Leaders, Team Players, Power Systems Advocates Wanted For COMMON Board
September 15, 2014 Dan Burger
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Volunteering has a much larger impact on your community than most people think. And if you narrow that down to the IBM midrange community, the same is true: The impact of volunteers is both underestimated and underappreciated. There is an economic impact that adds a financial spark to the IBM i platform by creating and organizing advocates who are also helping themselves professionally through networking, education, and mentoring. There is a personal feeling of being connected and giving back to the community and keeping it strong. And then there are social benefits that are tied into all of the above. That brings me to the call for nominations to the COMMON board of directors. COMMON, as I hope you all know, is the world’s largest support group for the IBM midrange computing systems. It is a conduit to IBM bringing ideas, suggestions, and positive criticisms to the IBM i development, distribution, and marketing teams. COMMON will have three positions open on its board of directors when the next election rolls around in April 2015. It’s seeking nominations ahead of the cut-off date of October 1. Traditionally this board has been made up of well-trained and experienced professionals–many of them with years of volunteering to their credit. However, like any organization that depends on volunteers, the dependency on a small group to consistently carry the load prevails. There’s good and bad in this formula. I’m sure you can see both sides. But at the end of the day, it’s pretty much a certainty that more volunteers are needed and that more volunteers makes an organization stronger. Throwing your hat in the ring for the board of directors election sort of puts you in the Super Volunteer category. If elected you’ll help set policy and strategic direction for the user group. You’ll have fiduciary responsibilities for all COMMON activities, approve an annual budget, and maintain communication channels with IBM and the multiple levels of the COMMON organization. Nominations submitted by the October 1 deadline will be reviewed by a nomination committee, which will conduct interviews prior to candidates being placed on the ballot. Three current board member seats are available. The term of Pete Massiello, who currently serves as COMMON president, expires. Board members Justin Porter and Randy Dufault could run for re-election. That will not be announced until the full slate is announced after the interviews are conducted. Additional information about the nomination, interview, and election processes can be found at the COMMON board elections webpage. RELATED STORIES IBM i Community-Minded Planning Still A Community Of Common Interest Education Foundation Airlifts Students To COMMON IBM Announcements Buzz At COMMON Annual Meeting COMMON Conference Could Benefit From Modernization Strategy
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