Tom Melander (r) and Russ Fraenkel (l)

On 20 August, 2010, the Minnesota IT Workforce Collaborative, which works to "Close the IT talent gap" welcomed its new leaders, Russ Fraenkel (Chair) and Tom Melander (Vice-chair).

Russ, a collaboration consultant, offered insight into the direction he plans to lead the MNITWFC.

"Collaboration is many things - it's an appropriate mix of messy give-and-take, it’s sometimes frustrating and when done well, is incredibly rewarding.  Collaboration is here to stay, and worth the effort it takes to try to master.

I believe in this group of well-intentioned people. We are here to close the IT talent gap. We need to answer this question:  How do we take our individual strengths and apply them collectively to meet our challenges?”

He further stated, “We have an exciting journey ahead. Let’s make sure each team member’s seat on the bus helps to ensure that we reach our desired destination. As members, I ask you to rededicate yourself to our commitment, to help solve our challenges, and to use your influence to strategically recruit new members to the broader association.  I encourage Leadership Committee members to join one of our groups - that's where the real action occurs.  Being a member of a collaborative is not intended to be a spectator sport."

Current committees include: Communications (Jonathan Brandt, lead), Supply/Demand (Jim Johnson lead), Education (Mary Bock, lead).

Russ also urged membership to come to the September Leadership meeting with input to the question: What do we want to have happen during our Leadership meetings?