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Written by Josh Mahar, CGCS
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Monday, 13 July 2009 14:09 |
We are so excited to welcome Kissel/E&S Associates as our new Association Management Team. They are going to do a great job managing and growing our chapter. Who are these people you might ask? The bulk of the work will be done by the three K’s –Kristin Crawford, Katy Post, and Kay Lemon. Kristin Crawford will serve as the Executive Director of our group. She will be the main contact and will oversee all affairs of the association. Kristin is very affable and will be our liaison to other allied associations, UNL, and professional service providers. As Jim Cummins commented after the interview “she seems like a real go-getter who could really extend our agenda with the Nebraska PGA section and Nebraska Golf Association.” I agree that she will be able to gain us added credibility and increased visibility in the Nebraska golfing sector! During the short time I have worked with her, she has proven to be very detail-oriented and prepared; no stone will go unturned with her at the helm. Katy Post will handle communications and membership services which includes maintaining the member database, membership correspondence (meeting notices, announcements, etc), and managing the web site. Kay Lemon will be charged with the financial administration of the association including all reports and advertising accounts. This team of ladies is headed by Gordon Kissel, managing partner, who has extensive legislative and governmental lobbying experience. Gordon is well connected within the Lincoln and statewide community and adds his clout and experience to the team and as Kristin stated before their interview “keeps his thumb on me!”
Kristin was very well prepared during the interview, obviously doing her homework beforehand. However, the question posed by myself “What do I do each day as a superintendent?” caused her (and Gordon) to stumble a bit. In fact Gordon related later to us that he told Kristin “don’t be surprised if you don’t hear from them again” because of that one question. Indeed they may not have an insider’s view of our jobs as many of the other candidates had, but we are hiring them to manage our association, and not to be superintendents. Granted, they must familiarize themselves with our profession to be effective leaders, but in the end the board felt they offered the most complete package to manage our chapter.
I must commend the other applicants for their professional conduct and excellent ideas concerning our association. Most of them are/were superintendents and represented our profession very well in the interview process.
I want to thank the members who have given their support and encouragement during the past year. I especially appreciate those of you who have recognized the work that this board has put into this hiring. It has been extra work, but will prove to be very rewarding for our association. I personally would like to thank our Officers and Board of Directors along with Jim Cummins, Jeff Wendel, and Bill Bieck who have offered their time and commitment to further the Nebraska GCSA during this process.
The Nebraska GCSA is entering a new era that will prove to be exciting and fulfilling to all its members.
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