| FOG Officers Recalled; Schwarzenegger Not to Run
Apparently inspired by political events in the state of California, the entire board of directors of Friends of Guinea recently launched a successful petition campaign to recall itself from office under the assumption that actor Arnold Schwarzenegger could be induced to run for election as president of the organization. As explained by Membership Director Megan Wilson, “We thought that by bringing his high public profile and considerable personal fortune to bear on Friends of Guinea, Arnold could help us build on past successes and take the organization to the next level of development. Besides, unlike the United States, we have no constitutional obstacle to a foreign-born person becoming President.” More of this (satirical) article from November 2003 Ca Va? (photo at right of Schwarzenegger with pal and newsletter editor Woody Colahan) |
On this page:
- General Notes
- Board Members
- Board Members Nominee Statements
- Members-at-Large
- Members-at-Large Nominee Statements
Only FOG members have the right to vote in elections and serve as officers.
Nominations for all officer positions begin today and end November 30. If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else for a position, please send the nomination to [email protected].
Elections will take place over the time period from Dec 1 -7. Send your vote to [email protected].
Positions are to be held for a period of about one year, at which point they are open to re-election.
Below are the board member positions which are open for FOG. It is very important that all these board positions be filled. Without key board members, FOG cannot continue to function and provide services.
Direct questions about the position to its current holder by clicking on their name.
All board members will be given a FOG email account which they should be able to access on a bi-weekly basis.
Nominee statements follow.
| Position |
Monthly
Committment |
Description |
Skills needed | Currently
held by: |
2003
Nominees * incumbent |
| Financial Officer |
5-10 hours |
Maintain financial records and
FOG bank account. More
details |
Financial experience useful |
Jody Sites | *Jody Sites |
| Membership |
5-10 hours |
Maintain membership records, send
invitation and renewal notices, communicate with NPCA. |
Some spreadsheet experience useful.
Weekly upkeep necessary. |
Megan Wilson | Stephanie Chasteen |
| Listserv Admin |
2 hours |
Maintain FOG listserv. More details |
none, we train. |
Marilyn Pearson | *Marilyn Pearson Ousmane Barry |
| Projects |
5-10 hours |
Designate yearly projects and act
as coordinator of projects efforts. More
details |
experience with development projects
essential. |
Cherif Diallo |
Donald Parker Jen Czsyz? |
| Secretary |
5-10 hours |
Maintain FOG records and keep meeting
minutes, as well as coordinate Board meetings and elections. More
details |
Organizational skills useful. Should
be able to keep track of various activities of organization. |
Stephanie Chasteen | Betty Walker Jen Czsyz? |
| Web Admin |
5 hours |
Maintain FOG webpage More details |
Web development skills a must.
Basic html is all that is needed. |
Stephanie Chasteen | Cherif Diallo |
| Advocacy |
5-10 hours |
Coordinate advocacy goals, support
lobbying efforts, and network with other groups. More details |
None, but some knowledge of West
African affairs is useful |
Emily Byram |
|
| Communications |
5-10 hours |
Communicate with the public and
other groups on behalf of FOG |
be able to communicate? |
Brian Farenell |
Board Member Nominee Statements
Secretary
Betty Walker
I am a parent of a current PCV. Her name is Dana Wiggins and she
is Sannou north of Labe. I am a 7th Grade Life Science
Teacher...that's middle school. My husband and son and I went to Guinea last April
and discovered how wonderful the people of Guinea are, especially in
Dana's village. It was the experience of a lifetime and I'm glad to be
able to share that experience with our PCV. I like the FOG website and
find the parent connections vital for family left behind as our PCV's go
off on this wonderful adventure called the Peace Corps in Guinea. It
has helped bring people closer to their PCV, but also to each other.
That's why I why I want to help if I can.
Projects Director
Donald Parker
I am a RPCV and interested in running for the projects director position.
