[nabs-l] Sean Whalen for NABS President

[Sean Whalen]

Dear NABSters and fellow Federationists,

I am writing to you this afternoon to declare my intention to run for
another term as President of NABS.

Before outlining my qualifications and plans, let me first answer the
question that many of you are likely asking yourself upon receipt of
this email. Namely, why did I wait until this late moment to decide,
and announce my intention, to run. It is a perfectly legitimate
question, and one I would certainly be asking myself were I on the
receiving end of this email.

The short answer is that I want the job and think that I am best
equipped to lead NABS as we all work together to continue to
strengthen our division and Federation. Dr. Maurer, Mark Riccobono and
Anil Lewis have all at various times told me that if one wants a
position, he or she should run. And, perhaps more importantly, one who
chooses to run had better want the position. I do, and very much so.
It did not just dawn on me this morning that I still wanted the job. I
never stopped having the desire to serve in this position. I was
contemplating stepping down primarily because I had served for three
years and understand that a key function of NABS is developing
leadership skills among young Federationists. It seemed to me that I
should perhaps step aside and make space for others to have the
opportunity to serve and learn as I have. But I have been somewhat
disappointed with the tone of the Presidential campaign that has been
unfolding on this list and elsewhere. I attended the candidates forum
last week, and as I sat listening I cannot describe to you the desire
I had to be part of that discussion. After realizing how badly I want
to continue to serve as President of NABS I engaged in numerous
conversations with NABS members, my fellow board members, and past
leaders of NABS to gauge the level of support that existed for my
running for another term. I was pleasantly surprised to find a great
deal more support than even I had hoped for. I also broached the
possibility with various leaders at our national center in Baltimore.
Each of them gave me the same basic advice that I mentioned above. If
I want it, I should run, and if I run, I should really want it. Each
of them expressed the sentiment that they are confident that,
regardless of who is elected, they look forward to a productive and
collaborative relationship with NABS over the coming term and years.

I have enjoyed immensely serving as NABS President for the past one
and a half terms. And, while I certainly have made and learned from
some mistakes, I am very proud of the work that we have all done
together over the time since I was elected to the NABS Board. I can
say with confidence that NABS is a bigger, stronger, more active and
better funded division today than it was when Arielle Silverman
assumed the Presidency in 2009. And while I feel good about how far we
have come, I know that there is more to do. I still have the desire
burning inside me to continue to improve NABS and strengthen the
National Federation of the Blind. I do want it. NABS is a priority for
me. So, I am running.

Over the past several years in which I have served as President NABS
has made great strides. And while there is of course more to do, I am
proud of our many accomplishments, including:

  NABS has for the first time instituted a dynamic membership
database, now containing over 800 membership contacts.
  NABS has put out 17 issues of the Student Slate over the 5 years in
which I have served on the Board, when in the past years would go by
without an issue.
  NABS has consistently increased our financial contributions to the
various funds of the NFB, contributing $1800 last year. That is an
increase of 80% from the time I took office.
  NABS worked closely with our national headquarters to put on a
student leadership seminar, the first of its kind in 5 years.
  NABS has enjoyed attendance of over 200 at our annual business
meeting for the last two years, the largest attendance numbers that I
have seen since becoming aware of NABS in 2005.
  NABS worked hand and glove with our legislative affairs team to
collect stories from blind students about what the TEACH Act would
mean for them. These stories were used effectively in Congressional
meetings.
  NABS continues to partner with the Parents' Division, running a
session of the youth track for NOPBC this year in Orlando (Thursday
from 1 to 4, come on out))

This is just some of what we have accomplished together. Of course
none of this would have been possible without the work of the Board
and the active engagement of you all, the membership. But I think
these successes make it clear that, as President, I have been able to
work with a whole host of people to make things happen.

Of course, elections are not about the past, they are about the
future. So, what would I like to do if elected President? First, I
will take some of the lessons I have learned and feedback I have
received and implement them:

I will work to continue to strengthen bonds with our national office
and leadership. In an earlier message, I noted that we and I have
strong working relationships with our national leaders. Subsequent to
that, I had a lengthy conversation with Mr. Riccobono. In this
conversation he put this issue in a light in which I had not
considered it before. In short, he agreed that we can count on one
another when NABS needs counsel from the leadership or when NABS can
help work on a Federation project. But he said to me that we shouldn't
only be talking to one another when we need something. That really
struck me and I think it is absolutely correct. I credit Justin with
getting this before I did. But I do get it. My board will engage in
ongoing dialogue with the national office. This will build personal
relationships, which are often key to optimizing cooperation. It will
also enable the Federation to harness the energy and passion of NABS
in the most strategic way possible if we really take the time to learn
and understand which Federation objectives we can be most effective in
helping to meet.

