ARRL Southeastern Division election

[kg4ium]

Fellow Lakeland Amateur Radio Club ARRL members:

This October, members of the League across the Southeastern Division (Alabama, Georgia, Northern Florida, Southern Florida, West Central Florida, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Island sections) will receive ballots to elect who they believe will best represent them on ARRL’s Board of Directors. As a candidate for Vice-Director, and as a Ham who is passionate for our amazing hobby, I respectfully ask for your support and vote.

For over a decade my involvement in amateur radio has spanned across many of its facets, and it is the resulting breadth, experience, and perspective gained that I wish to put to work on your behalf as your Vice-Director.  These include: serving as a Georgia Assistant Section Manager for nearly seven years; devoting my time in leadership roles within local and regional clubs; fulfilling voluntary and appointed positions as an active ARES member; ensuring public safety through involvement in our valuable Skywarn program; enjoying ham radio’s roots as a CW operator and FISTS member; exploring ham radio’s future by experimenting with its new modes and methods such as PSK31 and D-STAR; encouraging experimentation through involvement in activities such as high altitude balloon launches and homebrewing; chasing new countries and entities as a DXer; enjoying the competitive side of ham radio through contesting; and so much more. 

Among my biggest passions is working to involve and engage the next generation of hams â€" our youth.  For half a decade I served as one of ARRL’s Contributing Editors, focusing on topics related to ham radio’s legacy.  And to more effectively involve our youth at hamfests across the United States, I co-developed the concept of a “Youth Lounge” (vastly different a typical youth forum) which is promoted on ARRL’s website for all interested hams, clubs, and hamfests committees to utilize.   This concept has been a part of hamfest programs across Georgia, Alabama, California, North Carolina, and Wyoming, and it continues to spread elsewhere across our nation.  Further exemplifying its effectiveness, the Youth Lounge concept has been an established program area of the Dayton Hamvention since 2005.

Today I am running to serve great members like you as Vice-Director of ARRL’s Southeastern Division.  As a life member of the League, Amateur Extra, and A-1 Operator, I believe strongly in the positive impact and influence the ARRL has and look to improve its effectiveness through offering my experience, perspective, and passion for ham radio.

If elected, I confidently make the following pledges to you:

(1) to greatly improve communication within our Division.  Leadership is ineffective without communicating to those whose views, concerns and opinions need to be represented;
(2) to remain engaged with issues that pose a threat to our spectrum and operating privileges, whether it’s BPL, the current ReconRobotics threat, or an FCC that bases its decisions on politics rather than sound engineering principles;
(3) to assist the ARRL and its members in better attracting and involving youth in ham radio. They are our legacy who will one day lead the ham radio we care so much about today; 
(4) to improve the level end effectiveness of advocacy within our Division on matters before Congress and the FCC that affect amateur radio, its precious spectrum, or our valuable operating privileges.

I invite you to visit my website â€" www.SouthEasternDivision.org â€" to learn more about the upcoming election, my background and passion for ham radio, my position on a variety of issues that hams are concerned about, and to read further elaborations on my pledges to you.  I encourage you to vote this October and kindly ask for your support so that I may represent you and your concerns effectively as Vice-Director of ARRL’s Southeastern Division.  Of course, I would love to hear from you as well, so I welcome you to contact me with any questions or concerns. 

Thank you and 73, 

Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM
Candidate for Vice- Director, ARRL Southeastern Division
website: www.SouthEasternDivision.org