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A few months ago, it was announced that Matt Simmons and Steve Murawski resigned from the board and a call was sent out for potential replacements. I was honored to be one of the two selected to serve until elections could be held to replace them.
Background
I have worked in the field of system administration for more than 25 years. The first 10 for the US Army and the last 15 in the civilian world. I have worked on just about every Unix and Linux variant, most versions of Windows, and even a few custom OS's in the Army. In my current position I lead a team of talented system administrators distributed around the country. I am currently working on my MBA, just "retired" from a three year tour as Scoutmaster for my son's Boy Scout Troop, am the Finance Officer for my American Legion Post, and love to spend time outdoors backpacking, fishing, and running.
I've been involved with LOPSA off and on for about 6 years. To be perfectly honest, there have been times where I have questioned the value of the organization. It certainly hasn't lived up to the lofty goals that were set when it separated from USENIX 10 years ago. Over the last few years, however, I have been impressed with the mentorship program and felt that that alone was worth supporting.
My Thoughts After a Few Months
While we haven't lived up to the goals that were set initially, I think that with the right leadership it is possible for this organization to add value to the lives of System Administrators. One of the main areas where I feel we could improve is our communication tools. I feel that we have not been as diligent keeping up with more modern methods of communications. Because of this, we are missing a real opportunity to reach the younger admins and extol the virtues of a large community that works to support one another.
While new membership is the ultimate goal, our focus should be on providing value to our current members. Improving the value proposition of LOPSA will not only attract new members, but it will help us retain existing members. My focus will be on finding ways to improve the value proposition for LOPSA. I am still working on forumlating my own thoughts, and would appreciate input from the membership as well.
I would be honored to have your vote to serve as a LOPSA board member.