These traits are evident in each of the newly appointed members of the CompTIA Community Executive Board (CEB). In addition to leading and coordinating activities for their specific technology and vertical market communities (11 total groups with international special interest sub-groups), they work collectively to assure each respective group has the resources and support needed to meet its goals. This “checks and balances” process ensures that every community is able to employ its assets effectively, based on the tenants set by the greater leadership council.
Each CompTIA Community builds its own specific mission statement, initiatives and programs in order to address the issues of greatest importance to its members. The objectives of the MSP Partners’ group differs significantly from the Small Business Owners Community. It’s the responsibility of the leadership team to encourage members to identify and outline the specific tools and programs needed to accomplish their unique goals and initiatives. Though the CEB created a model framework for development of the CompTIA Communities, the group dynamics are quite diverse.
The makeup of each collaborative group is the reason why strong leadership is extremely important. Some communities include dozens of executives and directors from solution provider, vendor and distributor businesses; each with their own opinions and priorities. That often leads to a large number of ideas and best practices, which need to be organized and ranked at the leader’s direction. Harnessing this creativity is important so the community maintains its focus and keeps its initiatives on a productive schedule. Good leadership skills are also important when it comes time to revise programs or adjust the group’s priorities to keep up with the rapid changes in the IT industry.
A True Member-Lead Organization
One tenant that each community follows is the annual election of new leaders. Each group nominates and then votes on candidates from its member pool, ensuring continuity and a quick transition between administrations. The competition is always friendly and professional for community chair, while participation and membership continue to climb.
The more tenured CompTIA Communities have expanded their leadership team over the past year, delegating some of the duties and responsibilities to others. The vice-chair is also a great training and support position, allowing individuals to contribute their time and expertise to a valued group while learning more about their segment in the industry.
The CEB leaders are instrumental to the growth of their communities, identifying and recruiting prospective members wherever they go. The number of people involved in each group isn’t as important as the quantity of ideas they generate, but a strong recruitment effort often results in both. The leadership team doubles as the good will ambassadors, educating and selling prospective members on the benefits of their respective community.
The 2012 Community Executive Board
Following an active nomination and election process, the results are in and the new leadership team is now in place. The 18-person team responsible for formulating the CompTIA communities’ strategy and ensuring that the groups achieve their 2012 goals include:
- Michael Proper, Clear Center—Cloud/SaaS Community Chair
- Mike Semel, Business Continuity Technologies—IT Security Chair
- Dale Johnson, TAG National—IT Business Growth Professionals Chair
- Jeff Priestman, CompuCom Canada—IT Services and Support-CDN Chair
- Lisa Wright-Finnegan, IBM Canada Ltd.—IT Services and Support CDN Vice Chair
- Susan Krautbauer, Jabil Global Services—IT Services and Support US Chair
- Mike Schuler, Micro Product Distributors Inc.— IT Services and Support US Vice Chair
- Jacob Braun, Waka Digital Media Corp.—MSP Partners Chair
- Jay McBain, ChannelEyes—MSP Partners Vice Chair
- Greg VanDeWalker, Great American Leasing—Managed Print Services Chair
- Frank Picarello, CMIT Solutions Inc.—Small Business Owners Chair
- Pam Avilla, Sierra Summit Group—Unified Communications Chair
- Richard Tubb, independent consultant—UK Channel Chair
- Chris Johnson, Untangled Solutions—Healthcare IT Chair
- Charlie O’Shaughnessy, Intel Ireland Ltd.—IT Services and Support EU Chair
- Sandy Ashworth, Unisys Corp.—Advancing IT Women Chair
Welcome to all the new and returning CEB leaders! If you’d like to join one (or more) of the CompTIA Communities, or want to learn more about what they do, go to http://www.comptia.org/membership/communities.aspx.
