[amsat-bb] Who I'm voting for (long)

Tue Jul 14 20:40:23 UTC 2020

Thank you Steve. That WAS a long read but well worth it. Learning more of the history and G2 about all the individuals connected to Amsat & the BOD without attached emotion was enlightening.

⁣___
Sent from my two way wrist watch
73 de W3AB/GEO

On Jul 14, 2020, 13:32, at 13:32, "Stephen  E. Belter via AMSAT-BB" <amsat-bb at amsat.org> wrote:
>The ballots for the annual election of members of the AMSAT Board of
>Directors will arrive in members' mailboxes soon.  My vote is no more
>important than any other member's vote.  However, I'm privileged to
>know personally all of the candidates, as well as all of the board
>members, all of the officers, and the previous 4-5 presidents of AMSAT.
> 
>
>With one exception, I call all of them my friends.  (I don't know one
>of them that well.)  None of my friends are perfect, but I feel
>fortunate that they are contributing their time and efforts to AMSAT.  
>
>If you don't know all of the candidates personally, I hope you find the
>following useful when you are casting your ballot.
>
>For readers that don't know me, I've been a member of AMSAT since 1993
>and I'm a Life Member.  I also contribute financially to AMSAT beyond
>membership dues.  I like operating the satellites, with 635 confirmed
>grids, and 487 of the 488 continental USA grids.  I also like operating
>portable with over 150 reverse grids, that is, I've made confirmed
>satellite QSOs from 150 grids while traveling through the US and
>Canada.  
>
>I've also volunteered for AMSAT, helping with the AMSAT booth at the
>Dayton Hamvention on multiple occasions, including being the AMSAT
>Dayton Team Leader from 2013 through 2017.  I'm also part of a small
>team of individuals that has rewritten, reorganized, and updated
>annually the AMSAT "Getting Started With Amateur Satellites" book from
>2013 through 2020.  I've also attended a number of the AMSAT Symposia.
>
>Here are the candidates for this year's three open seats:
>
>Mark Hammond, N8MH -- Mark has served on the AMSAT BoD for a number of
>years and has invested countless hours and money as a Control Op for
>AMSAT's satellites.  He likes collecting telemetry and often answers
>questions about SatPC32 and digital operations on the AMSAT-BB.  In
>addition to being very smart, he works well with people, and is Provost
>at Campbell University.  Mark is a very good friend and I have full
>confidence in him and his judgement.
>
>Paul Stoetzer, N8HM -- Paul has served as Secretary and as Executive
>Vice President of AMSAT.  He is a great operator, having given me a
>number of grids around Washington, DC and in Michigan.  I think he is
>at 486 confirmed of the 488 grids in the continental USA.  He has been
>a huge asset to AMSAT, getting the day-to-day work of the organization
>done, working on the website and store, filling in during Presidential
>absences, and assisting in the AMSAT Office in Kensington.  He is very
>smart and often answers questions on the AMSAT-BB and Twitter.  Paul is
>a good friend and I have full confidence in him and his judgement.
>
>Bruce Paige, KK5DO -- Bruce has handled the AMSAT awards for years and
>is a member of the BoD.  He also hosts a regular AMSAT net in Houston
>which is available over the Internet.  Now that he has retired from his
>day job, he is devoting additional time to supporting AMSAT and
>tutoring new operators.  Bruce is a friend and I have full confidence
>in him and his judgement.
>
>Howie DeFelice, AB2S -- I've met Howie at Dayton and have seen his
>posts on the AMSAT-BB and the Ground-Station mail lists.  I don't know
>Howie well enough to claim him as a friend, but I respect his technical
>expertise and appreciate the time he volunteers. 
>
>Bob McGwier, N4HY -- Bob has a long history with AMSAT, having served
>as VP of Engineering and as a member of the BoD.  He is incredibly
>smart.  He was one of the inventors of software-defined modems and
>software-defined radios.  Bob is a friend and I listen carefully when
>he speaks (or writes).  I'm uncertain where he wants to take AMSAT now.
>
>Jeff Johns, WE4B -- Jeff has given me a number of grids and I've
>returned the favor when I've been roving.  He has mentored his two
>young daughters who do a great job operating satellites.  It is always
>a thrill hearing them operate.  Jeff is a friend and I'm always happy
>when we make contact.  
>
>
>There has been lots of discussion, some quite heated and not always
>accurate, about transparency, legal expenses, and who isn't being
>cooperative.  As a result of attending parts of board meetings at the
>AMSAT Symposia, occasionally delivering reports to the BoD about Dayton
>on BoD teleconferences, and private conversations with AMSAT officers
>and BoD members, I feel I have a good understanding of the workings of
>the board and the issues at the core of the disagreements.  I share my
>observations below.
>
>To get to the point, I plan to vote for Mark Hammond, Paul Stoetzer,
>and Bruce Paige.
>
>
>The other members of the BoD are Jerry, Drew, Patrick, and Michelle.
>
>Jerry Buxton, N0JY -- Jerry is a member of the Board and is VP of
>Engineering.  He does a great job of organizing a bunch of engineering
>volunteers, supervising progress on a wide number of aspects of our
>designs, implementations, and launches.  There are far more engineering
>volunteers than you might imagine, and the technical challenges and
>regulatory requirements for new satellites going to higher orbits are
>daunting.  He is also our primary contact for unmanned launches by
>NASA.  Jerry is a friend and I have full confidence in him and his
>judgement.
>
>Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA -- Drew is VP of Operations and a member of the
>board.  He vets potential launch providers and negotiates the fees for
>paid launches.  He also has invested countless hours and money as a
>Control Op for AMSAT's satellites.  He is also a regular operator and
>has collected over 1750 grids.  Drew is a friend and I have full
>confidence in him and his judgement.
>
