As a part of a new blog series, highlighting Minn-Kota members, Deanna Keller shares her experience as a Minn-Kota Regional Officer, now advisor. Learn more about the 2014-2015 Regional Officer Deanna Keller below:

Deanna G Keller

Lake Superior College

Alpha Upsilon Gamma Chapter

Regional Officer: 2014 - 2015

How did you find out about Phi Theta Kappa?

When I started at Lake Superior College, one of my friends who had graduated a few years before and was a PTK alumnus, told me that I would be invited to join PTK, if my GA was high enough. She gave me an overview of the benefits and I was eager for my invitation. After I completed the required credits with the requisite GPA, I was invited to become a member in the spring of 2011.

Why did you run for regional office?

I had a good friend who was one of the regional officers who served 2013/2014, meeting her at one of the Honors Institutes. She recruited me to run for a VP position after talking with my advisor. I thought long and hard about the opportunity because I was working full-time while attending college part-time. After thoughtful consideration (could I fit the responsibilities into an already tight schedule), I told her I would run if she ran for the presidential office.

What advice would you give those considering to run?

Acknowledge that this position needs to be placed as a priority. Be a person of your word. When you consent to take on a task or responsibility—complete it and do so on time. Put your regional officer meetings on your calendar along with all conferences/conventions. You need to be at these. Know that you are part of an equal team--not one position is more important than the other.

What are you most proud of (e.g. personal or professional accomplishment)?

In regards to being a regional officer, I would honestly have to say winning a Distinguished Regional Office award for 2015 and being part of a Distinguished Regional Officer Team for 2015. While I wasn’t surprised our team won an award that year, I was surprised to win an individual award. It was the nomination of this award by my team, which I am most proud of, for it told me that they felt I was an effective teammate. That was the goal I had when running for regional officer.

How did becoming a regional officer help you develop? Being a regional officer gave me the experience of working together, not only a team, but also in a virtual environment. Until that time, any team I worked on (aside for quick classroom projects) was in a face-to-face setting—specifically in a work setting. This knowledge and experience, now placed on my resume, has enabled me to take these skills and use them as a member of the PTK Alumni Advisory Board and as a Chapter Leader for Jack Kent Cook. From a work standpoint, it is these skills that my supervisor has tapped into, which allowed me to be selected as the first telecommuter in our department. Using the experience of working as a virtual team, I am working with and training three other members of my work team, to also move into a telecommuting role.

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