Author Topic: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion  (Read 34176 times)

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Offline modab

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2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« on: September 12, 2008, 09:22:42 pm »
This  thread is for discussion about the Chair position for Kumoricon 2009. The most current job description will be either in this post or linked to it in the near future.

Here is a list of people who have accepted the nomination for Chair:
Michael Andrews
Valerie "Vallie" Munkres
Robert "Waffles" Plusko
The most current list of all nominations for all elected positions is here: http://www.kumoricon.org/forums/index.php?topic=7900.0

You may ask questions for them to answer in this post, and if you know them please encourage them to reply. Remember to be civil. You may also use this thread to discuss the responsibilities of this position for 2009, especially ones you think should be added, modified, or removed.
« Last Edit: September 12, 2008, 09:26:01 pm by modab »
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Offline staze

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2008, 10:38:49 pm »
To start, I'd like to ask that every accepted candidate introduce themselves, and tell us all a bit about yourself. Previous experience is a plus, but ultimately, we're just trying to get to know the candidates.

Thanks!
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Offline Rathany

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #2 on: September 13, 2008, 12:24:51 am »
My first question, and I will get around to asking this in most threads, is the following:

Are you now, or do you plan to be a director or manager of another convention where your term will overlap with your term as a Kcon director?  Do you foresee any conflict of interest or possibly having to short one con to properly serve another. 

(FYI - I was originally involved in planning Go Congress, but had to drop out of that due to my Kcon time commitments.)
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Offline valliegirl

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #3 on: September 13, 2008, 12:55:58 am »
Hi everyone!  I'm Valerie Munkres and most of you know me as Vallie.  I'm 28 years old, and I live in Beaverton.  Just this past April, I was married to Tom Munkres aka Tomthefanboy aka Pocky Club guy.  I grew up in Michigan and moved out here to the west Portland burbs in 2002.

I currently work for an Electric Utility, providing customer service via telephone and email.  I have been working for this company for one year and three months, but have been working as customer service representative for 10 years, both over the phone and in face to face interactions. 

I've been involved with Kumoricon since 2004.  In 2004 and 2005, I volunteered for the convention.  2006, I signed up for staff as a Programming grunt under Brenda, but was loaned out to Operations to work with Registration and Info desk.  2007, I staffed for Operations under Brownie and was Registration Manager and Volunteer Coordinator.  2008, I signed up as Assistant Volunteer Coordinator under Shelton, and ran Info Desk during the convention. 

I'm running for both 2009 Con Chair and Operations Director, and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

To answer Rathany's question, I do not plan to work for any other convention while I work for Kumoricon in 2009.  I will be happy to attend other events as a representative of Kumoricon, but I will not join another convention's staff.  I do not forsee having any other conflicts of interests or time during the next year.
« Last Edit: September 14, 2008, 10:47:19 am by valliegirl »
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Offline melchizedek

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #4 on: September 14, 2008, 09:10:07 am »
How difficult / long of a commute is it for the nominees to make it to a portland meeting?
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Offline valliegirl

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #5 on: September 14, 2008, 10:42:29 am »
How difficult / long of a commute is it for the nominees to make it to a portland meeting?

Commuting to a Portland meeting isn't difficult at all for me.  I do have a vehicle now, so I have a lot more freedom to travel around.  If anything goes wrong with my van, and I can't get a carpool from a friend, my work provides me with a year round Trimet pass so I'd be able to take public transportation just about anywhere for free. 

And I live in Beaverton, really close to a Max line.  If I'm driving I can be in downtown Portland in less than 20 minutes, traffic permitting.  If taking max, less than 40 minutes to get to downtown.
« Last Edit: September 14, 2008, 10:46:06 am by valliegirl »
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Offline Mr_Phelps

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #6 on: September 15, 2008, 05:31:21 pm »
Who am I?  More than likely I was the person you saw running around trying to make sure everyone on staff had what they needed, or pitching in when an area was shorthended.  (Line tending, reg staff, runner, other tasks as they arose)

I worked very hard in starting the various outreach events that I hope many of you were able to attend and setting the stage for even more as the next year rolls in.  The core theme this last year was growing opportunities for more cosplay in the Portland area and on campuses all over the state and into Washington.  I believe that this is one of the reasons we had such positive growth this year.

