EAST TEXAS MENSA

RVC PAGE
Ray O'Connor, Region 6 RVC
E-mail:  rvc6@us.mensa.org
Phone: (972) 478-3556 (w),  (972) 396-9399 (h)

Ray O'Connor:   Regional Vice Chairman's Report - July 2005

As this is my first RVC report, I'd like to thank all who voted for me in the election.  I will do my best to serve region six as your representative on the AMC. It seems as if a major goal of this year's AMC will be risk management.  I will share with you all that I am permitted and ask for your input.
 

I hope to see many of you at the AG.  I'm easy to find. I'll either be with the AMC or in hospitality.  I'll be supervising the breakfast team each day in hospitality and coordinating the 8:00 PM snack attacks.  If you are going to be at the AG, don't miss our chocolate fountains on Friday and Saturday evening.

I am a professional manager with over forty years of experience.  With your support, I plan to continue to apply that management experience to address the issues facing American Mensa. I am task oriented and have demonstrated my ability to work with the board members of American Mensa to get the job done.

If you've been to any region 6 gathering in the past six years, you know me. I have been on the hospitality committee or hospitality chair at almost all region 6 gatherings for the past six years.  When the safety of meals in hospitality was raised, I took the National Restaurant Association Food Safety course. I became one of the instructors for the food safety session of Leadership Development Workshops and offer that program at every gathering I attend. The AMC proposed a motion to require the hospitality chair to be food certified.  I urged my friends on the AMC to amend the motion to require a member of the hospitality committee (not the chair) to be food safety certified.  That amendment passed.

As the current National SIGs Officer I am responsible for resolving an issue that the AMC has discussed over four decades.  SIGs are now a recognized benefit of American Mensa. Since 2003, I have submitted to the AMC a number of recommendations all of which passed and now provide the framework for the operations of SIGs.

I have been a Mensa proctor since 1999 and NTM's Proctor Coordinator since 2003. A successful testing program is a major source of revenue and new members.  I was honored to receive the 2004 Abbie Award for the accomplishments of my local group's testing program.
 

The National Office has a wealth of information, but the local group officers must know for what to ask. As proctor coordinator of my local group, I receive a Prospect Report each month that identifies all who contacted the National Office requesting information about joining Mensa.  I now have over 500 prospects to whom I send a reminder email each month with the dates, times and locations of the Mensa Admissions Tests.  I was shocked to discover that a friend, who is the Proctor Coordinator for her local group, did not receive the Proctor Report.  Her LocSec did not know to instruct the National Office to send the Proctor Report to her. When the issue became known to the National Office, the policy was changed and now all Proctor Coordinators receive the monthly Proctor Report. There is a wealth of information available through the National Office.  The challenge is to get it to those who need it. As SIGs Officer I have developed close working relationships with the staff at our National Office.  I believe that will facilitate my being a more effective RVC.
 

The major goal of my term as your representative will be to strengthen our Mensa Admissions Testing program. Please share with me your ideas for how to accomplish this very desirable task. Please encourage any potential proctors to contact me.

I have nominated John Neemidge as my Assistant RVC for region 6.  Please feel free to communicate with either of us about your concerns and suggestions.

Ray O'Connor - RVC6
rvc6@us.mensa.org
(972) 478-3556 (w)    
(972) 396-9399 (h)

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