As you know, a Special Election was planned to fill Jacob Davis' soon to be vacant Board seat by April 30th. However, with nominations closed, Dustin Graham was our only candidate. So, he wins! Congratulations, Dusty, and welcome to the Board!
Here's some info about Dusty from his application, so everyone can get to know him a bit better.
Which burns have you been to?
Burning Man '12,('13)
Transformus '10,'11,'12,('13)
Alchemy '11,'12
Euphoria '12,('13)
Serendipity '12
Do you have any relevant experience in default world?
After I graduated from the University of Kentucky, I entered the IT world. During that time I worked at Bell Labs, BellSouth, and Nextel. When I left the corporate world, I managed a team of 10-12 people. My time at Nextel saw me managing the Provisioning System. That means every order/change made to Nextel accounts nationwide had to be processed through my servers. It was a very technical job that required precision and attention to detail.
I also am heavily involved in local politics and ran for Duluth City Council in 2011. Educating myself for this position gave me insights into the nuances of governance.
I currently hold the position of Treasurer for the Georgia Chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association. The AMTA is a 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to supporting massage therapists as they develop their careers. Currently, the AMTA serves over 56,000 members nationally. Through this organization I was able to serve on the committee that wrote Georgia's Massage Therapy Practice Act.
Do you have any relevant experience in the burn world?
I am currently the Ranger Co-Lead for Euphoria. I am an active member of Alchemy's Fucking Awesome and Transformus' Pretty Titty Bang Bang theme camps.
Why do you want to be a board member?
I see an organization at a crossroads. Cliques have fractured the leadership and the community to the point that the very survival of the organization is in jeopardy. Beyond this, real questions about the focus and purpose of the organization must be answered while legal and financial issues remain to be addressed.
Things appear to be a mess.
This is the type of environment in which I thrive. I walk a middle path, capable of working with groups on both sides of an issue without ostracizing either. I am not afraid of hard work or of making decisions. I have no illusions, this will be a difficult undertaking. Still, one I think worth the effort.
If elected to the board, what would your priorities be?
1. Begin to heal the rifts. People have had feelings hurt and others have been disgusted by certain behaviors. The division will kill the organization. We must begin to heal.
2. Answer the questions: Why are we here? Who do we serve? What are we trying to accomplish? Who is our community?
3. Based on the answers to the above, configure the organization's structure and legal status to best create this vision.
4. Become even more transparent. Share with the community the thought process that goes into making decisions. Let them know where we are exposed. Be open, open, open.
5. Through tighter focus and greater transparency, begin to recruit a new generation of leadership to take ownership of the organization and its events.