As for working for any other conventions...   just this one is a second full time job!  I wouldn't want to add any more to my plate, besides, even with all the stress that this job has, it was still a great time.

I'm currently living in Wilsonville and just 15 minutes from our next hotel.  I made all but one or two meetings over the last year and almost always wound up giving people rides home.  So commuting is not a worry for me.
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Offline valliegirl

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #7 on: September 16, 2008, 10:23:47 am »
Kenton had a very good question that he posed in other threads, but not this one, so I'm going to carry it over:

I feel that this is an important question and so I am posting in every staff elected election section:
Who do you plan to appoint as your assistant director and have they accepted the offer for the position?
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Offline valliegirl

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #8 on: September 16, 2008, 10:42:36 am »
I feel that this is an important question and so I am posting in every staff elected election section:
Who do you plan to appoint as your assistant director and have they accepted the offer for the position?

I have been thinking heavily on this.  I haven't settled on one particular person, and probably won't completely settle until after the election is over and I know I have one of the positions I'm vying for.  I have been approached by at least one person with interest, but I want to keep options open at this point.

The qualities that I want in an assistant:  I would like someone who has interest in the job, foremost.  Someone who can work well with me, which isn't difficult.  Someone who has a decent amount of availability, and doesn't have huge schedule or time conflicts.  I would prefer someone local, either in the Hillsboro/Beaverton/Tigard area or Portland proper would be fine, as long as we can travel to each other easily.  Someone who is able to make it to general meetings on a regular basis.  I would also prefer, but not insist on, a person who has experience in areas where I may be lacking.  And of course, Reliability, trustworthiness, things I'd look for in a staff member anyway. 
« Last Edit: September 16, 2008, 10:45:58 am by valliegirl »
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Offline RemSaverem

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #9 on: September 16, 2008, 12:28:24 pm »
Vallie--since you brought it up--I'm confused....is there an assistant director for the Chair? Or "only" the Vice Chair?
If you're referring to the Vice Chair, what about the list of people already under consideration (in Ryan's thread), and what about the possibility that this may become an elected position by the end of the meeting? How do you feel about those things?

Mike--I remain quite honestly impressed--you were truly everywhere--there was almost nothing we in the Creation Station needed during con, but when we had tiny problems with our programming rooms, you were totally on the ball about it and consistently composed, polite, calm, gregarious, helpful, and knew exactly whom to go to to get needs met, without needing to grab any fanfare for yourself. How do you manage to have free time to roam for problem-solving during con? Is it by managing time so that by con, being a floating helper is what's left of your responsibilities? Do you have a bunch of folks in addition to Vice to whom you can reliably delegate? Maybe you re-envisioned what the role of a chair should be? These are not rhetorical questions to me; I'm genuinely marveling here. As we continue to grow exponentially in size, would you still be able to structure to remain in that role for next con? And whose domain do you see the mid-year events as being? Do they fall under publicity? Programming? Are they part of your role?
Sorry to be out of the loop on some of this previously...I was living in a tent at a Retreat all summer....

Waffles: Do you have any experience other than as a Yoji?

Waffles and Vallie: What experience do you have that would contribute to you knowing how to coordinate such a complex web of personnel, and to oversee such a vast array of types of job functions?


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Offline TomtheFanboy

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #10 on: September 16, 2008, 02:35:16 pm »
It is my understanding that every board member is entitled to appoint an assistant. These staff members are helpers for the directors and are not part of the board.
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Offline PhantmK

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #11 on: September 16, 2008, 03:56:15 pm »
The reason that I did not post the question on this particular thread is due to the fact that I was under the impression that Vice Chair Was the assistant position for chair, And as of right now, Vice chair is a board elected position.
 
