From the President: are you the future of DGS leadership?

By Tony Hanson

If you have been a DGS member for a while you know how much time, effort and talent people like Sharon Bowles, Todd DeDecker, Michelle Dwyer Cohen, Liz Kutz, and Susan Rainwater (to name just a few!) have contributed to our society. We all should be extremely grateful for the contributions every volunteer makes to help our society be successful.

Take a few minutes to talk to any of our current volunteers. I think that you will find that they enjoy what they are doing and who they are doing it with. For many of us our roles provide us with an opportunity to expand our knowledge and skills.

However, like any volunteer organization, we need to attract new volunteers to bring in a fresh perspective and to replace volunteers who move on to pursue other interests. Ideally, this exchange of personnel will take place gradually, which will provide the next generation of leaders with the time required to assimilate and carry forward the organizational knowledge of our society.

One position that is particularly important (and challenging to fill) is the office of the President. This position is the only one that requires previous experience on the board, which helps to ensure that each President has the necessary background while at the same time restricting the pool of potential candidates. If we ever reach the point of being unable to find a willing and qualified candidate, we will be faced with a dissolution of our Society as proscribed by Article 17 of our Bylaws.

We need people just like you to join our volunteer team and help us continue offering the things our members value: Our monthly meetings, seminars, special interest groups, and our award-winning newsletter and website. We also need people to serve as Board members to help manage and direct the activities of our society. Contact me (president@dallasgenealogy.org) or any board member to discuss how you can become involved.

I am certain that a future DGS President is reading these words. Is it you?