Candidate:
Michael Lee
Statement
I have learned a lot in the
past two years since I first ran for Director of the Events
Division of CONvergence. One of the reasons why I put so
much value in making CONvergence successful is that I want
the personal growth that I've experienced through this
community to be something that continues on for many years.
There are things that I
feel good about in the last year. I'm happy to see the Teen
program develop, where we provide opportunities for everyone
to make CONvergence their own. I've made some mistakes as
well, but if we aren't willing to make mistakes and learn
from them, we aren't going to make the convention better
over time.
We have a lot of challenges
going on right now. CONvergence is nearly 4,000 people in
size, and I want to make sure that we have something that
can continue for many years in the future. We're currently
trying to figure out ways to how to make CONvergence
sustainable for many years to come, and to serve as a key
event supporting our community in a variety of ways.
I hope to continue in this
position for another term.
Board
Member Interview Questions
Why do you want to be on
the Board of Directors? What excites you about being a
Director?
CONvergence and the community that it serves and builds
has been very important to me over the years. Helping to
guide this organization and event so it continues for many
years to come is something that makes me very excited;
seeing all of the wonderful things that come out of it is
wonderful.
What would you like to
accomplish as a Director?
I would like to continue to make CONvergence an
organization that can grow and develop and be sustainable
for many years to come. I want an organization that will be
there in 20 years.
Describe in your own
words the duties of this position and that of a Board
member.
The Events Director helps to co-ordinate the various
events that take place during CONvergence. This includes
most of the activities that take place in function rooms
that do not include financial involvement.
What skills/strengths do
you have that make you well-suited for this position?
I have five years as a head in the programming
department of CONvergence. I have had experience with
multiple Science Fiction fan organizations for longer than I
care to admit, both conventions and clubs.
What, if anything, would
you change in this position?
I would like to continue to the evolution of the
division that I started last year. There is, as you would
expect, a learning curve, especially for one of the first
new board members on the CONvergence side. Things aren't
broken -- but they can always be made better.
How do you plan to
manage these changes to policy and procedure?
One of the things that has been a challenge for us is
how to communicate these changes. I would like to find
better ways for us to communicate with the organization and
community as a whole, especially as we struggle with ways to
make the CONvergence organization more mature.
How would you like to
see MISFITS and/or CONvergence change?
At this point, what I would like to see is for us is to
settle on our new partnership arrangement in a way that can
allow both organizations do grow and develop over the year,
and continue to be awesome.
What aspects of MISFITS
and/or CONvergence would you like to remain the same?
I want us to continue to provide a premier social
gathering for our community for many years to come.
How would you describe
your communication and leadership style?
This is one of the things that I'm learning about more
and more through my time as a director. I try to be fair to
all parties, and let good people do good things. I will be
assertive about what I think is important for the convention
and organization when necessary, and also try to find common
ground that we can all agree to.
If you are not elected,
what are your future plans? Are there any other divisional
roles you might be interested in and why?
It would depend on where the current needs are, and what
options are open to me at that time where I could be of the
most use and still enjoy the convention.
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