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Offline Hawkeye

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #12 on: September 16, 2008, 08:21:44 pm »
It is my understanding that every board member is entitled to appoint an assistant. These staff members are helpers for the directors and are not part of the board.

As Kenton pointed out, vice chair is the sole position that does not get appointed by the con chair.  As is, there is a chance that vice chair will be staff-elected, depending on how the vote on Raiden's motion goes before we even start the elections process.  In either case, the point stands.  Con chair doesn't pick his/her own assistant.
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Offline valliegirl

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #13 on: September 16, 2008, 11:32:58 pm »
Vice Char is not the assistant of the Con Chair and was NOT what I was referring to.

In the past, Con Chairs have had an assistant.  It's not officially listed on the org chart per se, but I think it's still allowable...  People who wrote the current org chart, y/n?

The Vice Chair is not an assistant.  They're an equal member of the board who can share responsibilities if called upon do to so.  An assistant is a staff member under the Chair who helps with minor duties that the Chair might not have time for.

If Con Chairs are for some reason no longer allowed a staff member as an assistant, that's fine.
« Last Edit: September 16, 2008, 11:38:59 pm by valliegirl »
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Offline valliegirl

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #14 on: September 17, 2008, 12:06:27 am »
Waffles and Vallie: What experience do you have that would contribute to you knowing how to coordinate such a complex web of personnel, and to oversee such a vast array of types of job functions?

I've had 10 years of experience in the customer service industry.  I work with others extremely well, and I have a lot of knowledge and training in working with the public.  I have had managerial experience with sub departments within our convention, such as Registration, Info Desk, and Volunteers. 

This is my first time running for a position on the board, but note I am very serious about my candidacy.  To me, this is not a popularity contest, or something I'm doing on a lark, or because I think other people want me to.  I'm running because I see there are a lot of changes that need to be made not only in our relationship with our attendees but in the way the board interacts with the staff.  I believe I am the best candidate to make these relationships better and to help our organization thrive.  I wouldn't have run otherwise.

While I am up against an incumbent Chair, and I understand he has one year's worth of board experience more than I do at this time, I have more experience with this convention than Mike did this time last year when we voted him in place.  I also have more experience than Meg did the first time we elected her to the Chair position. 
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Offline TomtheFanboy

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #15 on: September 17, 2008, 12:19:43 am »
As Kenton pointed out, vice chair is the sole position that does not get appointed by the con chair.  As is, there is a chance that vice chair will be staff-elected, depending on how the vote on Raiden's motion goes before we even start the elections process.  In either case, the point stands.  Con chair doesn't pick his/her own assistant.

What? NO!
The con chair doesn't appoint anyone alone EXCEPT their own assistant.
Vice Chair is currently appointed by the chair and the rest of the board, yes, but as of last year the Vice Chair is no the assistant of the Chairperson. Assistants take notes and pass them onto their superior, they keep in communication with the staff and make sure that nothing slips past their boss. This is the exact same job whether it's Assistant Chair, Assistant Operations, Assistant Manager, or Assistant Coordinator.

Dawn has transformed the Vice Chair into a position that doesn't just sit around and pick up the slack when the other directors fall behind. The Vice Chair is no longer a position the board chooses to make sure they have someone to follow their orders in case the foolish staffers vote a "rogue chair" into office and that person has to be kicked out. Vice Chair is now a link between the board members as well as a person for general staff members to approach when they need a question answered.

Or was I completely missing the point of Dawn saying "Please come to me with any questions! I am here to help you get answers!" Dawn, you're the Vice Chair, can you explain this?

