2014 MGS Officer Platform Thread

[robert]

Here is the 2014 MGS Officer platform thread. Voting info and instructions can be found here: viewtopic.php?t=8402

[Bocco]

Thanks, Robert.

[cooley1103]

New blood and growth

Let me introduce myself, I am Brian Cooley (Cooley1103) and I am running for MGS President. I have met many of you throughout the years at MGS and non-MGS events, and look forward seeing y’all at future events.


A little bit about me
My wife, Angela (CycleAngela) and I have been a members of the MGS since 2009. We can usually be seen caching with Geo-dogs, Princess and Chick. I am currently a manager with Lockheed Martin on Ft Meade after serving 9 years in the US Army. My last 4 years were served at the White House travelling around the globe in advance of the President, Vice-President and First Lady.

I am co-chair for Maryland’s Geo-Woodstock planning committee. Together we developed a comprehensive proposal that the national committee loved and is considering our state as a potential host of the world’s largest Mega Event.

My platform/goals for the MGS
Number 1 on my list is communications. There has to be an open channel of communication between the officers and the members. This is meant to be a 2 way conversation where the officers keep the members up to date and the members feel comfortable that they can approach the Core with anything.

When I look at the MGS I see the future while honoring the past. Over the years we have been led by some great leaders and we need to keep their ideas going. I just feel we need some fresh blood in the MGS Core because if we keep reliving the past than we may become stagnant. With new blood comes new ideas.

Events? I wanna see a MGS in Southern Maryland. The Waldorf/La Plata area is full of quality parks and caches and this is an area the MGS could hold an event that will give cachers the complete feeling of a quality event.

CAM? CAM will live on forever. The concept of CAM is unique compared to other states/organizations and this should never stop. My only improvement would be to poll members for potential hide locations/parks in their areas so that everyone can experience the same parks they love.

Continued membership growth. I want to see the MGS continue to grow and this relies on quality leaders, caches, and events and all of these are very important to me.

So let’s grow together.

[lpyankeefan]

Hi there. My name is Larry Potter. In the caching world I go by the name LPYankeeFan. I have been actively geocaching since March 19th, 2005. The first MGS event that I attended was GCNVX1 - Maryland Geocaching Society's 2005 Summer Picnic. My family and I were welcomed with open arms, friendly smiles and have been ever since then.

I have run for office almost every year since then to 'give a little back' to the organization that has given so much to me. A few of the things that I've done as a member of the MGS:

1. Public Relations Director 2008 under the direction of Calvercachers and Snurt.
2. Public Relations Director 2009 under the direction on Woodysix8 and Shady.
3. MGS President 2012 with Corfmania, spikep, trainbug and WVKiwi as officers.
4. Coordinated three successful coin projects in 2012. The CAM 2012 Geocoin and two different versions of the MGS 10th Anniversary Coin.
5. Coordinated two different pathtag projects. The CAM 2012 pathtag and the 10th Anniversary Pathtag.
6. Hosted 170 events in locations all over the United States including five CITO events under my personal account.
7. Placed or adopted over three hundred caches for folks to hunt for in the Mid-Atlantic area.
8. Hosted one of the largest CITO events in MGS history at Greenbelt National Park. More than four months worth of volunteer work was completed in one afternoon thanks to the partnership between the National Park Service and members of the MGS and NoVAGO. Furthermore we successfully lobbied the National Park Service to allow ten permanent cache placements and one older cache grand-fathered in on NPS property.
9. Held one of the most successful silent auctions at the MGS Summer Picnic 2012. Almost $1000 was raised to help offset costs of events hosted throughout the year.
10. Hosted an extremely successful Fall Picnic with a full slate of events throughout the entire weekend. Those in attendance were able to participate in eleven different events over the entire weekend.
11. Thanks to partnerships forged in the two events cited above ALL rentals and fees normally associated with the use of facilities were waived. We were able to put this money to the future of MGS.
12. As a hider for the Washington County Geotrail I was able to successfully hide or co-hide four more caches on National Park Property. The C&O Canal (both Four Locks and Cushwa Basin) and Antietam National Battlefield have been VERY happy with their decisions to welcome geocaching onto their property.

As president this year I would like to do the following:

1. Foster a more open relationship between the CORE, Board of Directors and the membership. Brian Cooley is correct in pointing out the need and I agree with him. Whether actual or perceived there has sometimes been a disconnect between the elected officers and some of the membership. Whether this involves members asking "How can I help out?" or other questions such as "How do I get 'picked' to hide a CAM cache?" members do want to know. It's our job as officers and directors to let them know. My account through the MGS has ALWAYS been available as well as my e-mail account through geocaching.com and my phone number. Communication IS paramount.

2. Continue with the signature six events that the MGS has hosted for years. Meet The Officers, Cache Across Maryland, Summer Picnic, MGS CITO, Fall Picnic and Holiday Gift Exchange. All have come to be enjoyed throughout the year and anxiously awaited.

3. Children need to continue to be included at various events throughout the year. During 2012 the officers and I made more of an effort to have an activities area for kids at the MGS events. We all made donations to help fill a tote with various games for younger members of the MGS to enjoy. Families will continue to be one of the strongest areas for growth within the MGS.

This IS my platform and I stand by it. As some of you may or may not know I have NEVER asked anyone to vote for me. I have ALWAYS told everyone that I've talked to about MGS elections to merely take five minutes to listen to the folks running, make up THEIR minds and then vote.

