TEA: What drives your work for the EAA?
S. Květinová: Archaeologist by education, I started working for the EAA in 2005. As the sole employee, I soon knew most of the approx. thousand current EAA Members personally. At that time, the EAA was a sort of extended, wide family, and my motivation was based precisely on that - direct contact with Members.
The membership growth in the 2010s brought about the need for development of the EAA Secretariat in terms of online membership management and additional staff: Krisztína, Katka, Alena and Sára. While the EAA service provided to Members improved (I hope you agree) and I was able to focus more on internal EAA governance and support to the Executive Board, I missed contact with and feedback from the Members.
Ironically, the COVID-19-induced boom of online meetings brought part of the ‘direct’ contact back, and while I no longer know all 3000 current EAA Members by name, interaction with many is easy and relaxed even though we have perhaps never met in person.
TEA: How do you envisage EAA’s future?
S. Květinová: The EAA’s future is again a paradox from an employee’s point of view. Clearly, the tendency is towards self-managed online services, which Members can use at any time without staff support or intervention. Members may soon only know us through similar TEA sections!
TEA: What is the one piece of equipment that you can’t live without at work?
S. Květinová: Definitely my laptop, as currently it is THE communication channel with fellow staff and the EAA world. I am infamous for bringing my laptop anywhere at any time – perhaps I should consider addiction treatment.
TEA: What is the oddest fact about the EAA?
S. Květinová: Given that the EAA “only“ has about three thousand current Members annually, I was perplexed to learn that over the past five years, my colleagues and I sent more than one million messages to Members! We are grateful that you still read our emails!
TEA: Any advice to new EAA Members?
S. Květinová: Engage! We need enthusiastic, active Members to steer the EAA forward by participating in the EAA life, be it through involvement in EAA Communities, taking part in the election or attending the Annual Meetings.
Communicate! Tell us what you need, suggest improvements, share your concerns. The EAA Executive Board and staff is here for you.
Enjoy! I wish that the EAA is a safe, home-like place for all Members.
S. Květinová at the EAA Executive Board Meeting at Maastricht in 2017; photo by K. Kleinová.
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