2011 MKP USA Council Meeting – Elections

Elections for positions on the ManKind Project USA Council were held on Saturday, December 10th.

Read this article to learn more about the men who won Council seats.

MKP USA Chairman

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Mike Elser
Soaring Eagle

Mike Elser – Personal Statement, Vision and Resume’ for Chairman MKP USA 10-31-2011  - download this document

Personal Statement, Vision and Resume’

My name is Mike Elser, Soaring Eagle. I was initiated at Buena Vista, Colorado in May of 2005, joined an I-Group that July and have been active in my home Community, New England ever since. My active involvement at the national level began in 2009 with my election to Center Director of MKPNE. I am a Declared Elder in the New England Community and have worked closely with both the local Leader Body and Lodge Keepers Society.

I am running for the position of Chairman of MKP USA because I passionately believe that The ManKind Project makes a profound difference in men’s lives and is on the cusp of being able to make a profound difference in our world. MKP USA is at a point in its development where it must make the transition to an organization that is professionally managed, fiscally sound, communicates in a transparent way and is structurally ready to tap the strengths of a vibrant volunteer workforce. Although first steps in that direction have recently been taken there is much work yet to be done.

I believe my background in business and within MKP USA make me an ideal choice to lead this transition. I have extensive experience as a member of senior management within a major corporation as well as a solid track record in small business. My resume’ includes work in marketing, sales, finance, administration, IT and corporate restructuring. These are all areas of expertise that will be required as MKP USA makes the transformation to a new way of being in the world.
We have historically been a volunteer organization asking men to do extraordinary things while working on the margins of their time. Despite this, we have accomplished many good things; however, in the process we have proven to be particularly good at one thing – burning men out. I have watched as men of passion have worn themselves out while working heroically to accomplish the tasks they were presented. Many have stepped back for years or even withdrawn from MKP altogether.

IMJ, the existential problem facing MKP USA revolves around creating an organization that supports and mobilizes its volunteers in such a way that they are invigorated and ready to accomplish more We need to build an organization that regularly and routinely accomplishes its goals – without extraordinary efforts. I want to see MKP USA become an organization that supports ordinary men in achieving extraordinary results. Most of us are ordinary men. I know I can build an organization that produces that result because I have done it before.

The following section will lay out my vision and identify what I believe to be the most critical strategic and tactical objectives for MKP USA to attain over the next two years. My intent is not to post a laundry list of items, but rather to give you an idea of where my focus will be if I am given the honor of serving this organization as its next Chairman.

The final section will lay out my personal, business and New Warrior resumes. My hope is that the three sections taken together will provide a clear picture of who I am, what my vision for MKP is, and why I believe I am the right man to lead MKP USA now.

VISION
My vision is to create an organization that melds the expertise of a professional headquarters staff with the power of a volunteer membership. The organization must be capable of sustaining itself while consistently accomplishing the goals of supporting its membership and bringing the work of MKP to the world. The successful transformation to such an organization will require the implementation of two mutually supportive strategic initiatives:

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

• STRUCTURE: The first initiative, one highlighted by ACT II, is to build a small, professional headquarters staff. With funding from Fund the Plan, MKP USA has recently made solid progress on this initiative by hiring a new Executive Director and starting to fill other professional positions (Marketing, IT etc). Although this is a solid first step, it is only a first step. To be successful we must take the next step; we must create an organization that facilitates a small professional staff to effectively support and empower its volunteer workforce. MKP USA is, right now, composed of a loose confederacy of 32 more or less independent Centers creating 32 stovepipes and untold informational bottlenecks. The new structure will be a vertically integrated, relatively flat hierarchy that intentionally creates multiple, lateral paths of communication and interaction. I believe one of the keys to such an organization will be found in the realization of the potential of the AREA Concept proposed by the Consolidation Implementation Committee. All of this, of course, falls under the umbrella of Consolidation/Unification.
• COMMUNICATIONS: The second initiative, also highlighted in ACT II, is to create a “Robust Member Relations/Communications Cycle.” That cycle requires us first to communicate with our members, asking them what they want/need. The second step requires us to act on that information and start meeting those wants/needs. Completing these steps in proper order will put us into position to then ask for monetary support. Unfortunately, for the last several years we have put ourselves in a financial position of having to begin with step 3 – asking for money. With the introduction of new IT software system, CIVIcrm, and the implementation of a philosophically solid Membership Program we are now ready to begin over again with step 1. Frequent, open, honest and transparent communication with our members around financial issues, program development, new initiatives and member concerns will be critical to our future success.