The organization is only as good as it's members. I am proud to be a member of a GREAT organiztion and look forward to helping out in ANY way that I can.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns please do NOT hesitate to contact me.

Thank You...

[deepdish23]

Even though I am running unopposed, I thought I would introduce myself for those who have not met me yet.

My name is Mark Neuberger (deepdish23), and I live in Mount Airy and work at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Maryland. My family, Kristen, (yellowrose70), Aaron, (HoneyBadger34), and I started geocaching in the summer of 2010. We joined the MGS in the fall of 2010. The 2011 Meet The Officers Event was the first MGS sponsored event we attended. We have attended most MGS events since then.

I helped with the 2013 MML Geotrail by working with 4 towns in setting up MML geocaches. This includes contacting members of the town council of Mount Airy, and getting them interested in participating in the MML Geotrail since they were not on the original list of towns participating. I worked with City of Greenbelt on one of their 3rd Thursdays Environmental Awareness Events during the summer by setting up a CITO in Schrom’s Park and getting the first earthcache in the Town of Greenbelt published. I was asked to be part of the MGS History Committee as I would like to see some of the history of the MGS and Maryland geocaching in general preserved in some form for future geocachers.

My family and I have been thankful for all the MGS has provided for us in terms of fun and enjoyment. I am looking forward to giving back to the MGS by serving as Vice President in 2014 and with the rest of the 2014 Core, continue to make the MGS one of the best geocaching organizations in the entire country.

Thank you.

[tazscouter]

My name is Cindy Shafer (tazscouter). I am divorced with one grown son. My family does not understand what I like about geocaching but it gets me out of the house, more exercise and is a great way to meet new people. I have met many cachers that I am proud to call friends.

I signed up with geocaching.com in April 2010 and attended my first MGS event with the Summer Picnic that year in August. I enjoy all aspects of geocaching from planning a new hide, guardrail finds, hikes that exhausted me but I am glad that I was able to say that I completed it, as well as socializing at events.

From 1996 to 2001, I held numerous positions in my son's cub scout pack from assistant den leader, den leader to Committee Chairperson. I also assisted on a District Level for the Pinewood Derby as well as being trained to be a Pack Trainer.

Even since I started caching (3 1/2 years ago), there are lots of newer cachers involved in the MGS. These cachers should be offered a chance to participate in certain aspects of the MGS yearly events. From hiding event caches, hiding CAM caches, hiding and assisting MML caches and participating towns, and suggesting "their" town for a picnic or event.

I want to assist the MGS Core in planning, organizing and implementing cache hides and events.

I am also available to anyone with questions or concerns about what or why the MGS does things the way they do. The answer shouldn't be "because that is the way that it has always been done".

[eissak]

Hi everyone! My name is Kassie Rodriguez Chasten (eissak) and I am running for secretary. I have a seven year old daughter, Rhiannon, (rhiannonr) who is just as eager as I am to go geocaching. The rest of my family and friends don't understand this hobby of ours, but this just makes me more grateful for other geocachers who have a finer appreciation of the outdoors. Currently, I am taking classes while my daughter is in school. I am working towards an associate's degree in information security and getting my CCNA.

I started geocaching in April of 2012. That year, I didn't find many but I still enjoyed exploring, seeing scenic views, and going to parks that were new to me. I have helped with the Star-Spangled Banner, Captain John Smith, and Maryland Municipal League GeoTrails. After assisting with the MML, the mayor of Cheverly requested that I have a geocaching table at our town's Cheverly Day last May and this allowed me to introduce many of our residents to geocaching.

A lot has prepared me for the secretary position. Many of the classes I have taken will be useful as I am skilled with using Microsoft Office Suite. I am also a very organized girl scout leader for my daughter's brownie troop and I was also a leader for her daisy troop last year.


I would like to help the Core in every way I can. It would be an honor to get elected for office and serve the MGS members. I will work diligently to achieve the objectives and goals of the MGS.

If you'd like to get to know me further, you can also read about my member spotlight. viewtopic.php?f=50&t=8337

Thank you for listening.

[ksullivan]

Hi, everyone! I am running unopposed for the public relations position. I am so excited to be able to serve the MGS! I learned about geocaching in 2008, but didn't start actively caching until 2009. My first MGS event was a the fall picnic in 2010 and I have been attending the summer and fall picnics ever since. I love the MGS and the people that I have met. Geocaching has been so enriching for my life. I've made new friends, seen new places, become more observant, and learned how much I love the outdoors.
I am a math teacher coach in a Wicomico County. I have worked with teachers to bring geocaching into their classrooms. I am a merit badge counselor for geocaching for the Boy Scouts and do a seminar for my local "merit badge college." For the last two years, I did some hides for the Wicomico Geodash. I've hosted a few events. I figured that serving as an officer in the MGS was the next step to give back to this crazy and amazing hobby. I am honored to have the position. I plan to work hard to make this organization strong and fun! We have many great traditions to continue and ways we can grow and move forward!
I look forward to working with everyone in the MGS, officers and members. I hope to see you soon at MGS events. Thank you!
Kelly

[Trainbug]

No excuse for being late posting for Treasurer's position.
My qualifications are I majored in accounting at U. of B. but did not follow that as a career.
I have been Treasurer of MDGPS for for five years and have seen the treasury grow to a healthy
account due to the efforts of the Presidents and other Core Officers I have with which I served.
I will do my best to work with whomever is elected to serve as core next year.

[robert]

2014 MGS Core announcements! See viewtopic.php?f=77&t=8447