The New OATAG

Over the past few months, the Directors of the Oregon Association for Talented and Gifted have spent considerable time and effort in overhauling the structure and philosophy of our organization.  

OATAG was created in the 1980's.  Since that time society has evolved considerably.  Social media and the internet now play prominent roles in the lives of most, if not all, Oregonians.  It was time for OATAG to evolve and change, and evolve and change we did.  The foundation for this change was a complete and total overhaul of the bylaws, which were edited and revised to reflect the changing priorities of twenty-first century families.  

There are many new and exciting things to expect in the coming months as OATAG implements this new vision.  Here is a partial list of those changes:

• Membership is now FREE.  Anyone can join OATAG now at no cost.  Gold and Green membership classifications have been dropped and existing Gold and Green members are now called "Contributing Members."  We will now be entirely funded by donations and event fees.  Indeed, donations are always accepted and appreciated!  Please donate today!
• A Different Drummer has been retired.  The official publication of OATAG was produced quarterly with articles and information for all.  Unfortunately, this format meant that the content in The Drummer was often stagnant and out-dated by the time it was actually printed.  Modern readers demand timely and interactive content.  To meet this new demand, the time and effort put into The Drummer has been re-directed into our new blog-style Resource Page.  
• The annual conference has been re-imagined.  Day-long, expensive and time-consuming, our annual conference has been looking out-dated for some time.  To that end, a new event format has been envisioned, designed to drastically lower the cost, increase attendance and improve service.  Click here to learn more.
• In addition, new regional mini-conferences are also planned.  Oregon is a big state.  We want to reach out to those oft-neglected corners of the state by holding regional mini-conferences around Oregon.  Click here to lean more.
• The Board of Directors has been replaced by two distinct concepts:  the Board and the Directorate.  The Board functions as advisors and supports of OATAG, while the Directorate provides direction and focus.  Click here to review the bylaws and learn more.  bit.ly/oatagbylaws 
• A new online presence defined by online services such as Facebook, Twitter, Weebly and Constant Contact, we hope to improve efficiency and therefore service.

And that's not all.  There is much more coming!  In fact, we are just getting started.  Keep an eye out for many more improvements coming to OATAG soon!