TACTICAL OBJECTIVES
Within the strategic framework laid out above, here is what I see as our most critical tactical objectives. We must reach these objectives sooner rather than later.

• Financial Transparency – MKP USA does not have a stellar reputation within the New Warrior Community for the way it has handled money in the past. There is mistrust within the general community – especially around financial matters. The way to reverse the mistrust is to consistently and transparently communicate with our members regarding our financial goals and the progress we make toward those goals. First, that means producing, distributing and explaining financial statements on a timely basis. It also means telling the story of how we raise and spend money. With Fund the Plan we have a great story to tell. Fund the Plan monies were raised for specific goals and are being spent with stewardship according to those goals. Such stewardship lays the foundation for trust. We have begun to tell that story but not sufficiently. We need to continue to build on that story by taking all Capital Campaign revenues and treating them exactly the same way we did with Fund the Plan monies. Doing so will create the understanding with our membership that every dollar is received gratefully, held in sacred trust and spent with wise, intentional stewardship.
•  Becoming A Membership Supported Organization - Having established the “rules of the game” for the membership program within an inclusive and philosophically sound framework, we need to move quickly to secure an MKP USA membership base of 5,000 to 7,000 members. Such a base will generate annual membership revenue sufficient to meet operational needs, take the pressure off NWTA fees and allow us to begin addressing long term strategies. I am not saying that we eliminate NWTA fees. Let’s just break the addiction.
• Socializing a Consistent Fund Raising Process – We have recently begun to clarify the types and purposes of various fund raising programs. However, there is still confusion among men at all levels as to the difference between strategic funding and tactical funding and the fund raising vehicles associated with each. This problem was exacerbated by launching all three primary fund raising programs at the same time. The work of the future will be to build an institutional and cultural understanding that each of these programs is a highly focused and differentiated way of supporting the work of MKP USA.
• MKPI Fees and International Relationships – We need to continue negotiating with MKPI until we can reach a well defined and documented agreement that fairly represents the ability of MKP USA to pay while recognizing the unique contribution (tangible and intangible) that MKP USA makes to the international organization. Whatever agreement is reached must fall within our financial means to pay as well as distribute costs and responsibilities equitably across all Regions. We need to de-link this agreement from the NWTA and find other ways to establish and apportion fees. Finally, we need to pursue ways to reduce redundancies between MKPI and MKP USA, which will help reduce the overall cost structure of both corporations.
• Constituency Support and Development: As we consolidate and become a membership supported and sustainable organization, we must seek ways to support the national Lodge Keepers Society, Leader Body and Elder Body – financially and otherwise. The constituencies are vital to a healthy transition to the new organizational structure by providing the spiritual grounding, leadership and wisdom to help move us forward consciously. Also, I want to see the I-Group Community begin to function more overtly as a fourth constituency.
• Program Development: There is a vital need to begin creating addition training opportunities and support materials for the New Warrior community as well as producing alternate streams of income for the organization. I believe the following programs can be developed and implemented with very little impact on the proposed 2012 & 2013 budgets through grant requests and designated gifting opportunities.
• I-Group Support – It is time to start delivering on the MKP USA promise as defined in Straw-man I and II to make the Man sitting in his I-Group a primary focal point of our efforts by providing needed training materials and facilitation support. Publication of the newly revised PIT Manual will be a good first step. Now we must begin the fact finding process to define the support men sitting in I-Group want.
• Next Level Training – The NWTA offers an unsurpassed training experience which begins the process of helping men become emotionally aware and mission-oriented. It is now time to build the next level training. The NWTA is college; now let’s create the graduate school experience.
• Training and Educational Resources created by our Members – New Warrior Brothers have been building training and educational events for years. These efforts have primarily been in parallel with MKP USA rather than in conjunction with it. Let’s figure out a way to tap into this ready resource and add them as MKP USA-sponsored trainings. We already have a reservoir of men who are strong facilitators.
• Transition Training – The motto adopted at the 2010 Glen Ivy Business Meeting was “Men Mentoring Men Through the Passages of their Lives.” Let’s begin by developing a “Transition to Elder-hood” training to be prototyped during 2012 and introduced in 2013. The framework for such a training is already in place. I believe this training is especially well suited subject for funding through grant and designated gifting.
• Additional Leadership Programs: It is time to begin defining leadership paths for I-Group Facilitation and Community Leadership. The Consolidation Implementation Committee’s report suggested that there may be real power in the creation of local groups of men trained in hands on, day to day, I-Group support including initial PIT trainings. This would be an extension of what some have called “traveling magician teams.” Also, the need for trained and qualified local community leaders is self-evident. It is well known by such groups as the Boy Scouts and Toast Masters that men gravitate to programs that provide progressive achievement and recognition. The addition of these two programs will widen the leadership opportunities within every community.

