[nabs-l] Sean Whalen for NABS President

Sun Jun 29 22:38:25 UTC 2014

Hello Nabs,

I have had the pleasure of serving under Sean Whalen for the past year as a board member of NABS and am also thrilled that Sean is seeking reelection to the presidency. Throughout my time on the board I have noticed that Sean demonstrates exceptional communication skills, an outstanding work ethic, and is passionate about the work of NABS. In adition to possessing these qualities, Sean is very approachable and always open to listening to others ideas and implementing said ideas when appropriate. As a result of his constant silisitation of feedback, it is evident that Sean is commited to improving and strengthening NABS which he has certainly done in his past term as president and will continue to do. Lastly, Sean is a committed Federationist who works tirelessly to carry out the mission of the Federation of which a couple of the numerous examples include organizing a drive to collect stories from various students about how their education has been hindered by inaccessible technology in order to assist in the effort to pass the teach act, and organizing a leadership seminar in Baltimore where leaders of state student devisions had the opportunity to receive the mentoring of Dr. Maurer, Anil Lewis and himself.

I would very much appreciate your support for a mentor, outstanding leader, and friend, Sean Whalen in his quest to be reelected as NABS president on Wednesday evening.

Best Reguards,

Cody Bair

Board Member

National Association of Blind Students

(970)673-6998

codyjbair at yahoo.com

From: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Sent: ‎Sunday‎, ‎June‎ ‎29‎, ‎2014 ‎3‎:‎13‎ ‎PM
To: Arielle Silverman, National Association of Blind Students mailing list, 'List for NABS State Presidents'

Dear NABS,
I know I’m not the only one who feels like this NABS election season has been excruciatingly long, this coming from someone who loves the political process and campaigns! I won’t make this message long, I simply just want to say that I have had the privilege of serving under Sean Whalen’s leadership and mentoring these past 2 years as a NABS Board Member, and personally am delighted to see him throw his name into the pool of candidates. Sean is passionate, dedicated, hardworking, personable, approachable, and an exemplary leader. I have come to him many times with suggestions, concerns, and even opposing views; and each time he’s listened to me thoroughly, responded respectfully, and when he deemed it appropriate, implemented my suggestions or ideas.
Sean Whalen is a dynamic individual, exceptional president, and a treasured friend. I can say with confidence that Sean Whalen works tirelessly to advance the mission of the Federation through NABS, and is actively seeking counsel, guidance, and support from our national leaders. I am excited to see him running again for the NABS presidency, and strongly urge you to join me in reelecting him to that position.
Respectfully yours,

...Gabe

Gabe Cazares, President
Texas Association of Blind Students
A Division of the National Federation of the Blind of Texas
Twitter: @gmcazares

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sean Whalen via nabs-l
Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2014 3:48 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list; List for NABS State Presidents
Subject: [nabs-l] Sean Whalen for NABS President

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:

Ø  NABS has for the first time instituted a dynamic membership database, now containing over 800 membership contacts.
Ø  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.
Ø  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.
Ø  NABS worked closely with our national headquarters to put on a student leadership seminar, the first of its kind in 5 years.
Ø  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.
Ø  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.
Ø  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

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