by Introduction
LOPSA members outside the Seattle area may not be familiar with me, so here's a brief introduction.
I'm the IT Manager at Vaisala (formerly 3TIER) where I've worked for ten years. In that position I've been the sole IT staff, managed a growing team up to five direct reports and I currently manage three direct reports. For the duration I've also done normal sysadmin duties and been in the on-call rotation. Prior to my work at Vaisala I was a Sr. Computer Specialist at University of Washington, worked at The Mathworks Inc, and Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories.
I feel my sysadmin career has prepared me well to:
* understand the needs & wants of LOPSA members and prospective members at many levels of seniority
* work in a leadership and management role in LOPSA
I am a Charter member of LOPSA, and I attend the Seattle chapter meetings.
Outside of work, I've participated in non-sysadmin community activities since high school, both as a volunteer and in leadership positions. My volunteer and leadership activity within LOPSA have been more recent.
I have a record of getting things done, particularly in and for this community. Most notably I've been involved with CASIT. When it started in 2011 I focused on marketing. In 2012 I was co-chair. In 2013 I again I focused on marketing and sponsorship. For each year, attendance at CASIT has grown substantially.
Focus – Marketing
I believe much can be achieved for LOPSA through a focus on marketing. This is not something sysadmins are generally good at or to which we are drawn. However it is key to achieving:
* Brand name recognition for LOPSA
* Increased and sustained membership
* Critical mass for valuable programs like the mentorship program
* Respect in the greater technical community
* Financial health and sustainability through greater membership and value to corporate sponsors
A great deal can be achieved in marketing with little to no expense as we've demonstrated through repeated successful Cascadia IT Conferences. Our largest conference attendance happened when we hired a marketing intern for a few hours per week in the months leading up to the conference.
Governance
LOPSA is still a young organization, and we're attempting to figure out what works for and benefits our current members, potential future members and the profession as a whole. I realize that when today's high school and college students work in system administration will likely not look very much like what we do now. I promise to take their and our needs into consideration when making decisions as a Board member.