Published in TDAN.com October 2003
(Re) Introduce Yourself to DAMA International
DAMA International’s primary purpose is to promote the understanding, development and practice of managing information and data as a key enterprise asset. DAMA International is a not-for-profit,
vendor-independent association of technical and business professionals dedicated to advancing the concepts and practices of information resource management (IRM) and data resource management (DRM).
The Changing Role of the Data Professional
In our current day jobs, we are finding out that with the current state of the economy, those roles and practices that have been near and dear to our hearts have been challenged. We as data
professionals are being forced to do much more with less and get it done much faster. It is not simply enough to create and maintain data models; best practices and support a metadata strategy. I
have found that senior management has “raised the bar”. They are now looking for us to be more creative and sensitive to the Return on Investments. They are looking for us to become
data entrepreneurs.
We are now hearing and have begun using new terms such as “re-use”, “outsourcing” and Enterprise Information Integration. The functions of IRM or Data Architecture are now
in the position of being forced to facilitate productivity and quality even more than ever. New initiatives such as data model libraries are being used to provide re-usability for other business
areas in our companies. This not only promotes standardization but also can reduce expenses and increase quality and empower others. Beginning in the position to become agents of change requires
that you learn new techniques and also requires that you think out of the box. This is where DAMA International comes in to the picture.
Vice-President of Communications
As the Vice President of Communication for DAMA International, I have the responsibility to promote all activities and events that are sponsored by DAMA International and advance good DRM practices
across our domain.
In that role, the Vice-President of Communications is responsible for providing DAMA International with communications and public relations services.
Officer Role and Responsibilities
- Promote a positive image of DAMA
- Communicate the evolution in the information management disciplines
- Administer targeted publicity programs
- Promote the printing of data administration articles in industry publications
- Coordinate the publication of a quarterly newsletter
- Coordinate and administer creation of promotional materials
- Coordinate and present the DAMA International annual achievement award
As the VP of Communications, I often partner with the VP of Industries to seek out various relationships and sponsorships with organizations such as TWDI, Wilshire and the Information Quality
Conference. By building these relationships, we can provide the membership of the DAMA International family with the best of quality education often at a discounted rate.
How do I learn more about educational opportunities?
Within the DAMA International community, we as data professionals have many opportunities to learn about some of the new techniques, issues and solutions that support DRM. You can certainly check
the various events and seminars that are sponsored by DAMA International by checking out our website www.dama.org under coming events. I would
also suggest that you also check out your home local chapter or regional chapters for their upcoming events. We cannot be expected to learn about these solutions to solve our new challenges simply
by doing our day-to-day activities in our own organizations. We must seek out the industry experts and learn what the rest of our colleagues are doing to hold off this barrage of management
expectations. Remember DAM International is your best source for Mentoring. For it is through mentoring that we empower people to do their best. Lets all become “Data Entrepreneurs” and
get the job done.
– Denis Kosar –
VP Communications, DAMA International