Also, in case anybody plans on referring to the org charts in the future, the Org charts are of no use until after the elections when the new board decides how the con will be organized when they are in charge.
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Offline JeffT

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #16 on: September 17, 2008, 12:27:12 am »
Yes--the chair can (and probably should) have an assistant with the title "Assistant Chair", and that person is not a board member but simply a staff member under the chair. It is solely appointed by the chair and not voted by the board. Although org charts change from year-to-year, I don't see this likely changing for 2009.
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Offline PhantmK

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #17 on: September 17, 2008, 12:34:00 am »
I apologize for any confusion I may have caused, I was miss informed. As I stated previously I was only under the impression that there were assistants with power positions that were selected by directors, and that I thought the con used vice for that position. I was solemnly mistaken. Thank you for clearing that up for everyone.
« Last Edit: September 17, 2008, 12:34:19 am by PhantmK »
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Offline valliegirl

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #18 on: September 17, 2008, 12:56:20 am »
I apologize for any confusion I may have caused, I was miss informed. As I stated previously I was only under the impression that there were assistants with power positions that were selected by directors, and that I thought the con used vice for that position. I was solemnly mistaken. Thank you for clearing that up for everyone.

No Problem Kenton.  ^_^

Also, I'd like to clarify for everyone, Vice Chair is not "appointed" by anyone.  It is an elected position.  It is currently Board elected, and the proposal in the other thread is to make it so the entire staff can have a vote instead of just 5 people. 
« Last Edit: September 17, 2008, 09:22:26 am by valliegirl »
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Offline RemSaverem

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #19 on: September 17, 2008, 04:01:13 pm »
I think "Assistant to the Con Chair" is more clear than "Assistant Chair" -- which sounds co-equal.

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Offline PhantmK

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #20 on: September 17, 2008, 05:13:00 pm »
The co-equal assistants are why I was asking the question. I really don't care who they want to have just to assist them, but if the assistant is given power I think people have the right to know who the candidates plan to have.
Sometimes you just gotta pull out the stops give it your all and know that you will come out the other end alive, well, and ready for the next challenge. 
I'm still waiting for the next one.

Offline Hawkeye

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #21 on: September 17, 2008, 07:26:32 pm »
What? NO!
The con chair doesn't appoint anyone alone EXCEPT their own assistant.
I meant to say vice chair, not assistant.
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Offline valliegirl

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #22 on: September 17, 2008, 07:31:08 pm »
The co-equal assistants are why I was asking the question. I really don't care who they want to have just to assist them, but if the assistant is given power I think people have the right to know who the candidates plan to have.

Which is great, and you're free to ask the question.  However, I want to be very choosy in who I appoint to positions, if I get the positions.  And I haven't found THE person who meets every point of my criteria yet.
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Offline PhantmK

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #23 on: September 17, 2008, 07:37:52 pm »

Which is great, and you're free to ask the question.  However, I want to be very choosy in who I appoint to positions, if I get the positions.  And I haven't found THE person who meets every point of my criteria yet.

That is fine, just please keep us posted if anything changes.
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Offline Mr_Phelps

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #24 on: September 17, 2008, 09:08:31 pm »
Wow, all your questions are exactly what I was looking for when we started talking about using the forums more during the election proccess. 

I'm going to start with RemSaverem's questions (yikes, that a lot in one post!):

How did I have free time to roam?
At con, I'm actually fairly free time-wise.  All the work that had gone into getting ready by everyone was paying off as things were for the most part running smoothly. We had a few snafus but nothing that wasn't being handled by the staff.  At that point I saw myself as a floater/runner just like any other staff.  I pitched in where I could and tried to make sure everyone had what they needed.  There were things that needed to be done as "con chair" but those did not soak a significant amount of time and generally were scheduled for late in the day. 

Did I have a bunch of folks in addition to Vice to whom I could reliably delegate?
Yes, staff was AWESOME this year.  Nearly everyone stepped up and got things done.  There never was a point where I felt like every problem was coming directly to me.  Most of the issues were resolved at the department level, which is a great compliment to the directors on having their troops up to speed and ready when the convention started.

