acm’s;chief;operating;officer;letter
DOI: 10.1145/1743546.1743547
Patricia;Ryan
a tour of acm’s hQ

Let me admit at the outset, I’m a bit biased when I talk about ACM headquarters (HQ) and the many ways it outshines the command centers of other professional societies. But that bias comes from nearly three decades of firsthand experience, having worked in almost every department within HQ, and having had a front-row seat to the dynamics that drive each department to create and provide products and services to meet the needs of ACM members.

ACM and its SIGs sponsor, co-sponsor, and cooperate with over 170 technical meetings annually, all of which are coordinated through the Office of SIG Services, with Donna Cappo at the helm.

The department manages all SIGs and their conferences, including promotion, publicity, and membership. The team also helps produce over 85 proceedings and 30 newsletters yearly.

The Office of Publications produces ACM’s many research journals and Transactions and is responsible for Digital Library content. Director Bernard Rous oversees these efforts, which include 39 print journals and a DL containing over 275,000 articles and

1. 50 million citations covered by the

Guide to Computing Literature.

Scott Delman, director of the Office of Group Publishing, shepherds DL sales and builds business strategies to make the DL a must-have subscription for institutions worldwide, which today number over 2,800. He also serves as group publisher for ACM’s magazine series, including our flagship

Communications of the ACM.

ACM’s Office of Membership, under the leadership of Lillian Israel, is one big umbrella covering everything under membership and marketing services, including membership processing, subscriptions, professional development services, and education.

Of particular pride to me is the fact that with close to 100,000 members, ACM’s member services department, consisting of four customer representatives, is able to provide a response to any member query within 24 hours!

Russell Harris, a 36-year veteran of HQ, heads the Office of Financial Services. His team oversees all the Association’s financial matters, including accounting responsibilities, monthly and quarterly financial statements, and the annual ACM budget. His department cuts 10,000 checks per year, guides auditors through evaluations, handles treasury functions, and monitors ACM’s investment strategies daily.

The Office of Information Systems

maintains constant vigilance over the Association’s “computing machinery,” with responsibilities for all the information processing needs serving staffers, volunteers, and members. Wayne Graves leads this effort, which includes maintaining HQ’s digital infrastructure, as well as spearheading the DL’s technical direction and advances.

Based in Washington, D.C., ACM’s

Office of Public Policy (USACM) is very much a part of HQ, representing ACM’s interests on IT policy issues that impact the computing field. Cameron Wilson works to enlighten legislators about policies that foster computing innovations, including the critical need for CS and STEM education.

The unsung heroes that comprise the Office of Administrative Services

support all the necessary functions that allow HQ to operate at the top of its game every single day. These varied services include human resources, office services and mailroom facilities, and support policies and procedures, the ACM’s Awards program, and elections.

All of us at HQ are indebted to the tireless efforts of ACM’s many devoted volunteers worldwide who work together with us to manage ACM’s growing array of products and services.

None of our efforts would succeed without their efforts.

 

Patricia Ryan is Deputy Executive Director and Chief operating officer of ACM, new york, ny.