Other: There are, of course, many other functions, including Marketing, IT and Finance that ought to be addressed. However, this may suffice for the moment.

Resume’
Business & Educational Resume’

• Mansfield State University: graduated Jan. 1970 – BA in Performance – Clarinet
• Mansfield State University: teaching certificate – May 1970;
• Warrior Run School District: taught High School and Elementary Instrumental Music 1970, 1973-1980;
• United States Army: 1970 – 1973 attaining rank of Specialist 6th Class as a Clarinetist in the United States Field Band – Pentagon attached.
• Ithaca College: Graduated 1978 – MA in Woodwind Pedagogy
• Susquehanna University: taught part time woodwinds 1978 -1979.
• Aetna Life and Casualty: 1980 to 1994
• 1980 to 1984 – Brokerage Representative/Field Sales Representative.
• 1985 to 1986 – Selected to work with the McKinsey & Co to plan and execute an Aetna Corporate restructuring.
• 1986-1987 – Liaison between the IT Department, Product Development and Marketing/Sales Department in the Personal Lines Strategic Business Unit.
• 1987 to 1994 – Promoted to an Officer of the Corporation with responsibilities for advanced life insurance sales, estate and business analysis, and pension design.
• Professional Designations – Certified Life Underwriter, Charted Financial Consultant, Certified Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU – completed 5 of 10 parts); Certificates in Estate and Business Analysis, Personal Estate Planning and Pension Design.
• 1994 to present – PAK MAIL Centers of America, Inc. (PMCA) – in partnership with Donna, my wife.
• 1994 – Established a Pak Mail franchise in West Hartford, CT. It was the fastest growing franchise in company history.
• 1996 to 2009 – Member of the Pak Mail Advisory Council; president 2005 – 2008.
• 2002 – Awarded a “FRANNY” trophy – given by the International Franchise Association for lifetime achievement within the franchise industry.
• 2007- Authored the current Pak Mail business model – “The Pak Mail Experience,” and donated it PMCA.
• Developed and held copyright to a proprietary pricing plan, Profit Neutral Pricing, that was sold exclusively to PMCA in 2009.
• 2004 to 2009 – Acquired Pak Mail Master Franchise rights to Maryland, New York, eastern Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Sold the Master Franchise to PMCA in Spring 2009.
• 2005 – Acquired Pak Mail franchise location in Newburyport, MA which Donna and I currently operate. We are preparing this store for sale in the immediate future.
• 2008 – Sold West Hartford, CT Pak Mail Franchise Location.
• West Hartford Chamber of Commerce Board
• Member 1994 – 2005
• Board Member 1997 – 2000
• Executive Committee 1998 – 2000

