With your May issue, you’ve received the ballot for the 2022 elections for the APS Board of Directors and APRL Board of Trustees. Though there are no competitive races for the various Board positions, please take the time to cast your ballot. You will notice some familiar faces and a few new ones offering to serve.
We’re fortunate to have members volunteer their time, talent, and treasures to better the APS and APRL. Often, members of volunteer boards serve without significant recognition or thanks, but they do it because they believe in the advancement of their hobby. Each candidate has offered a vision and contributions for the years ahead. Get to know the candidates and cast a vote as a thank you to those who volunteer to serve.
In August, we will be saying farewell to several members leaving due to term limits and serving the hobby in other ways. First and foremost, thank you to Bruce Marsden and Ken Nilsestuen, who have served as APS and APRL treasurers for more than a decade, switching Boards in 2016. When I arrived in 2015, Bruce and Ken supported the Debt First strategy we adopted, and we spent countless hours working to eliminate the five mortgages. We accomplished that mission in the closing weeks of 2020, a considerable legacy. Thank you, Bruce and Ken!
We will say farewell to Vice Presidents Trish Kaufmann and Jeff Shapiro. When Jeff and Trish arrived, the discipline procedures needed to be overhauled. As chair of the Board of Vice Presidents, Trish made sure the process was fair and straightforward. Thanks to Jeff and Trish, the disciplinary process is better than that which they inherited.
Our APS secretary, Stephen Schumann, will be leaving the Board. Steve joined the APRL Board of Trustees in 2009 and served until being elected APS secretary in 2016. Steve’s campaign pledge was to take minutes as well as his predecessor, and he lived up to his promise.
Two of our directors-at-large will be leaving, Michael Bloom and Mark Schwartz. Michael’s primary mission on the Board has been to make the APS a more effective recruiter. Over the past few years, our recruitment numbers have been at the highest level in more than a decade. Thank you, Michael, for your focus and commitment. Mark has been a constant resource of strategic thinking. With his leadership, we developed a new strategic plan in 2019 that emphasizes digital-first development and expanding services to reach larger audiences. We'll have Mark to thank as we deploy greater technology with a more significant hobby reach.
From right to left: Ken Grant, Bruce Marsden, and Ken Nilsestuen
On the APRL Board, we say farewell to our esteemed president, Ken Grant. Ken has served on both the APS and APRL Boards without interruption since 2005. After serving as secretary on the APS Board of Directors, Ken returned to the APRL Board and unexpectedly assumed the role of president in 2018. Under Ken’s leadership, we not only retired the debt but launched the Robert A. Mason Digital Library, which continues to grow as one of the best research tools in the hobby. Regardless of what Ken does next, he will continue to be one of the best champions the APRL has ever had.
Kristin Patterson, who served on the APS Board before joining the APRL Board in 2016, will also be leaving. Kristin’s technology background and inquisitive nature have proven to be extremely helpful in planning our library technology projects.
Finally, Hugh Lawrence, a librarian and retired finance attorney, will leave the APRL Board after six years. Hugh’s insights and wise counsel were invaluable, especially during the COVID shutdown. His contributions run the gamut from acquisitions of material to working with our finance team to help retire the debt.
I continue to marvel at collectors' wealth of knowledge and experience within our hobby. We owe you a debt of gratitude to those who have served in volunteer capacities and are now leaving the APS and APRL Boards. Thank you also to the candidates who have graciously offered to serve, and we look forward to the new beginnings in August.