The Milwaukee Area Woodturners needs a president!
Do you have a heart for woodturning? Do you have experience leading, or speaking up in a meeting or in a classroom discussion? Have you found the Milwaukee Area Woodturners to be a valuable resource that you want to see thrive in the future? Do you have the ability to devote about 6 to 8 hours a month to the club? You may be the perfect person to lead the MAWT for the next few years.
I have tried to list below some of the requirements for this position – none of them says anything about being a past master at the craft and/or art of woodturning (in the opinion of the writer, the president should be an active woodturner who periodically shares his/her current work with the group).
What are the requirements to be an effective president of the MAWT?
Hard skills:
- the ability to lead a meeting – both the periodic board meetings and the monthly meetings.
- develop and follow an agenda
- ensure all members are heard
- the ability to write a few paragraphs each month for the newsletter
- most communications are through email, etc.
- act as a point person for non-members who communicate with the club (i.e. who are looking for someone to do turning for them)
- to retain our status as an AAW chapter, the president (and other chapter officers) must hold a current AAW membership
Soft skills:
- have a vision for the future of the MAWT
- listen to the members and the board to understand and incorporate current social and technical current trends into the vision
- communicate that vision to the board and the membership
- present a friendly and welcoming “face” to all members (including new members) and visitors to the club
- recruit future board members/club officers to ensure continuance of the club
The AAW website has resources for this and other chapter officers. One place to begin is here –> https://www.woodturner.org/Woodturner/Chapters/Chapter-Officers-Tool-Kit.aspx (you will need to sign in to the website for access to the Job Descriptions).
In conclusion – nobody is “perfect” for the position of president or any of the other officer positions in MAWT. But the members of the MAWT are, for the most part, incredibly tolerant and willing to overlook those imperfections. The board is ready and willing to act as a support group for the position. And, Ron isn’t just walking away – he will be there for a smooth transition. If you think this is something you can do, or just have any questions at all about the position, please contact Ron Zdroik or Tony Rozendaal and let them know.
Thank you;
Tony Rozendaal
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