Leadership in an active women's organization marking its 50th anniversary milestone this year fills Maria Rybicki, the new president of the Taipei International Women's Club (TIWC), with a sense of mission and history.

Overwhelmed while in the process of digging into the club's past by the existing records of her predecessors' accomplishments, Rybicki realized from the very beginning that organizing the piles of records and documents is one tall task which she must give priority to.

"A TIWC Web site is about to be born," promised Rybicki, who simply refused to see the TIWC's scattered archives, mainly boxes of records, continue to move around with each change of the TIWC board of officers.

"But setting up Web site is not easy," Rybicki said. In fact, she has enlisted the help of a nephew back in her native Poland to get the TIWC into cyberspace. The sparkle in her eyes as she talked about this project indicated her excitement over the progress being made. In due time, meaning before the end of the year, interested individuals will be able to read about the TIWC's past, present and future on a Web site.

Rybicki's work background explains why she is computer savvy. She is the top administrative and finance officer of the Advanced Digital Broadcast, Ltd. with a rapidly growing global network.

The new head of the TIWC also wants to establish for the club an operations headquarters in downtown Taipei. The scattered records can at least be moved to one address.

Here, too, Rybicki hopes to get "active volunteers" to help achieve the TIWC's goal "to carry out significant involvement in the community" and "to explore areas of activities, which resonate with ever-changing Taiwan, notably in what it has become and what it is seeking to become."

One of her first moves as president has been to call on the leaders of other women's clubs like the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) and find out the possibilities of sharing programs of activities as well as experiences. Seminars and round-table discussions involving professional women from both clubs were proposed when Rybicki touched base with Rita Hsu Huang of YWCA.

Meeting Lung Ying-tai, the director of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taipei, during a courtesy call enabled Rybicki to promote the club as a multi-cultural group. At least 20 nationalities are represented by the 200 members today. Rybicki is going to launch a campaign to recruit more members.

Rybicki is convinced that "the TIWC deserves a new image after half a century." The Web site has yet to be launched but at least the Companion, the magazine put out regularly by the club, already wears a new face. The first issue to be published under Rybicki's presidency appears in a different, bigger format.

But what is more important to Rybicki is to get the message of the TIWC's new presidency not just to the club members but also to the general public.

"Pooling Together to Pull Others Through" is the theme of her year of presidency, she announced in the September issue of the Companion.

The Poznan-born Rybicki, who has lived in Finland, the United States, Swaziland, Singapore and Taiwan aside from Poland, is very proud to have as members of her working team the following officers: Ivonne Jeannette Goti, first vice president; Pallas Chen, second vice president; Jen Chu, treasurer; Jackie Lien, membership; Iciar Yturriaga de Garcia Tapia, social services; Louise Bystrom, English public relations; Anna Lu, Chinese public relations; Pearl Chen, ways and means; Surtiati "Yatie" Wu, hospitality; Mailing Henderson, Companion editor; and Lulu Ma, executive secretary.

The big 50th anniversary celebration at the Grand Hotel in Taipei on Dec. 6 is getting Rybicki's main attention right now. To convince women of different cultural backgrounds to share their living experiences at a seminar is something she is exploring. She, too, wants to highlight women artists, whether painters or photographers, in an art exhibition.

Rybicki herself does Chinese painting. The Community Services Center in Tienmu was one of the first places she visited shortly after her arrival in Taiwan.

"I took survival Chinese language lessons there," she recalled. "1 also began learning Chinese painting at the center."

Her tenure as vice president of the club when Susan Milla was the TIWC president prepared her for the presidency. "I learned on the job," she said.

Rybicki's active involvement in the company headed by her husband, Andrew Rybicki, also taught her lessons in effective leadership.

"We started with just five persons six years ago," she pointed out. "We have grown into an organization of 220 people worldwide."

Having learned to practice delegation of responsibilities at her office, Rybicki has been allowed by her husband to accept the TIWC presidency, a demading job, this year. Thus far, she has shown a determination to make an impact in her own style.

Rybicki can be reached through e-mail M.Rybicki@adbglobal.com or through tel. 2536-0913.