Maybe I re-envisioned what the role of a chair should be?
No, I just approached it as a rolled-up sleeves, hard working position that leads by example.  If there was work to do, I tried to jump in and be a part just like any other staffer.  It really is one of the things that make being chair both challenging and rewarding.  It is the best way I know of to foster the team attitude that makes this so fun!

As we continue to grow exponentially in size, would I still be able to structure to remain in that role for next con?
I believe so, it doesn't make a difference to me what the work party is doing, or where the bag stuffing/reg mailout/silkscreening party is, I'm going to participate as much as I can!  It is getting involved in the work behind running the con where I can form friendships and make sure that everyone has access to me and feels like they can talk to me.  This is also a great compliment to the other directors as they worked hard all year to make sure that we were prepared for whatever we thought the weekend might throw at us.  Going forward we just need to make sure we continue to plan and work on communicating with each other as the year progresses.  I believe it helped quiet a bit to be involved on a personal level and I hope to continue doing so next year.  (Of course, sometimes I feel like a soccer dad giving everyone rides, but that is part of the fun, too.)

Whose domain do I see the mid-year events as being? Do they fall under publicity? Programming? Are they part of my role?
Outreach events are a big part of what I was building on this year!  It is one of the core things that I am trying to promote.  What makes Kumoricon the place it is is the connections that form between our attendees.  This isn't just a shopping trip once a year, it is a weekend to see "con family" and have a great time hanging out with each other.  But there really isn't a reason we can't grow that to more events during the year.  That means working with clubs on campuses and non-profit groups like the Eugene Asian Festival to give more opportunities for cosplay and enjoying our unique anime culture. 
This is going to be the task of the Outreach Coordinator.  I envision this as a position that is under the Chair, as this person will be talking to several different departments to make sure the events have what they need.  One of the biggest things I took away from working on this in 2008 was that "Kumoricon" really doesn't need to be the driving force behind the events.  In fact, I want the clubs to be the main focus of the event.  We just bring swag and equipment to help promote the event and through that get positive energy from the clubs and the people who attend their events.

Will I be looking for an assistant?
YES! One of the things I repeated during the year was that every director needed an assistant!  They are not easy to find, though, and I didn't actually have a person to help me this year.  (Though Jo was a great help with the parlimentary stuff as I an woefully inexperienced in that regard.)  Going into next year I hope to change that.  It will be a person that needs to have close to the same drive as I do, so be warned, this isn't just a placeholder.  I firmly believe going forward that we need to grow the upper management layer of the convention and have more experienced folks ready to take on work as our convention grows.  Assistants are an important part of this proccess!  As for the assistant being "co-equal", that really isn't what being an assistant is about.  If you are thinking that "assistant = power", that is not the case.  They help the director with all the normal daily tasks and stay on top of the "must do" list, as some of us tend to get sucked into various crisis during the year.  They also work on keeping the directors sane by reminding them that some things "can" be taken care of staff and managers!  The most important thing they do is observe and learn how each director gets thier job done.  This isn't to say there is only one way to do any one thing, just that they see what works (and sometimes doesn't) as we go through the year getting ready for the next convention.

Sorry for making you read through such a long post, but I hope that I have made myself clear.  If there are any clarifications, just keep asking and I will answer as quick as I can.  Please keep in mind that I can't access the forums from work, so it might take a day or two for me to get back to you.

Keep up the questions!!!   ;D
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Offline RemSaverem

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #25 on: September 19, 2008, 01:43:22 pm »
Wow, all your questions are exactly what I was looking for when we started talking about using the forums more during the election proccess. 
Yay!

