Kiwanis New Year Message

After a year of preparation as Governor-elect, today is the start of our new Kiwanis year and I’m excited to hit the ground running as the 110th Governor of the Texas-Oklahoma District of Kiwanis International. 

As I said at the 2024 convention where I was elected, we are at an inflection point where the organization needs strong leadership, a clearly-articulated vision for the future, and a voice from my generation to move us forward in serving communities, developing young leaders, and improving the lives of kids across our district. I am proud to serve as the first millennial and, to my knowledge, the first gay man to hold this position in the Texas-Oklahoma District. Building upon the incredible groundwork that Immediate Past Governor Bobby Quinten laid, this coming year will be one with many firsts and you can read more about my seven key priorities and growth goals on my page.

Work is underway to re-establish Key Leader weekends in the district. This will ensure we educate more high school students on servant leadership so they are prepared to lead in the future. 

Our Key Club and CKI districts are making progress in their rebuilding and we must continue to focus on all of our Service Leadership Programs as they are part of our unique value proposition to our communities and to the world in terms of what we offer as Kiwanis Clubs. Coming off of the success of our district’s first Aktion Club conference, we will invest even more in the program’s success. 

I am grateful for the partnership of the Texas-Oklahoma Kiwanis Foundation for their willingness to support the work of our district. In July they launched their first-ever grant making program for struggling clubs that can give clubs the extra boost to enhance their service projects and become more visible in their communities – all to bring in new members and expand their club’s capacity to improve their communities.

We have already begun the process of modernizing our governance and operations. As you know, I believe that you can’t impact what you don’t measure, so I will continue to emphasize the importance of monthly reporting and keeping information up-to-date by club secretaries with new charges for our district committees. With my background in information technology and human resources, I will bring my interest in data, process improvement, and bringing out our members’ talents to accomplish more than ever. 

As an undergraduate at The University of Texas at Austin I studied history, so I have a deep appreciation for history. When it comes to the history of the district, I am excited to celebrate our existing traditions, revive some old ones, and move us forward in a way that respects and contextualizes the past. A new edition of the district’s complete history will be released and made more accessible than ever before. One small tradition I’m excited to bring back are the blue coats that will be worn by the District Board. Our board of trustees should take pride in their roles as leaders and I hope it will inspire confidence in our members and clubs when they see their leaders.

Last year I spoke of my vision for a new district office that would accessible and flexible for use as an event space by our Kiwanis, CKI, and Key Club district boards as well as local clubs, would support our disaster relief operations, provide storage for our event supplies and merchandise, and showcase our district’s history and accomplishments. On an acre of land in a central area of the district that is close enough to an affordable hotel, imagine what we could do with a functional “barndominium” that provides us the space for all of our needs instead of being distributed across four storage units. As a reservable space, it could even generate revenue from local businesses, nonprofits, and groups. The financial challenges of the 2023-24 Key Club year clouded that vision, but it’s one I will still advocate for.

Your district board is here to serve you and the clubs. Our explicit purpose is to help Kiwanis clubs and Kiwanis International advance the Objects, objectives, policies and strategic goals of Kiwanis. Your trustees and lieutenant governors will be more engaged than ever in building and nurturing clubs. Club presidents will be tasked with retaining members in their clubs by ensuring membership in a Kiwanis Club is the best way to give back and connect in their communities.

With changes in our communication strategy, social media, websites, and district publication you will always know where we are on making progress towards our goals and club leaders will know how to get support from the right person at the right time. Club leaders will also have the resources and information needed to pursue success. 

As a district, we will be prepared to support the clubs in our district so that they in turn can meet the needs of children in the communities that they serve. It’s time to Embrace Excellence in every aspect of Kiwanis.

Take Action – You can help me realize a 16 year project of mine to complete an endowed fund to provide ongoing support to the Texas-Oklahoma District of CKI. For a donation of $250 there’s a pin to be recognized as Patron of the CKI Legacy Fund, and for $1000 a Cornerstone Patron, but any amount will make an impact!

FAQ – Are you the youngest Governor in T-O history? No, that distinction belongs to Luman Holman from Jacksonville, TX who served in 1951 at the age of 31. Our first Governor, Joe Gerrity of Dallas, was 32 when he took the role in 1918 and 1919. Fifteen others under that age of 40 have been elected, but none in the seventies, eighties, aughts, and twenty-tens. However, I am the youngest since 1998 when Lisa McCoy of Jacksonville was elected at the same age of 37.