New Warrior Resume:

• Trainings – NWTA, PIT, BSDT, LT1, LT2, GUTS, Shadow Workshops, Tosi Couples I & II, Hollow Bones/Mondo Zen (2 Sesshins), Father/Daughter Training Weekend
• Staffings – NWTA – 13; Tosi Couples I – 3; Father-Daughter Training Weekend – 1.
• Elected Offices – Center Director, MKP New England 2008 – 2010.
• Fund the Plan Team – 2010 -2011.
• Chaired the March 2011 Fund the Plan Drive.
• Member of the Fund the Plan Expenditure Oversight Committee 2010 to present
• Consolidation Implementation Committee – Member 2010 – present.
• Chaired the Financial Workgroup – report presented at Glen Ivy 2011.
• Co-Chaired the Area Workgroup – report presented at Glen Ivy 2011.
• Membership & Development Committee – Member since inception in 2011.
• Membership Workgroup – Member since inception 2009.
• Current Chair
• North East Area Feasibility Workgroup – Member since inception – 2011 to Present

Personal Biography
I was born in Coco Solito, Panama in Dec 1947. I have one sister 6 years older and a brother 10 months younger. We were Navy brats. My dad was a Chief Petty Officer who retired after 22 years active duty. In following dad’s reassignments, we moved 10 times between the time I was in elementary school until I became a sophomore in high school. I received many rich lessons from that period of my life.

I married Donna Jeanne Simpson 40 years ago last July. We have a son and daughter – both married – and two granddaughters. Donna and I currently reside in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, having moved here three years ago.

My mission is to co-create a world of connection and understanding by learning mentoring and creating. My Shadow mission is to create a world of chaos by judging harshly and blaming.

Shadows: When I am under intense pressure from deadlines or very tired I have a tendency to introvert, avoid connection and focus on “the objective”. What that looks like is highly focused, laser beam intense energy that has little regard for people “in the way” as I pursue my objectives. It will show up as lack of connection, anger and frustration. My work with MKP and regular meditation practice have helped me in harnessing this powerful energy and directing it in a conscious, intentional and wise way. I find that reaching out for connection, especially when I don’t want to, is also very helpful. Another shadow that I am aware of is feeling that I should be perfect AND get it all done regardless of the workload – 100% is just not good enough! This will show up when I am most heavily tasked as a tendency to keep saying yes to requests and an unwillingness to set healthy boundaries. It is often a prelude to creating “intense pressure” for myself leading into the first shadow above. In LT2 I identified this way of being as “habitual yes”! My WIT (Whatever It Takes) program after LT2 focused on a new way of being – “Conscious, Intentional, and Wise”.

Gold:
Servant Leadership: I consciously and intentionally seek to bring an attitude of Servant Leadership into my life. As a Servant Leader, I am conscious that I have a responsibility to use my authority in ways that support those I lead in reaching their own personal and professional goals in addition to reaching organizational goals . For me that means actively seeking ways to mentor and develop those with whom I come I in contact.

Elder Energy: As a declared Elder, I am becoming more aware of the power that blessing has to empower men to act from a place of gold. Through a disciplined meditation practice and other work I am learning to be more present and less wrapped up in the trappings of ego.

In mid October I attended the MKPNE Elder Gathering at which I requested an Elder Court asking for their blessing in preparation for running for this position. The elders present gave me two pieces of gold that I want to share. The first was described as a “both/and” attitude. What they said they saw was a willingness to take the time to see all points of view to a problem and then seek creative solutions that included as many perspectives as possible. The second was my desire to be prepared, to get the facts and do the research prior to making decisions. Learning is an important component of my mission. I know there is gold in striking a balance between the patience required to know enough with the understanding that I do not need to know everything before acting.

