Cheryl Power
Vice President Corporate Affairs
Australian Society for Microbiology
AuSAE Member: September 2017
What We Do
We aim to make people more aware of the importance of Microbiology, not just the prevention and treatment of infectious disease but the essential and beneficial role that microorganisms and microbiologists, the people who work with them, play in our everyday lives.
Number of Members
2000.
Staff Size
One part time office manager working with other trained professionals, plus an army of voluntary workers spread across all over Australia.
Years in Association Management
Five years in my current position but many years at a state branch level.
How I Got Into Association Management
I wanted to grow the links between members and our national office and Executive and it was suggested to me that I could do that by taking up this role on Exec. It was a valid suggestion of course because finance plays such a crucial role in determining what a society can and can not do. If an Exec is confident that the money is being well managed it can focus on developing the society, and giving back to members.
What I Like About My Job
Being able to make a difference by allowing ASM to translate ideas into realities.
My Biggest Challenge
Not letting my ASM work take over my life, as I really enjoy my role, and can see so many things that we could do to value for members. Ongoing.
What I am most proud of at our Association
Our support and encouragement of student and early career members, and the huge amount of work done at national and state level by volunteers who do it because they love the discipline and see its value. I am also proud of the friendships and offers of help that follow, for the most part without calculations of cost or personal gain.
Favourite AuSAE Event
The recent conference in Wellington was great fun but also inspiring and useful.
What I want to learn from other AuSAE members
New ideas for ways to return benefits to members and more efficient ways of doing the mundane but necessary tasks to keep our society viable and efficient.
How AuSAE Has Helped Me
It has made me aware of the importance of acting in a thoroughly professional manner and of training our volunteers how to do this too.
