Your Mid-Term Incumbent
Being a zone rep for PCA is a “2+2” assignment. Two years for the first term, and a second two years unless you hang up the keys, or the Executive Council back at PCA headquarters hears that you really messed up. Former zone reps that I meet regularly remind me that it is the most rewarding National Staff “job” in PCA. I totally agree.
The reason for even bringing up this milestone, is that as I crest the mid-term hill, it is worth mentioning that in a short 18 months we will start looking for the next Zone 9 representative. The process will involve phone interviews with, at minimum, the President and Vice-President of PCA (Tom Gorsuch and Cindy Jacisin). They will also be looking for input from me, as well.
Preference has typically been given to past region Presidents. And this is not limited to “current” presidents. So if you are a past-president, missing the action, consider throwing your name in the mix when the time comes. There are at least of couple dozen of you reading this, so think about it. It is also not always true that only former region Presidents are selected. So if you have been an active leader with multiple roles on your region board, and have “seen it all” over the years, you should also consider putting your name in the mix.
I meet lots of members in regions who find that the “job” of a zone rep for PCA is a bit of a mystery. That’s completely understandable. PCA has 14 zones- one zone rep for each. Our zone 9 covers seven regions that stretch from the Idaho to the Mexico border, and cover all of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, plus the southern parts of Wyoming and the western parts of Texas. For most club members, the zone rep is seen only occasionally at a social, DE, autocross, or tour in your region. However, the invisible part of the “job” is behind the scenes. Our primary role is to act as a liaison between your region’s leadership and the National Office. Equally important is the expectation that we act as a resource for region Presidents to provide training, share best practices, help as needed with bylaws, elections, national policies, raise concerns to national, and support planning and succession processes as requested. We are expected to travel, and are re-imbursed for attending a minimum of one member event per year in each region. I personally strive for two events, and am pleased to say that the National Office supports my travel plan to allow this to happen.
The reason for starting now to ask you all to think about a future as a zone rep, is that we had only two candidates at the time that I applied for the role. In my case, I had only been region president for 50% of my elected term, which caused some disruption here in the Intermountain region at the time. So to hopefully build a deep enough bench when my term is up, and to allow a smooth transition at that time, I’m reaching out EARLY, in order to invite levels of interest and offering to share any/ all information needed for potential candidates to make an informed decision. If you have ANY inclination to become a zone rep for PCA in the future (2020, 2024, 2028), I would LOVE TO hear from you personally some time in 2019. Simply email me at Zone9Rep@pca.org. From there we can set up some phone time and perhaps arrange an individual meeting for a de-mystifying Q&A session during one of my trips to your region in the coming year.
Happy Holidays to All!!!
Signing off for 2018,
Rich Sanders
Zone 9 Rep.
