Edit: Well, I didn’t get elected, and at this point, seeing who won (great choices in Angela, Stephanie, and Jason) and what else I have going on between now and the end of the year (presentations, grand childen being born, etc), I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.  Usually the phrase “maybe next year” is cold comfort to the people who were not (as the election site so elequently uses) top vote getters, but in this case, I think we can all be happy that the top vote getters will do a great job for PASS and that we have more time to do other community activities. So, see you maybe next year.

 ——————————————-

Starting today you can vote for your choice for who should be on the Nomination Committee for SQL PASS (or perhaps some previous day if you aren’t reading this on the 13, and if it is after noon on the 23, well, tough). There are 12 people who are up for vote with 3 slots available so this should be fun. There are a few people I know quite well on the list, and a few I don’t really know at all. Looking at their qualifications I think one thing stands out. You probably can’t make a bad choice. One of them is myself, and this is a job I did once in the past, and is something I feel like I am somewhat uniquely qualified to do from 11 years of working with PASS members and board members alike.

The job is helping to pick who will get the chance to run for the Board of Directors for PASS by vetting the people who apply (according to the PASS By-Laws, Section VIII.3, assuming I am reading it right.) So, the fact is, your choice ought to be somewhat based on how your idea of a board member matches up with our ideas. Of course, it will be a team effort and there is always compromise.

So let me tell you the criteria that I personally have always hoped to find in board members.

Professional level technical skills (primarily SQL). The last thing we need is people who know nothing of what we do simply trying to make a name for themselves with the concept of a professional group like ours. We need people that understand what it is they will be representing. They don’t have to be experts by any means, just solid skills, probably demonstrated in the community.

Strong leadership qualifications. Ideally, we will get people who have led groups of people before. Not everyone who would be a great Board Member will live near enough to a SQL user group to be involved, so this could mean technical management, local government, and volunteer work for charities, church leadership, or even being a team leader. A big plus is that the person should be able to communicate well publicly to unify the community of PASS through the good times and the times that are opposite to the good times.

History of volunteerism. Possibly just with PASS, or possibly with some other type of organism. The person ought to know what it means to work for not a buck.

History with PASS. Even if for just a reasonably short period of time, the person should know enough about PASS that they aren’t just blindly trying to join at the top. Attendance at a conference or two would be a good bonus so they know what it is about but not everyone can afford to attend, even if they were comp’d the entrance fee.

Ideas on what they think PASS should be like and how they can help get it there. (Perhaps) obviously we all expect that candidates aren’t just campaigning because they think it sounds cool. They have a desire to move PASS toward some better future.

Over the years I have put my name in the hat a several times for the board of directors, and twice was cut by the Nomination Committee, and the one time I was a candidate I lost. The funniest part of that year’s Summit for me was that I was sincerely relieved when Kevin Kline sat me down and told be I had lost. I did not (and still do not, really) have the strong leadership qualifications needed to be on the Board of Directors. However, like most any longtime volunteer, I feel like I have a solid understanding what kind of kind of person inspires me as a volunteer. (Hence the list!)

If you look at the 5 qualities, all of them are solidly focused on community. If you agree with my vision of what a PASS leader should be, vote for me. I promise to make sure the candidates are up to the high quality that you expect. If you don’t agree (or perhaps just didn’t find my black and white photo to your liking), vote for someone else, everyone seems quite solid as members of this committee. 

If I don’t get elected…there is less work for me to do, and I will have more time to server PASS and the SQL Community in any other way I can.