SUMMARY
The ManKind Project in the United States is at a crossroads. If we are to bring the gift that is MKP and men’s work to the world we must change – and, of course, change is usually difficult and often scary. We are at a moment in time that is pregnant with possibilities and at the same time fraught with danger. It is time to do more than survive. It is time to grow up, to wake up, to stand up and to show up. To successfully navigate the dangers of the present while discovering and manifesting the possibilities of the future will require a clear vision and strong leadership. It will also require skills in communications, organizational design, finance and marketing. I assert that I have these qualities. I judge my experience and background support that assertion. I would be honored to be chosen to serve as Chairman of MKP USA and I am honored to be considered.

I humbly submit this to you for your review and invite you to connect with me on any questions you may have. I can be reached by email at mikeelser2@gmail.com; by telephone at 860.985.0013; or by Skype at michael.k.elser.

Blessings
Mike Elser, Soaring Eagle
Charter Life Time Member
MKP USA

MKP USA Vice Chairman

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Bob Oser
Black Running Horse 

BobOser – MKPUSA At-Large Council Member –  download this document

 Why I’m Standing

I would not be standing for this position were it not for three things. First, I continue to have the complete support of my wife of 25+ years, Deb, to do so. She has been very supportive throughout my MKP career and is well aware of the commitment of time that will be required to execute the duties of Vice Chair.

Second, I continue to have the passion, energy, and love of this work, as well as the good health that allows me to pursue this work. Some three years ago I told my Kentucky community that the work MKP does has become my life’s work. Since I am no longer working in the business world, I have the luxury of and desire to devote 100% of my time to MKP endeavors. I have also seen the enormous benefits and rewards of this work – in me, in my community, and in all my relationships.

Third, we have a lot of unfinished business within MKP-USA and I would like to stay around another year and help complete that unfinished business. I talk about what I feel are unfinished areas in item number seven below.

1. My MKP Background

My MKP resume is as follows. I was initiated by the Kentucky community in October 2002 in Bedford, IN. Since then I have taken BSDT, LT-1, LT-2, IGLT, I&I, staffed 18 times and MOS’ed five times. During the last seven (7) years I have served on the Board of Directors for the KY Center and lead the Center as it’s President and Center Director for the past five (5) years. In 2009, I served as one of the six Center Directors on the MKP-USA Council and was elected as the U.S. Rep on the International Operating Committee. In addition, that year I also served on the IOC Finance Committee. For the past  two years I have served in the position of Vice Chair of MKP-USA as well as the U.S. Regional Representative on the MKP International Council.

2. My Business Background

Prior to retirement in 2002, I worked for 35 plus years in various management positions in an international consumer products company and held positions of increasing responsibility, gaining the experience and judgment of a seasoned professional. In the course of my corporate career, I had the opportunity to participate in the following areas, just to name a few:

1. Participated in the Strategic Planning process in a Company with 18 billion in sales, learning to become a strategic and visionary thinker.
2. Managed a departmental budget of over 10 Million dollars, acquiring financial acumen.
3. Responsible for a CEO driven values (respect, integrity, etc) training and development initiative encompassing top management located in 153 countries, acquiring a global perspective of an international organization.
4. Conducted Contract negotiations with some 20 different Unions for 13+ years, gaining broad interpersonal skills as it relates to influencing and negotiating as well as building and sustaining relationships.
5. Worked in Human Resources for 30+ years, learning to tackle problems head on, manage change, and initiate efforts across constituencies.
6. Gained a great deal of Multicultural perspective when I was responsible for EEO, Affirmative Action, and Diversity in a company that had 10,000 employees in the U.S.

In short, I have good leadership skills and management execution skills and a high degree of maturity, integrity, and self direction.

