What makes you stand out above and beyond the other candidates? While I have a caring and nurturing nature I am not afraid to have any confrontations that need to happen. Tact and diplomacy are strong skills I have developed over the years as well as the ability to listen.
Regarding our Class/Event and Honorarium approval processes, do you feel we are currently balancing our Mission Statement (https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/Mission_Statement) with what membership and the outlying community are interested in learning?
Teaching is core to DMS. I believe it is the most important thing we do and can do for people. To that end we need to encourage future teachers to step up and volunteer. I like how the system benefits both teacher and committee but there is always room to fine tune it.
As a Board Member - between the following two items - Would your focus be on saving money for a future move and/or unexpected expenses, or would it be focused on purchasing newer/bigger/better tools in the near future?
Balance is the key word for me. With our history of growth we are going to have to expand at some point. at the same time we have repairs and purchases that are needed and wanted. You cannot have a successful long term organization without balancing the needs of the future with the needs of today.
Management of Dallas Makerspace is always a “hot topic”. In your idea of a perfect solution, how would the “power” distribution of our community be handled ("Who has ‘final say’ on what items, etc…). The “players” in the solution include: “The Board”, “Committee Chairs” (or committees as a whole…), “The Membership” (via member votes, etc…), and possibly an “On Site Manager”. NOTE: If your plans include an “On Site Manager”, please elaborate with additional details such as expected duties, hours on site, etc…
The membership of DMS votes in the BoD which has the final say so make sure you vote in a board you have confidence in to carry out the job. Committees have autonomy in their own areas and should stay that way unless a problem comes up that needs the BoD advise or attention. I believe the BoD should be quick to let the membership know that they are on top of an issue to be resolved.
If you had to choose one of the following, do you feel that we should focus on “being the biggest and best” or “inter-committee projects and hackathons”?
Biggest and Best sounds great but you really cant get to that point without utilizing all your skills and those would include working with other committees and group projects for the space.
In your opinion, which types of agenda items should be included on Regular Member Meetings, and which should be included on Board of Directors Meetings?
Membership meeting should be where any concerns or ideas can be discussed. From there, items that need action should be sent to the BoD meetings. Ideally, there should be a BoD meeting soon afterward to address the concerns of the membership
We are nearing 1500 members. What do you think the optimum number of members should be for our community?
What will You do personally to encourage and ensure better new member experiences?
Much of what I do now since it is very important to me. In depth orientation along with personal interaction getting to know our new members and empowering them to make DMS their own. I would also start a teacher recruitment program to help identify new teachers and keep volunteer burn out low.
What is one of your major pet peeves about Dallas Makerspace? The appearance of favoritism, whether real or perceived is a pet peeve of mine.
Finally: Paint Booth or Not? Why or Why Not? If so, then where would you suggest it be located? Do you plan on sacrificing existing committee space(s)? What about the government regulations? And, since our lease does not allow storage of paint, how would that be handled? There are times I have struggled with painting something outside and thought a paint booth would come in handy. But if it meant taking away a committee then I would not be a part of that.
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