Eastern Division Director Candidates Position Statements
The National Ski Patrol (NSP) is unlike any other volunteer organization I have been exposed to. We put ourselves at risk physically and mentally, devote huge amounts of time and effort to patrolling, and are possessed of a bond and camaraderie that is difficult for non-patrollers to grasp. For ski patrollers, the reward is mostly from doing the job and garnering the respect of fellow patrollers. Ski patrol really is about helping our fellow snow-sport enthusiasts in their time of need, and I see it as a noble cause.
Eastern Division is the largest division in NSP, and our organization is second to none. Our leaders in each program and administrative position are the most talented and experienced and effective people available. We have excellent financial managers. We have innovators and strategic thinkers both fiscally and operationally. We constantly innovate: patroller schools, patrollerschool.org, our vigorous election effort in the face of crisis, our Long Range Planning reporting, goal setting and feedback to our budgeting process, implementing Moodle courses in several programs, the Fenway Big Air ski patrol, and the editing of OEC 5, and now OEC 6, the bibles of NSP, to name but a few.
We have had 5 people on the National Board of Directors (NBOD) for quite a few years. I believe that Eastern Division has earned the right to those 5 board positions by way of our skilled leadership, the quality of candidates/board members we elect, our innovation on the Board, our unflagging interest in National affairs, and the skill and dedication of our leaders during crisis. Other divisions look to the Easter Division to lead and set the example, and that is for good reason. However, I have written about how Eastern Division must not dominate the selection of the rest of the National Board. I stand by that position and feel strongly that we must encourage all Divisions to put up excellent Board candidates and get their memberships to more actively vote. It is necessary for the health and strength of the National Ski Patrol.
Our current Division Director has, I believe, worked wonders with the relationships between the Eastern Division and other divisions. His determination and skill in that regard has and continues to inspire me. That work must continue, and while I don’t have his irrepressible sense of humor, I will do my best to see it continue. I do believe there is no validity to the idea that divisions of NSP should be at odds with each other just because we are from different locales. We must continue to forge alliances and friendships across the NSP world with our fellow patrollers. I feel that anything less than that is to abdicate our responsibility to NSP and weakens our organization.
I believe in strong, decisive leadership. It's something the Eastern Division has had for as long as I've been involved in NSP these last 20 years. Having said that, I have great faith in the program advisors and administrators of the Eastern Division. I have faith in their skills, their judgment, their ability to innovate and improve their programs. If elected I will work with and depend on all the leaders of this Division. I will be involved and knowledgeable regarding the progress and operations of all our programs.
I believe NSP’s OEC program is at the heart of all we do, and I am looking forward to the OEC6 textbook roll-out. But we deliver so many other varied educational programs and training, as well. I believe delivering all the programs NSP and the Eastern Division offer will and should be one of the primary responsibilities of any Division Director.
I have always been a big believer in the Senior program and its ability to mold newer patrollers into more experienced and capable patrollers beyond their years of experience. I feel a strong Senior program is essential to our Division. Both the Senior and Certified programs hone our skills and our psyche to tackle otherwise overwhelming situations. If trained correctly, patrollers will do what they've been trained to do when the need arises. This training is our strength and our individual protection on the slopes for the situations we find ourselves in.
I also believe in doing the right thing, and in ensuring fairness to all our patrollers. In the last couple years, we instituted an effort to improve patrollers’ awareness of NSP’s rules on harassment of all kinds. I strongly supported this effort and believe it necessary for the good of all of us, and for the health of the Eastern Division. All our members should be empowered, supported and respected for their contributions, and deserve to be treated with professionalism and consideration.
Sometimes doing the right thing is not always the easy choice, as we have seen recently with the Covid-19 driven cancellations, postponements and reconfigurations our programs have had to endure. I applaud the good judgement and strength our current program leaders and our Division Director showed in making these hard decisions for the good of all of us. There was pain and great disappointment involved in doing the right thing in these cases, but there is no question the decisions were correct. Ski patrolling is a noble calling in my mind, and our NSP and Eastern Division organizations are what makes it possible for all of us to patrol. Assuming the leadership of any large organization like the Eastern Division is a rare opportunity, a great privilege, and requiring of a nuanced and varied skill set. I feel that I have been prepared for assuming this position by virtue of my 4 years as Assistant Division Director. JK kept me involved and informed throughout, and by allowing me to be as involved as I was, I have met most if not all the National Directors and Division Directors. I have come to understand much of how the organization works at a Division and National level. And while there is still a lot to learn, I feel well-positioned to be able to do so. I have some great mentors. And I will, if elected Division Director, follow that same model of selecting an Assistant Division Director who will be heavily involved in Division operations and will take on significant responsibility. I humbly ask for your vote.
