as part of a committee, please see more information below about available roles.
Please contact [email protected] for more information or to get involved.
Board of Managers
The IES Ottawa Section Board of Managers are volunteer members who are interested in taking a leadership role in managing the activities and events that are offered locally to members and others interested in lighting, the application of lighting, and associated best practices.
The Board consists of the following elected positions:
Officers
- President
- Vice President
- Secretary /Treasurer
Managers
- Four (4) managers
Managers are elected by our members and are voting members of the board. They are expected to come prepared to meetings and share their thoughts and ideas at meetings of the Board of Directors (roughly once per month from September through June or as needed)
We prefer to fill the Officer positions with persons who have had previous experience serving on our Board as Managers or in an ongoing capacity leading one of our committees. We welcome newcomers to self nominate to be placed on the ballot as a Manager, or to apply to join one of our committees as a starting point for future leadership opportunities.
To be placed on the ballot as a Section Manager, you must
- Be an active member or associate member including Emerging Professional Member in good standing. Non members are welcome to serve on some of our section committees or volunteer to help at specific events.
- Commit to keeping your membership in good standing for the duration of your term
- Be available to attend meetings of the Board of Managers.
Committees and Volunteer Roles
If you’d rather ease into IES Ottawa leadership positions, you can consider offering to assist on one of our Section Committees that include
- Program: The program committee is responsible for the planning and organization of our series of 7 or 8 technical luncheons (COVID has prevented us in recent years). The committee plans topics, arranges guest speakers, and coordinates details with the presenter and with the Operations Manager, or Section administrator.
- Education: The Education Committee plans and organizes our Lighting Education Course which regularly consist of our ½ day Lighting Basics and our 10 Module Fundamentals of Lighting. In addition there are dozens of other seminars that are available through the IES for us to teach. The committee could review the offerings, survey our membership for interest and organize and offer one or more of these.
- Membership: A strong, diverse base of members makes a stronger IES Section. The membership committee reviews membership reports, looks at ways to retain the members we have and attract new members from various industry participant organizations, and at different stages of their careers in the lighting landscape.
- Golf: It takes several dedicated individuals to make a successful annual tournament. There is something for anyone here, from checking in participants, volunteering at special event holes along the course, helping with developing sponsorship opportunities, course signage, printed programs, etc.
- Trade Show: The section has held an annual trade show that has been quite successful. There is a great deal to organize – dealing with the exhibit venue, coordinating with exhibitors, attendees, and others. Preparing printed materials, even manning the IES table to let attendees know more about what the IES is and why we are worth being a part of.
There are other committees that haven’t been as active that we would like to rejuvenate.
Illumination awards, the Society’s annual lighting awards program has not seen much participation from our Nation’s Capital. An active local program can encourage our lighting design and engineering community to submit noteworthy projects to the program. With enough participation, we could offer judging at the Section level and recognize our local projects before they get evaluated at the international level.
Other special events. We are always thinking of new ways to bring people together to learn, network, socialize. You can be part of the planning
Benefits of Volunteering with IES Ottawa
We all have paying jobs, but take our commitments to our volunteer roles with the IES seriously. It’s important that you are able to find the time to participate.
What’s in it for you? Well apart from being a part of an active, enthusiastic group you can improve some of your soft skills that may make you better at work. Depending on the role(s) you choose to fill, some skill-building opportunities include
- Public Speaking
- Working effectively on a team
- Leading a team
- Holding productive meetings
- Event organizing
- Business writing
- Industry recognition
- Problem solving
- Time management
- Meet people from other Sections in Canada and the United States.
- Just to name a few.
Ready to get involved? Contact us to get started!