Quote
I'm going to start with RemSaverem's questions (yikes, that a lot in one post!):
*Grins*

Quote
How did I have free time to roam?
At con, I'm actually fairly free time-wise.  All the work that had gone into getting ready by everyone was paying off as things were for the most part running smoothly. We had a few snafus but nothing that wasn't being handled by the staff.  At that point I saw myself as a floater/runner just like any other staff.  I pitched in where I could and tried to make sure everyone had what they needed.  There were things that needed to be done as "con chair" but those did not soak a significant amount of time and generally were scheduled for late in the day. 
Mike, that's exactly what I was referring to in terms of basically having re-envisioned what it means to be a con chair. The official duties that could only be done by you were seen as just one little component of your enjoyment of the con; being out on the floor with everyone making sure the nitty gritty ran smoothly, seems to not only have been something you undertook willingly but actually eagerly, and enjoying it. Whereas generally (inside and outside of cons), people who strive for upper-management positions often do so to avoid having to worry about such things any more, or consider their act of delegating such to others sufficient handling thereof for one in such a high position.
You underscore my point precisely when you say:

 
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Maybe I re-envisioned what the role of a chair should be?
No, I just approached it as a rolled-up sleeves, hard working position that leads by example.  If there was work to do, I tried to jump in and be a part just like any other staffer.  It really is one of the things that make being chair both challenging and rewarding.  It is the best way I know of to foster the team attitude that makes this so fun!
IMHO the most telling component of that comment is "just like any other staffer". Sometimes when there are people in upper management  [speaking here not necessarily of within cons, but generally, and not pointing here to any specific individual] who get a lot done other than by delegating, it is by throwing around the weight of their position (with varying degrees of nicety or arrogance, appropriateness or inappropriateness). You maintain this aura of confidence without arrogance.
:)

Other candidates: What would be your personal goals as far as personal availability at con, and how would you strategize towards being able to match the qualities referenced above?

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What makes Kumoricon the place it is is the connections that form between our attendees.  This isn't just a shopping trip once a year, it is a weekend to see "con family" and have a great time hanging out with each other.  But there really isn't a reason we can't grow that to more events during the year.  That means working with clubs on campuses and non-profit groups like the Eugene Asian Festival to give more opportunities for cosplay and enjoying our unique anime culture. 
Agreed. This is the same experience we in Creation Station have, working together on multiple events all year, and having maintained some core continuity since Kumoricon 2003!

Other candidates: What are your feelings about events between Kumoricons? What would you like to offer? How involved do you feel the Con Chair should be therein? What is your personal availability in terms of free time, flexible work schedules, transportation opportunities, etc., to help promote these events and KC's presence therein?

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This is going to be the task of the Outreach Coordinator.  I envision this as a position that is under the Chair, as this person will be talking to several different departments to make sure the events have what they need. 
Please forgive my lack of knowledge on this subject, and please clarify: Are you stating that you are creating a new position, which will be inter-departmental in nature, and therefore will be reporting directly to the Chair (and/or Chair and Vice Chair)? Is this a position that has never existed? Or has existed in one department, and is being rendered interdepartmental?

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I firmly believe going forward that we need to grow the upper management layer of the convention and have more experienced folks ready to take on work as our convention grows. 
Absolutely agreed. All candidates: How, other than in selecting your own assistant, will you support this need?

 
Ellen. 2003: Fanfic panelist & contest judge.
2004: Beta Station Coord. 2005: Fan Creation Station Coord.;pre-event assistant to the con chair.2006: Fanfic Mgr/C.S. Coord.
2007, 8, 9, 10: Fan Creation Manager. 2011: Writing & Editing Coord (Publicity).

Offline valliegirl

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #26 on: September 20, 2008, 02:44:37 am »
Other candidates: What would be your personal goals as far as personal availability at con, and how would you strategize towards being able to match the qualities referenced above?

My goal towards personal availability is always to have an open door policy, all the time, year round and during con.  If someone needs anything, I'm a phone call, email, pm away.  That is the way I have ALWAYS been, it won't change if I'm a volunteer, staffer, or board member.  It doesn't change with my position with the convention, and it won't change pre-con/at-con.  If someone needs help, I'm always more than happy to do everything I can for them.  And if I'm not the best person to assist, I will hunt down the person who is.  The only thing that has ever held me back from being helpful is conflicting time commitments. This year, it won't be an issue. 