Eastern Division is the largest division in NSP, and our organization is second to none. Our leaders in each program and administrative position are the most talented and experienced and effective people available. We have excellent financial managers. We have innovators and strategic thinkers both fiscally and operationally. We constantly innovate: patroller schools, patrollerschool.org, our vigorous election effort in the face of crisis, our Long Range Planning reporting, goal setting and feedback to our budgeting process, implementing Moodle courses in several programs, the Fenway Big Air ski patrol, and the editing of OEC 5, and now OEC 6, the bibles of NSP, to name but a few.
We have had 5 people on the National Board of Directors (NBOD) for quite a few years. I believe that Eastern Division has earned the right to those 5 board positions by way of our skilled leadership, the quality of candidates/board members we elect, our innovation on the Board, our unflagging interest in National affairs, and the skill and dedication of our leaders during crisis. Other divisions look to the Easter Division to lead and set the example, and that is for good reason. However, I have written about how Eastern Division must not dominate the selection of the rest of the National Board. I stand by that position and feel strongly that we must encourage all Divisions to put up excellent Board candidates and get their memberships to more actively vote. It is necessary for the health and strength of the National Ski Patrol.
Our current Division Director has, I believe, worked wonders with the relationships between the Eastern Division and other divisions. His determination and skill in that regard has and continues to inspire me. That work must continue, and while I don’t have his irrepressible sense of humor, I will do my best to see it continue. I do believe there is no validity to the idea that divisions of NSP should be at odds with each other just because we are from different locales. We must continue to forge alliances and friendships across the NSP world with our fellow patrollers. I feel that anything less than that is to abdicate our responsibility to NSP and weakens our organization.
I believe in strong, decisive leadership. It's something the Eastern Division has had for as long as I've been involved in NSP these last 20 years. Having said that, I have great faith in the program advisors and administrators of the Eastern Division. I have faith in their skills, their judgment, their ability to innovate and improve their programs. If elected I will work with and depend on all the leaders of this Division. I will be involved and knowledgeable regarding the progress and operations of all our programs.
I believe NSP’s OEC program is at the heart of all we do, and I am looking forward to the OEC6 textbook roll-out. But we deliver so many other varied educational programs and training, as well. I believe delivering all the programs NSP and the Eastern Division offer will and should be one of the primary responsibilities of any Division Director.
I have always been a big believer in the Senior program and its ability to mold newer patrollers into more experienced and capable patrollers beyond their years of experience. I feel a strong Senior program is essential to our Division. Both the Senior and Certified programs hone our skills and our psyche to tackle otherwise overwhelming situations. If trained correctly, patrollers will do what they've been trained to do when the need arises. This training is our strength and our individual protection on the slopes for the situations we find ourselves in.
I also believe in doing the right thing, and in ensuring fairness to all our patrollers. In the last couple years, we instituted an effort to improve patrollers’ awareness of NSP’s rules on harassment of all kinds. I strongly supported this effort and believe it necessary for the good of all of us, and for the health of the Eastern Division. All our members should be empowered, supported and respected for their contributions, and deserve to be treated with professionalism and consideration.
Sometimes doing the right thing is not always the easy choice, as we have seen recently with the Covid-19 driven cancellations, postponements and reconfigurations our programs have had to endure. I applaud the good judgement and strength our current program leaders and our Division Director showed in making these hard decisions for the good of all of us. There was pain and great disappointment involved in doing the right thing in these cases, but there is no question the decisions were correct. Ski patrolling is a noble calling in my mind, and our NSP and Eastern Division organizations are what makes it possible for all of us to patrol. Assuming the leadership of any large organization like the Eastern Division is a rare opportunity, a great privilege, and requiring of a nuanced and varied skill set. I feel that I have been prepared for assuming this position by virtue of my 4 years as Assistant Division Director. JK kept me involved and informed throughout, and by allowing me to be as involved as I was, I have met most if not all the National Directors and Division Directors. I have come to understand much of how the organization works at a Division and National level. And while there is still a lot to learn, I feel well-positioned to be able to do so. I have some great mentors. And I will, if elected Division Director, follow that same model of selecting an Assistant Division Director who will be heavily involved in Division operations and will take on significant responsibility. I humbly ask for your vote.