Toward this goal, I would endeavor to set up an opportunity for the
NABS Board to spend a weekend in Baltimore getting to know and being
mentored by our national leaders, while strategizing about how NABS
can best work to change the lives of blind people all over the country
through the Federation.

We will reinstate periodic calls for state presidents. I believe I
underestimated how useful some folks found these and made a mistake in
discontinuing them. We will bring them back.

I will ensure, particularly in light of some of the expressed concerns
about transparency, that NABS Notes monthly updates contain the
minutes of the board meeting from that month. This had been the
practice, and the failure to provide these in recent months was an
oversight. I take full responsibility for this mistake.

There are other changes I would like to make. Here are a few of them:

We should do membership calls on a set schedule, and possibly less
frequently. I think it is more important to have a well-prepared,
well-publicized, and well-attended call than it is to simply have a
call every month. Scaling back the number of calls will enable us to
focus on identifying relevant topics, recruiting engaging speakers,
and ensuring that folks are actually on the calls to benefit from
them.

We should reconsider the function of our NABS rep program with an eye
toward maximizing the impact of every dollar we raise and spend.
Currently we send a rep to anybody who asks for one. This is nice, but
the program accounts for over 80% of our annual budget. We should
consider sending reps on a targeted basis to the divisions and states
where the help is both needed and likely to produce a positive result.
Our members work hard to raise this money, and we have a
responsibility to be good stewards of the funds we raise.

Rather than simply delegating responsibility to committees for the
work we do, I will institute a stronger accountability framework. I
would require committees to meet on a set schedule and to provide
notes on those meetings so that progress can be tracked. I'd also like
to see many more folks off the board become engaged with our various
committees.

We should explore opportunities for NABS and the various state student
divisions to work in a more coordinated fashion. Maybe we have a day
of campus activism on an issue and put out a press release through our
national office. Perhaps we have a designated day when groups of blind
students all over the country get out and volunteer in their
communities to show that we are contributing members. Maybe we just
coordinate actions to push for the TEACH Act or other student-oriented
legislation. The possibilities are endless, and I'd love to hear your
ideas, too.

Additionally, I make these three concrete pledges to you:

1.      Within three weeks of my election NABS will put out a survey
to the membership to solicit feedback and suggestions on the direction
and future of NABS.

2.      Within 6 weeks of my election NABS will hold an open forum
membership call where we discuss the responses gathered from the
survey.

3.      Within 3 months of my election, I will call the student leader
of each state to have a one on one conversation about how to
strengthen the bonds, enhance the communication between, and
coordinate the efforts of NABS and the various states.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, if elected, I will use the
opportunity to make a smooth transition to a new NABS President.
Identifying and mentoring a successor is perhaps the greatest
responsibility of a leader. There was a time when it was clear to me
who I felt ought to be the next NABS President. Unfortunately the
individual who I had hoped to hand the torch to became unable to
assume the position. I feel a responsibility to hand the position off
to somebody who I know has had the leadership experience and mentoring
to thrive in the position. If elected, I will talk with my board,
identify those who have an interest in serving as NABS President, and
then delegate significant responsibility to those individuals so that
they can prove themselves, learn and grow, but do so with me there to
back them up if needed. I think this is very important and I will be
prepared to step away from the Presidency, though certainly not the
division, when I am confident that such individual has been
identified, has been properly mentored, and is prepared to carry that
torch.

Of course, these are only my ideas. I hope that anybody who has worked
with me or called upon me over the last several years has found me
open to suggestions and criticism, respectful, and willing to listen
to and consider other points of view. I value engaging in dialogue on
these issues, and encourage anybody to contact me with thoughts and
questions. I firmly believe that I have demonstrated myself capable of
talking and relating to individuals from all walks of life, from the
young woman trying to raise a blind child on social welfare to the
Senator who holds our legislative fate in his hands. I recognize that
my way is not the only way, and sincerely value input from mentors and
members alike.

Please feel free to be in touch with any questions or concerns. I will
be in Orlando and pleased to speak with you. Thank you very much for
taking the time to read this lengthy message. And please come out to
the NABS annual meeting on Wednesday, July 2, at 6:00pm and cast your
vote for Sean Whalen for NABS President.

Take care,

Sean

Sean Whalen
President, National Association of Blind Students
(608) 332-4147
Nabs.president at gmail.com
www.nabslink.org
@NABSLink