>Patrick Stoddard, WD9EWK -- My first QSO with Patrick was in 2011. 
>He's given me lots of grids and I've returned the favor by giving
>Patrick several grids while I've been roving.  He is constantly roving
>the southwest and represents AMSAT at numerous hamfests and club
>meetings.  He is one of our hardest working representatives for AMSAT. 
>Unfortunately, he got into a pointless conflict with Drew, KO4MA, over
>what should have been a trivial matter.  When Drew wouldn't capitulate,
>Patrick took his beef to Joe Spier, K6WAO, then the President of AMSAT.
>When Joe wouldn't discipline Drew, Patrick decided that Joe should be
>fired.  The situation went further downhill from there.  Patrick should
>be a tremendous asset to the BoD from his experience as a satellite
>operator and an AMSAT representative.  Unfortunately, that hasn't been
>the case, as he's fixated on revenge for perceived wrongs.  He's been a
>major contributor to the dysfunctional board meetings.  With a change
>of attitude, he could still be a major contributor to the board.  I
>still consider Patrick to be a friend.
>
>Michelle Thompson, W5NYV -- I met Michelle at Dayton in 2008 and was
>immediately impressed.  She is a very intelligent individual with a
>wide range of interests.  She is highly organized and excellent at
>engaging volunteers for her projects.  I was so impressed that I asked
>her to be the dinner speaker for the AMSAT/TAPR Banquet at Dayton in
>2016.  
>
>Unfortunately, Michelle sometime chooses to "Do what you want and ask
>forgiveness later."  She did it to me and put me in a terrible
>position.  
>
>I asked Michelle for help in creating a 3D printer design for a model
>of the Fox satellites.  I requested and received a CAD file of AO-85
>from AMSAT Engineering to help with this project.  Michelle and Paul
>Williamson, KB5MU, created the 3D printer model.  Michelle said they
>wanted to post the file on the Internet so others could use it.  I
>asked her to wait to make it public until I received permission from
>the AMSAT Board of Directors, since AMSAT is governed by ITAR.  She
>said OK, then posted it without waiting for permission.  This put me in
>a terrible position with AMSAT Engineering and the BoD.  As a result, I
>was really mad.  Fortunately for me, it worked out OK with Engineering
>and the BoD.  I'm not mad now, but I learned an important lesson about
>working with Michelle.
>
>Michelle has been a major contributor to the dysfunctional board
>meetings.  With a change of attitude, Michelle could still be a huge
>asset to the board.  I still consider her to be a friend.
>
>
>I learned from others that similar problems, "Do what you want and ask
>forgiveness later,"  had occurred before between AMSAT and Michelle. 
>So why the dirty laundry now?  Michelle gets elected to the board, then
>demands a list of all of the Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) AMSAT has
>signed (for example, with NASA, launch providers, and potential
>satellite partners) *and* that they be made public.  Some, if not all
>of the NDAs state that the content of the NDA and its existence will
>not be disclosed by AMSAT.  (By the way, I know AMSAT has signed NDAs,
>but I don't know how many or with whom.)
>
>This puts the Board and the Officers in a terrible dilemma.  Do they
>share these confidential NDAs with the new board members who have
>publicly stated that they don't think NDAs need to be kept private? 
>What is the impact on AMSAT if NASA or a launch provider or another
>partner decides that AMSAT isn't a reliable organization that can be
>trusted not to share private information?  How do we get future AMSAT
>satellites to orbit if the free launches from NASA or paid launches
>from providers are no longer available to us?
>
>Of course, Michelle and Patrick spin this as the Board being
>uncooperative and not being transparent.
>
>
>Officers who are not elected board members:
>
>Joe Spier, K6WAO, past President -- Joe agreed to serve as President of
>AMSAT when Barry Baines, WD4ASW, decided to retire after a decade of
>leading AMSAT.  Joe threw himself into the position, did an excellent
>job of succeeding Barry, and moved the organization forward.  In
>addition to his huge time investment, Joe also contributed a
>significant amount of money to AMSAT and covered a lot of expenses he
>incurred traveling and promoting AMSAT.  I don't know why Joe resigned,
>but it wouldn't surprise me if he decided he didn't need to defend
>himself from lawsuits from new board members that didn't like the job
>he was doing.  This is, after all, a volunteer position.  Joe is a
>friend.
>
>Clayton Coleman, W5PFG, President -- After Joe resigned, Clayton
>stepped forward to fill the vacancy and was elected by the board. 
>Clayton was Secretary and a past member of the board.  He took the job
>of President to try to resolve the problems with a dysfunctional board
>and to try to save AMSAT.  (Yes, the situation is that dire.)  He has
>made some changes for the better, but is still struggling to solve the
>problems.  Clayton is a good friend and I have full confidence in him
>and his judgement.
>
>Robert Bankston, KE4AL, Treasurer and VP of User Services -- Robert is
>a relatively new member of AMSAT, but he's jumped in with both feet and
>made a huge contribution to the organization.  He hosted the Huntsville
>Symposium, roves on a regular basis, has resuscitated User Services,
>and also took over the job of Treasurer when Keith Baker, KB1SF,
>decided to retire.  He also spearheaded the new member portal,
>membership database, and online website for new and renewing
>membership.  Robert is a good friend and I have full confidence in him
>and his judgement.
>
>
>To conclude this too long dissertation, despite considerable headwinds
>and misinformation, AMSAT is making progress.  I plan to vote for Mark
>Hammond, Paul Stoetzer, and Bruce Paige with the expectation that AMSAT
>can continue to make additional progress.
>
>73, Steve N9IP
>-- 
>Steve Belter, seb at wintek.com
> 
>
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