April 2011

Inaugural Commissioner’s Corner 

Eric Chiles
Minsi Trails Council Commissioner

            Do you know who your commissioner is? Do you know what commissioner’s do?

            These aren’t trick questions, but if you don’t know the answer to them, you probably aren’t alone among Minsi Trails Council’s volunteers, parents, and Scouts. As Council Commissioner for Minsi Trails over the past two years, it has become apparent that not everyone knows who their commissioners are, or even that commissioners are there to help them provide better programs for their Scouts. So, here’s the first of what will be monthly columns appearing on Minsitrails.com. that will introduce your Commissioner Staff, help you find out who your commissioner is, and what he or she can do to help you.

            Let me share a personal story. Twenty years or so ago when I became the committee chair for a struggling Cub Pack in Bethlehem, it had been decades since I had been involved in Boys Scouts as a youth. But my son wanted to be a Cub Scout with his friends, and his Pack needed adults to help out. Like a lot of parents, I wanted my son to have a great Scouting experience. However, I didn’t have a clue how to make that happen. Fortunately, I had a caring Unit Commissioner, Linda Small – who is still on South Mountain’s commissioner staff – and she offered plenty of helpful suggestions and tons of support. One thing she told me to do was to start attending Roundtable – another function of commissioner service - which I did. There I met lots of other Pack leaders who shared their ups and downs and learned from one another. In a year’s time, our Pack, which was down to just one Den, was flourishing. That Pack is doing well today in large part because of Linda’s friendly service so many years ago.

            That’s the kind of impact commissioners can have. They are not just the volunteers with silver epaulets on their shoulders who help you out once a year at rechartering time. They’re your friend, your sounding board, your connection to the larger world of Scouting. If you don’t who your commissioner is, we need to fix that. So, let me introduce you to each of Minsi Trails’ six District Commissioners. They are (with their e-mail address in parenthesis):

            Anthracite District – Randy Montz ( montzr@ptd.net )

            Forks of the Delaware District – Brian O’Leary ( commissioner4forks@verizon.net )

            North Valley District – Mark Held ( Mark.N.Held@jci.com )

            Pocono District – Doug Klemm ( scoutman@ptd.net )

            South Mountain District – Mike Dolan ( dolanpsy@ptd.net )

            Trexler District – Doug Stoudt ( dcstoudt@ptd.net )

            Each of these District Commissioners are responsible for helping all of the Cub Packs, Boy Scout Troops and Venturing Crews in their districts. They staff the Roundtables and assign Unit Commissioners to provide you assistance in giving your Scouts a successful experience.

            In addition to Minsi’s District Commissioners, there are also a number of Assistant Council Commissioners who provide support in a number of important ways.

James Korcienski Assistant Council Commissioner for Venturing
Steven Mehl Assistant Council Commissioner for Training
Don Miles  Assistant Council Commissioner for Roundtables
 Chuck Weber Assistant Council Commissioner for Recruitment
 Dave Binder Assistant Council Commissioner-at-Large.

The professional staffer who works with us (yes, we’re all volunteers) is Minsi Trails’ Director of Field Services Matt Klutzaritz.

            So, the next time you see a Scouter with silver epaulets on his or her shoulder, say hello. If you don’t know who your Unit Commissioner is, or you’re interested in joining the Commissioner Staff, contact your District Commissioner. And please look for the next Commissioner’s Corner.