Local Chapter Officers (LCOs)
HDI Local Chapters are managed by volunteer boards, known as local chapter officers (LCOs). Since the first chapters were created in 1989, a wealth of experiences and knowledge has been captured and shared to assist new officers with their roles and responsibilities. It would be a burdensome task to expect any officers to read all that has been captured and to determine what is important to know and what is nice to know, or even where to begin or where to find these resources.
About the Local Chapters
What makes an HDI membership uniquely valuable is that every membership comes with membership in an HDI local chapter. HDI is represented by an extensive community of more than sixty local chapters across the United States and Canada. Current members and prospective members can search the local chapter directory to find the chapter closest to them. To find your HDI local chapter, visit the directory
HDI’s local chapters are part of the Help Desk Chapters, Inc. (HDC) non-profit organization. HDC and HDI have a strategic partnership focused on advancing the technical support industry. The local chapters are volunteer managed and member driven, providing technical support professionals in specific geographical areas with opportunities to meet on a regular basis. Participation in an HDI local chapter is a fantastic way to connect and collaborate with industry professionals in your area.
The local chapter community also includes a virtual chapter called the HDI vChapter. The HDI vChapter is for those technical support professionals who do not have a local chapter in their area and for HDI members in other countries (outside of Canada).
The local chapters are supported by the national officers (NOs), whose primary mission is to provide regular interaction, collaboration, and networking opportunities in chapter events where best practices and new ideas can be shared in the community. From the regular interaction with the HDI members, the NOs also partner with the larger HDI organization to share information and insight that will enable HDI to better serve members and the local chapters. This flow of information helps keep the chapters healthy and strengthens the entire HDI community. The NOs and the local chapters are supported by the HDC Board of Directors (BOD).
LCO Positions
HDI local chapters provide technical support professionals with opportunities to meet on a regular basis to network, share ideas and challenges, and hear presentations on topics selected by the local chapter. They also provide professionals with leadership opportunities: local chapter officers. Each chapter will have an executive board that will minimally consist of the president and the following local chapter officer roles:
- VP of Membership
- VP of Programs
- VP of Communications
- VP of Finance
These vice president roles must be filled by a minimum of four (4) separate individuals. Additional officers may be elected or appointed as necessary by the executive board. All elected and appointed officers are voting members of the executive board.
Officers shall be chosen from members in good standing within the chapter or engaged participants in the local community. These officers shall be elected biannually and shall assume office at a transition meeting of the existing board of officers and newly elected board of officers, which must take place no later than two (2) months after the election is held. They shall serve two years or until successors are elected and assume office.
Benefits of Being a Local Chapter Officer
Being an LCO has numerous benefits, including expanded networking, professional development, speaking, and leadership opportunities.
- Free HDI Local Chapter Membership
- Access to Free National Training at Summit
- Discounts to HDI Conferences
- Discounts are Local Chapter Events
- Discounts on HDI Training
- A world of networking opportunities
Leadership Summit
The HDI LCO Leadership Summit is held each year over the first weekend in June in Colorado Springs, CO, and it is one of the greatest benefits of being an LCO. The meeting is sponsored by HDI, HDC, and, occasionally, vendor sponsors. The agenda is planned by the RVPs and a volunteer committee consisting of HDI representatives, current LCOs, NOs, and representatives from the BOD. The typical agenda features training on:
- Best practices for chapter operations
- Leadership skills training, including topics such as:
- Planning and setting goals
- Budgeting and financial management
- Communications and marketing in a social world
- Effective presentations
- Officer recruitment, rewards, and recognition
- Specific officer roles
- Creating networking opportunities in a meeting setting
All LCOs are invited to this free event (registration required), during which they can network with other officers from throughout the local chapter network.
It is a best practice that at least one member of your chapter's executive board participate either in person or virtually in the Leadership Development Summit each year. The executive board will agree on which board member(s) will be the person to participate and the executive board will determine if the chapter can cover travel and hotel expenses for the officer(s) attending.
Even though this event is free, LCOs and NOs are responsible for their own hotel, travel, and miscellaneous expenses. Most meals are provided by HDI during the event, except dinner on Friday night.