Listserv Admin
Ousmane Barry
Marilyn Pearson (mother of current PCV)
Financial Officer
Jody Sites (RPCV Beyla 94-96)
Web Admin
Cherif Diallo
Membership
Stephanie Chasteen (RPCV Baguinet 97-99)
The last year as secretary has been great, and I feel I've accomplished a lot. Now I think it would be good for me to serve as membership director, and help out with that position. I'm also leaving the Web Admin position open for someone else.. More about me
Advocacy
Emily Byram
I served as a health volunteer in Kondianakoro, Mandiana from 1998 -
2000. Since returning to the States, I have been working in the Public
Policy Office of the Audubon Society, lobbying for Congressional support
for environmental issues. As the advocacy liaison for FOG, I hope to
increase awareness of issues affecting Guinea, and Peace Corps in
general, and give members the information and tools they need to affect
change on the federal level.
Communication
Brian Farenell (RPCV Beindou 95-97)
More about me
Members at Large serve in a smaller capacity than FOG Board Members. The more Members at Large we have, the easier the job of the Board Members. Members at Large are elected for a specific project or advisory role. While they are not required to have bi-weekly email access, they should fulfill their role in a timely and responsive manner.
More than one person can fill any role, but it is better if nominees are spread out among the roles.
| Falls under Board Member: | Job title | Description | Skills needed | Currently held by... | Nominee |
| Projects | Health | Advise, research and coordinate health-related projects | Experience in development projects | Stephanie Mullen | Stephanie Mullen |
| Girls Conference | Coordinate fundraising efforts for Girls Conference | ditto | Anne Redmond | none needed, fully funded | |
| Fundraising | Coordinate FOG fundraising efforts | ditto | Anne Redmond | ||
| Education | Advise, research, and coordinate education-related projects | ditto | Helen Thouless | Helen Thouless | |
| Environment | Advise, research, and coordinate projects related to environment and conservation | ditto | |||
| Micro-Enterprise & Small Business Development | Advise, research, and coordinate projects related to small business dev. | ditto | |||
| Webpage | FOG Directory | Maintain FOG online directory | can-do attitude | Scott Sackett | Scott Sackett |
| Secretary | PC Guinea Liaison | Maintain contact with PC Guinea, share newsletter items, etc. | none | Nancy Fleisher | Nancy Fleisher |
| GPS (Guinea Parent Support) | Coordinate a separate listserv for new PC parents. | none | Marilyn Pearson | Marilyn Pearson | |
| Communications | Newsletter | Coordinate newsletter | some editing experience useful | Woody Colahan | Woody Colahan |
| Membership | Renewals | send out renewal notices | none | Jason Smith | |
| Recruitment | Actively recruit new members from RPCVs and others | none |
Members at Large Nominee Statements
Education Projects
Helen Thouless
I'd like to become the Member at Large for Education.While I was in Guinea I worked in the primary schools and the collèges, so I have knowledge of some of the issues that the educational system in Guinea has to combat. Now that I am a teacher in the US, I would like to continue working on educational projects in Guinea——combining my general knowledge of educational issues with my observations of the specific problems in Guinea.Helen Thouless
Mamou 95-97
Fundraising coordinator
Anne Redmond
GPS Coordinator
Marilyn Pearson
Stephanie has provided a tremendous service with the Friends of Guinea website. Now we're adding the ability for parents and friends of each new Peace Corps Volunteer group to support each other through a listserv and/or email system. I'm excited to help pass along information, tips, and emotional support for this unique experience.
PC Guinea Liaison
Nancy Fleisher
I am happy to support FOG this year by pulling together and maintaining communications between FOG Board members/volunteers and the Peace Corps office in Guinea. Hopefully, centralizing communication will make the exchange of ideas and information more efficient and more reliable. As a PC mom, I like the idea of making this small indirect contribution to the work my PCV son is doing in Guinea.
Newsletter
Woody Colahan (RPCV Maci 93-96)
I think a lot about my experience as a volunteer and how it changed the way I look at almost everything, including myself. I wish every American could have the experience I had. I want to continue my work with Friends of Guinea because I want to serve the cause of helping Guinea RPCV's to stay connected with each other in this fragmented, alienated society, and because I want to do something to stay involved, however indirectly, in the life of the people who took me in and taught me so much. I think good communications with members and the pro-Guinea community at large are key to F.O.G.'s success. I hope to contribute to our collaborative effort by continuing with this particular responsibility.
More about me
This page was last modified on Tuesday, 02-Dec-2003 13:13:37 EST