The best strategy to make sure things go smoothly at con is to manage all the preamble effectively throughout the year.  Set a time line of deadlines, and make sure that everything necessary is being done to keep those deadlines.  No one can do it alone.  It is going to take effort and effective communication through the entire board, managers, and staff.  We all depend on each other, and I want to do a lot this year to bring a change in our personal attitudes and the way we relate to each other.

Bad things can and will happen.  There's so many variables that cannot be controlled, that it's just a fact that there will be somethings that won't go smoothly.  The point is to not only be prepared for eventualities, but to also do what you can to preemptively qwell sparks before they turn into the fires we all see put out.  If we have an effective system for progress updates, and to make sure we're making the deadlines we've set, we can keep a slight snafu from snowballing.


Other candidates: What are your feelings about events between Kumoricons? What would you like to offer? How involved do you feel the Con Chair should be therein? What is your personal availability in terms of free time, flexible work schedules, transportation opportunities, etc., to help promote these events and KC's presence therein?

I think this year Kumoricon did a great job of expanding on the Mini-Con idea started in 2007.  The Masquerade Ball, Kumori-Lite, and Swing Dance were very well received.  And from the buzz on the forums, people really want more events like this.  One thing I really would like to focus on, while themed events are fun, I would like to have events that are more inclusive. 

Perhaps we could also have smaller get togethers like small anime viewing nights on a periodic basis, as well as the bigger events once a season.  The smaller viewing nights could be coordinated with college campuses and their anime clubs through the outreach program. 

As far as how involved should the Con Chair be?  I would say as involved as they are with other aspects of planning the convention.  I do like the idea of creating a position to manage the outreach events.  I can understand Mike wanting to oversee outreach coordinator especially in its first year.  When you come up with an idea, you have a lot of personal vested interest in it, and you want to make sure it goes right.  However, I don't see it extremely necessary for this position to report directly to the chair.  I think it could be handled just as effectively under publicity.  Almost every position within this convention in some way touches some other position or department, or several all at once.  It fits well with what publicity does.  The chair can be involved with the planning on a peripheral level and can be at the event, promoting and socializing at the events.

My current work schedule is Monday through Friday 12:30pm - 9:30pm.  I will have a shift bid in December, at which point I will be attempting to get a shift that will let me out earlier in the evening, to open up availability in the evenings during the work week.  At the very least, unless there's a major emergency, such as a sprawling power outage stretching across the west coast, I am guaranteed to have weekends off from now on.  I am available any Saturday or Sunday for outreach, meetings, and any other projects we may have. 

I currently have a very large van, so I am able to commute, as well as drag others/cargo along with me.

Absolutely agreed. All candidates: How, other than in selecting your own assistant, will you support this need?

Plain and simple, by listening to our directors and our staff, supporting their requests and helping to organize the expansion by making sure that the new subgroup is developed with all of the resources it needs under the best department to aid it.  There's a lot of people talking out there right now about new ideas for new positions within the organization and about the possibility of developing new departments. 

No matter what happens, what is decided in the end, and who is on the board next year, I'm very happy that people are at least standing up and getting involved and speaking their mind.

It's through new ideas that we grow.  It's progress. 
« Last Edit: September 20, 2008, 02:50:31 am by valliegirl »
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Offline RemSaverem

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #27 on: September 20, 2008, 02:54:00 pm »
Thanks Vallie, I appreciate your reply. Are you opposed to the idea of there being any positions that report directly to the chair? Or just about Outreach? Are there presently any such positions?
Ellen. 2003: Fanfic panelist & contest judge.
2004: Beta Station Coord. 2005: Fan Creation Station Coord.;pre-event assistant to the con chair.2006: Fanfic Mgr/C.S. Coord.
2007, 8, 9, 10: Fan Creation Manager. 2011: Writing & Editing Coord (Publicity).