3. MKP-USA Vision and Challenges Ahead

Three of our greatest challenges in the MKP-USA Region are improving our “stagnant” financial income, our “stagnant” enrollment trends and our lack of an effective communication cycle with our new warrior brothers. Enhanced IT and Marketing initiatives have the potential to assist us in improving all three of these critical areas. Our lack of retention is also problematic and has to be fixed. We need to reach out to the men in this world and show them the gold we possess as an organization. This should result in men coming to us, rather than us asking them. From my perspective, MKP is a Healing, Social, Leadership Training, Elder Respecting, Values Driven organization and I envision that all of these areas can assist us in addressing our financial, enrollment, communication, retention, and outreach challenges.

We need to work collaboratively with each of the U.S. Centers and Constituencies and develop win/win strategies to tackle our challenges. That means lots of phone calls, even more E-Mail, and continual probing to find out what is working and what needs to be improved.

4. My Shadows:  As the Vice Chair of MKP-USA I will, of course, bring along all of my shadow pieces as they are always with me. One of my shadows is “arrogance” - which comes from the ‘been there, done that,’ part of me.  ”I know it all,” – which in part comes from walking this earth as long as I have and having had the opportunity to experience all I have. “Self-reliance,” – which, on occasion, tells me that I can do it all myself and don’t need any assistance. “Over confidence,” – which comes from that overly optimistic part of me. Lastly, I need to get out of my head and into my heart more often.

5. My Gold:    And, thank goodness, I also bring all the above mentioned experience and skills – the ”head” perspective as it were to this position. Besides the experience and skills mentioned in “a” through “f” in the above Business Background section, I feel I am detail oriented, follow through with projects, am open minded, have high moral standards, communicate and listen well, am politically astute, friendly, outgoing, poised, have drive, work hard, am perseverant, reliable and trust worthy. In addition, I will bring along a lot of passion and energy - the “heart” perspective – which will serve me well as long as I listen to it.

6. Life Balance:   Most areas of my life are in good balance, some need more attention. I’m comfortable where I am in my spiritual life, and with my relationships with my wife, children, extended family, and friends. I’m also comfortable with my donations to charity, leisure time, travel, and financial security. Although I’m in good health, I could do better in taking care of myself (better fitness, more exercise, eating better foods) and in managing my continued education and learning.  I could also be more involved in community service activities.

7. Beliefs about what is working or not in MKP-USA and what we have to do:  I love working with MKP-USA’s many committed individuals.  I have already hinted at a few of the things I think the MKP-USA Council needs to improve and they are as follows: 1. Financial stability fueled by three separate, distinct fundraisers at different times of the year and a Development Director working on additional revenue sources all of which will result in cash reserves and sufficient stable revenue. 2. Increased enrollment in the 6 to 9% range over the 2011 enrollment. 3. A virtuous Member Relations Communication Cycle that goes out frequently to all Centers and their local listserves aimed at improving our organizational focus, vision, mission, volunteerism, brotherhood, and connectedness to MKP-USA. 4. Improved open I-Groups which will attract additional enrollment and increase retention and which are the focal point of Centers. 5. Rework the process by which a man moves from a NWTA weekend through PIT into I-Groups so as to increase retention. 6. Start developing trainings which serve men throughout their life cycle. 7. Continue to assist in establishing an even more professional infrastructure so we can continue to accelerate our organizational development and attainment of our goals.

MKP USA At-Large Council Member

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Robert G. Powell
Joyous Wolf with Raven

Powell Nomination as Vice Chair -  download this document

Washington DC (MKP-GW), Nov. 1992

I hereby place myself in nomination for the position of Vice Chair for the ManKind Project USA Region.

Why now?

MKP USA, as young an organization as it is, already stands at a moment of significant transition requiring a new vision of leadership.  As we professionalize our staff and establish our Executive Director as the chief executive officer, it is necessary that the Board and, in particular, the Chair and Vice Chair be comfortable with stepping back to a position of guidance, support and oversight.  By temperament and experience, I am ready, with the Chair, to hold the space for this transition and to give David Lang the space he needs to implement the vision we have been formulating the past two years.

