Why COMMON? Because it just makes sense.
COMMON offers our power community much more than a few meetings a year. I believe in and have reaped the benefits of being a member of this community for a number of years. In addition to gaining education and technical advancements I have had the great fortune to network with some of the leading people in our industry. My involvement with COMMON has been a critical piece of my success on the iSeries.
COMMON has a lot to offer and as any organization will also have challenges from time to time. By running for a position on the Board I will take the knowledge and leadership I have gained over the years, and with the other members, come up with the best decisions to help lead the organization in the best interests of the community. I feel I will bring the Board a valuable perspective of someone who is in the trenches and has responsibility with the day to day challenges of maintaining our iSeries environment.
Some of the key points I will focus on are:
- Making sure the community continues to attend the COMMON conferences. I will also work towards making sure the conferences stay affordable to attend.
- Help promote more online training opportunities which will be a benefit to COMMON and to the individuals seeking this education.
- I would also like to focus on increasing the awareness of COMMON to help grow our members as we continue to move forward.
I believe COMMON conferences are very important for everyone to be able to attend. Being able to get out of your ordinary environment promotes the ability to learn and retain so much more as you are less distracted. I understand that in these economic times there needs to be a compelling reason to attend a conference both from a content and cost standpoint. Unfortunately I do not have a solution for those smaller shops that may not have the resources to allow someone to be gone from the office but here is where the online training opportunities may be a more favorable option.
I believe we also need to look at new ways of promoting our user group to make sure that we are actively growing our membership. This growth will ensure we have a diverse group of members that will bring a wide range of experiences. I have been an active member of COMMON for 11 years. During this time I have seen the benefits that membership has afforded me. I would like to draw upon these experiences and give something back in a role of a Board member.
Thank you for your consideration.
Russell Meyer