Offline valliegirl

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #28 on: September 20, 2008, 06:00:29 pm »
Thanks Vallie, I appreciate your reply. Are you opposed to the idea of there being any positions that report directly to the chair? Or just about Outreach? Are there presently any such positions?

I'm not specifically opposed to creating positions below the chair.  One of the jobs of the chair is to appoint any person or committee not otherwise ordered by the organization.  If we create a position that doesn't quite fit with the other departments it can go under Chair or Vice Chair.  The best example we have right now is Parliamentarian.  Parliamentarian definitely fits under Con Chair well because they help keep order at the meetings, which is another responsibility of the Chair. 

Vice Chair had quite a few positions under it this year.  Maid Squad, Con Suite Management, and Disabilities manager, I can see why they stayed under the Vice Chair this year, as they all deal with hospitality.   I could make a case for Hospitality fitting well under Ops, but with the current state of Ops, I'd like for that department to get smoothed out before assigning additional responsibility. 

Cartographer was also listed under Vice Chair, and Cartographer really works more directly with the Facilities Liason than anyone else.  I would be in favor of having the Cartographer officially report to that director instead.

It's not that I think the Chair shouldn't have staff.  But if there's a department that is well suited for the position, I would want to see it integrated, not just out of personal opinion, but because of the wording of the bylaws.
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Offline valliegirl

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #29 on: October 02, 2008, 10:14:04 am »
As Kenton requested to be kept up to date on how we're choosing our assistants, I'd like to provide you all with an update.

I have received a note of interest from a person who I would definitely consider making my assistant, who meets all my qualifications.  However, I'd like to keep mum on the identity of this individual as they are running for another elected board position, and I would like for them to be seen as their own candidate.  Also, if that person does receive the position they are vying for, they will be choosing the board position over the position of assistant, which is completely understandable.

This person and I have been talking privately about our views on the political atmosphere of the convention, and changes we'd like to see made.  We're very much on the same wavelength on improving relationships throughout the organization, and would serve very well as a person a staff member can come to with questions or issues, if they do not wish to contact me directly.  They are local to the Portland area, and have been with the convention for multiple years as a staff member and have reliably served in managerial positions with the convention.  I would be happy and fortunate to have this person as an assistant.

We will see what the future holds.

« Last Edit: October 02, 2008, 06:41:35 pm by valliegirl »
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Offline leashy

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #30 on: October 10, 2008, 08:25:49 am »
I have a question!!  Are you all excited for tomorrow?

This is also a test to see who frequents the forums ^~

Offline valliegirl

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #31 on: October 10, 2008, 10:42:32 am »
TOTALLY EXCITED!
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Offline RemSaverem

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #32 on: October 10, 2008, 02:20:53 pm »
Nope, exhausted and experiencing mild dread. Can't wait til it's all over.
Ellen. 2003: Fanfic panelist & contest judge.
2004: Beta Station Coord. 2005: Fan Creation Station Coord.;pre-event assistant to the con chair.2006: Fanfic Mgr/C.S. Coord.
2007, 8, 9, 10: Fan Creation Manager. 2011: Writing & Editing Coord (Publicity).

Offline valliegirl

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Re: 2009 President/Chair Nomination Q & A, Discussion
« Reply #33 on: October 10, 2008, 04:10:40 pm »
And Ellen's not even one of the people who will be in the hotseat!   ;)

I'm expecting the full onset of nerves will hit sometime tonight...  we'll see how well I sleep.  Right now, still just excited and trying to contain myself because I'm at work.

No matter what happens, I'm just excited for this weekend all around.  Excited for the elections, excited to celebrate my birthday...  Excited that I took Monday off.  I keep checking my schedule to make sure they don't change their minds about letting me take the day off at the last minute.  Not that they would, unless the world implodes, but I still get paranoid.
« Last Edit: October 10, 2008, 04:13:49 pm by valliegirl »
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