Also, the consolidation and reorganization of the Region that the Council has approved in principle has been my particular area of interest in my two years as an at-large Executive Team member.  As we move into the implementation phase of this restructuring, I believe that I can be highly effective as the Vice Chair in carrying this work forward.

I have long experience (described below) in bringing organizational and visionary skills to MKP operations.  As MKP USA Vice Chair, I will be able to serve the Region and its Members and fulfill my personal mission of holding sacred space for change through acceptance and compassion for myself and others.   Having done this in the cauldron of the NWTA, my home Center, and in many positions in the New Warrior Network and ManKind Project, I believe that my 19 years of service have prepared me for this next step and that the time is now.

MKP and Business / Life Resume

Initiated in November 1992 in the Washington DC Center, I served as Manager of Training (94-96) and Center Director (96-99).  I was elected Center Council Chair in February 1997 and reelected in February 1998.  I served as Project Council Secretary from 2001 until 2003.  I was also a founding member of the Global Resource Team, subsequently serving as Mentor for the German-speaking community and worked on the Multicultural Resource Team, serving as the first Multicultural Committee chair.  I was certified as a Co-Leader in 1997 and Full Leader in 2003.  In all, I have staffed 60 NWTAs.

Trained in philosophy (Ph.D., 1974), I worked for 37 years in information technology, primarily as a project manager for a number of government consulting firms in the Washington DC area, including Planning Research Corporation (PRC), DynCorp, Northrup Grumman, and SRA International.  Throughout my career as a manager, I focused on developing my staff and mentoring them into positions of increased responsibility and opportunity.  I retired in September 2011 and now have the luxury of more time to devote to my passion for the continued growth and development of MKP USA.

In October 2009, I was widowed after 35 years of marriage.  Annette, a Woman Within graduate, was always fully supportive of my MKP work and, in honor of the transformation effected in me through my relationship with her, I have changed my animal name to honor her Raven totem along with my Wolf totem.  Our marriage was unconventional, though hardly unique within our generation.  As I came to full awareness of myself as a gay man, Annette and I held fast to the soul-based love we had for each other and recommitted to each other for life.  With her passing, my life has taken yet another turn and I am opening to whatever new pathways lay ahead.

The shadows in my life

Men may have reservations about my standing for Vice Chair because I have a tendency to become primarily focused on the structure and rules of the institution and am not always as attentive to an appreciation for the emotional soul and culture of the work.  I am aware of both the temperamental and experiential basis in me that can awake my tyrant King and manipulative Magician.  When they are in charge, I can be arrogant and unheeding of interpersonal bonds,  plowing ahead without respect to the needs and feelings of others, as well as the value and rightness of their insights and intuitions.

When stressed and overextended, I can become petty and begin to micromanage, more intent on proving others wrong or incompetent than creating space for discussion, compromise and creativity.   I am aware when these shadows begin to loom over me and able to hear others when they call me on them.  Using self-facilitation techniques I’ve developed over time, I am able to check the data around me and plug back into the reality of the moment.

The gifts and gold in my life

Men might support my standing for this position because they know my breadth and depth of experience in our work as well as in the operation and management of the Project.  My skills as a project manager and my passion for delegating and mentoring speak to my professional qualifications for this position.  I hope that men see the passion, commitment, and open-heartedness that I bring to this work after 19 years.  I am the man I am today because others have supported and encouraged me to trust my heart and gut and then allowed me to offer my talents in service to others.

Now, with the time and resources I can bring to bear and with the good health with which I’m blessed, I want to serve MKP USA and its Members at what is, perhaps, the optimal moment in my life.

MKP USA at the crossroads

As much as we might have wished for a period of peace and tranquility in which to inaugurate the new MKP USA organization, we have been thrown into a maelstrom of financial, structural, and cultural forces that threaten our ability to survive.  We have identified and begun to implement a series of significant reforms that hold the promise of a better, stronger body on the other side of the rapids.  The vision of a strong Executive staff, the creation of a meaningful Membership program, the (re)branding underway in the new technology, and the agreement to make “men in circles” our focus – all these are necessary first steps to a new vision which I want to help shape as Vice Chair of MKP USA.

