Three Candidates Vie for Position on
Interex Board of Directors

The Nominating Committee is pleased to announce the slate of candidates for election for one open position on the Interex Board of Directors, with term to start December, 2001. The candidates are (in random order):

Chuck Ciesinski
Linda Roatch
Fred Mallett

The candidates' statements appear below for your examination. Take a few moments to review these statements and compare them to your internal profile of the ideal Board member. Remember, Interex is your organization, and there is no one more qualified to choose its leadership than you!

To help you make your decision, here is a copy of the guidelines that the Nominating Committee must follow in selecting candidates:

• Commitment to the membership and mission of Interex
• Ability and eagerness to deal with values, vision, and the long term
• Demonstrated ability in verbal and written communication
• Ability to participate assertively in deliberation
• Willingness to delegate, to allow others to make decisions

Members have the option to cast their votes either online or by mail. For those who request the ballot be mailed the deadline is September 1 for voting members outside the United States, while the deadline is October 1 for U.S. voting members. Details of how to participate in the online voting process will be included with the ballots. The deadline is October 31, 2001 for returning the ballots to an independent third party (election.com), who will count the ballots by November 10, 2001 and notify the secretary of the Interex Board about the election results. The Nominating Committee chairman, Linda Roatch, will notify all candidates of the election results by November 17, 2001.

The backgrounds and statements of the three candidates (in random order) are:

Charles "Chuck" Ciesinski--Germantown, Maryland 

Education: BS, California State University, Fullerton 1977

Present Occupation: Senior Engineer, Hughes Network Systems

Career Experience: HPe3000 user since 1979; System Manager since 1983

Interex Experience: SCRUG volunteer 1990-1991; serving specifically at INTEREX 1991 in San Diego; HA Forum Executive Committee, 1997-1998; HA Forum Chairperson, 1998- present; Chair of SIG-EMC 1990-2000, and InterWorks Conference Committee, 1999-2001

Other Experience/Qualifications: President, Governor Thomas Johnson Band Boosters, a volunteer organization, 1998-1999

Candidate's Statement: Interex is a constantly evolving organization and always in need of new ideas to sustain its fundamental objectives of "Shared Knowledge and Shared Power". As a candidate for the Board of Directors, I bring over 20 years of technical experience and over 10 years of managerial experience in a Hewlett Packard computing environment. Additionally, I bring several years of Interex volunteer leadership. My Interex volunteer experience includes being a Special Interest Group (SIG) Leader (SIG-EMC 1998-2000), Forum Leader (HAForum 1998-current), and conference committee (InterWorks 1999, 2000, and 2001) member. In these various positions, I've contributed to the success of these events and activities, which in turn, have added to the overall success of Interex and it's membership. As a member of the Board of Directors, I will continue to work for the benefit, continued success, and professional growth of all Interex members.

Fred Mallett--Laguna Vista, Texas 

Present Occupation: Owner, FAME Computer Education

Career Experience: Computer hardware and software for 24 years. Computer instructor for 18 years. Owner of FAME Computer Education for 14 years.

Interex Experience: Served on InterWorks board of directors for 6 years. Involved with the Systems Administration SIG and conference for 8 years. Presented numerous times at conferences.

Candidate's Statement: I feel that the majority of Interex members do not make their needs and wants known to the board of directors. These members just want the right things to happen so that their user group needs are met. To meet that end, Interex must be a well-run business, with the proper goals.

The vocal minority and the board of directors set these goals. My strong technical and user group background combined with experience in running a business will allow me to bring the proper skill set to the board of directors.

Linda Roatch--St. Paul, Minnesota 

Present Occupation: Consultant, Lind & Associates, Inc.

Career Experience: With over 21 years of experience in the IT industry, I have had opportunities to work in applications development, customer service and support, technical consulting, and management in business, client relationships and personnel. I've enjoyed working in a variety of industries including newspaper publishing, application software development, and manufacturing in addition to owning my own consulting business.

Interex Experience: I've held an Interex membership for 16 years. During that time I've volunteered for the local HP user group, the Interex Strategic Partnership Committee, and as a Board of Directors member where I served as Treasurer, Vice Chair, and Chairman.

Candidate's Statement: Due to the recent change in the Interex Executive Director, I feel it is now very important that we maintain a degree of continuity on our Board of Directors. The Board provides direction and support to the Executive Director and it is critical that an experienced Board provide that direction. Today, Interex is a recognized professional organization, yet we are facing some very challenging times. The changes we see taking place within HP will have an impact on Interex. Therefore, it's crucial that the Board be focused on Interex strategic goals and needs, on understanding how to best leverage our relationship with a changing HP, on remaining financially viable and still providing the quality products and services that our membership wants.

I believe my past experience as a Board member enables me to make the necessary strategic business decisions that will guarantee the viability of Interex.