And, some areas are just emerging from the shadows to which we need to bring our light and power.  With a strong Executive staff, what will be the role of the Board and of the Council?  How does the role of the constituencies need to change to reflect the focus on men in circles?  How do we attract, retain, and empower younger men into leadership across the generational divide?

If there is a single question that drives my desire to continue serving MKP USA, it is:  What will we pass on to the next generations of men as our legacy and their inheritance?  Answering this question in a way that serves men, and women, is both why I want your blessing to serve as Vice Chair.

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Russell Kramp
Brave Gorilla

Russell Kramp – MKP At-Large Council Member  - download this document

I was initiated in New England at Bullard Farm in April 2000. I started staffing weekends shortly after. I have staffed 29 NWTA’s. In the New England community I have coordinated a weekend and led 2 Cycle-1 workshops (now called PITS). I was the Training Coordinator for 2 years in my local community. I have completed BSDT, LT-1, LT-2, LT-3, and Issues & Isms. My wife and I completed and staffed several times The Couples Weekend. I have been a CLC for 1 ½ years and plan to sit for certification in 2012.

In the winter of 2011, I was asked to join the “Fund the Plan” Committee. I accepted the offer to work closely with and get to know a remarkable caring group of men. After the success of that effort I was asked to join the MKP-USA Finance Committee. This is a committed group of men watching over the finances of MKP-USA. Over the last few months I have worked with other men exploring the creation of the Northeast Area.

Professionally I have been a successful “holistic” financial advisor for over 30 years, counseling individuals and business in investments and working with families regarding the challenges that having money brings. I have advised many small start-ups. Over the years I have
been on numerous not-for-profit Boards.

I believe we are at a major cross-road as an organization. MKP-USA does great work and it is time to tell the world. As an organization I believe we are at Friday night of the Weekend doing the process “What’s At Risk?” What’s at risk if we keeping do what we’ve done in the
past and what might happen if we do things differently? I envision an organization where there is more visibility, more transparency, the taking of credit for what we do right, and the acceptance of responsibility for what we do wrong – and the willingness and guts to fix it! If I am elected I will bring my energy, my creativity, my enthusiasm and my intelligence to make this happen.

The shadow in my life that might cause men to have reservation about supporting my candidacy is my self-doubt, which invokes an immature ego, which leads to an arrogance of “knowing” what should be done and running people over to achieve it.

The gold I bring is my loving acceptance of differences and ability to operate with a collaborative style, and my great skill in getting things done.

My mission is to create a loving accepting world of oneness by revealing my truths and fostering sacred connections. This sustains and nourishes me daily.

I live in Wayland Mass with my wife Stephanie and 6 year-old son Gabriel. I am blessed to have their support and ever-present counsel.

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Jon Levitt
Four Animals
Haimowoods (Chicago) April 1992

Jon Levitt Resume MKPUSA At-Large Council Member - download this document

Mission:  I co-create healing and bless life through affirmation, courage, compassion, enthusiasm, fierceness and grace

Shadow Mission:  I humiliate and harm through impatience and cruelty

The world needs conscious, capable men to stand in service of the sacred masculine.  I am responding to that call that I hear.  For the last 18 months, I have been immersed in service at the National and now International levels of MKP.  I show up powerfully and persistently, as a visionary and as a laborer, a thinker and a man of action.

I’ve been in this work 20 years.  My family, my community and my workplaces have benefited in ways I could have never imagined.  I want that option available for my 4 year old son, twenty years from now.  I want that option available to men everywhere, for every reason.

MKP is just beginning to learn how to integrate the kingship of order, financial responsibility, clarity and transparency with initiation, sacred masculine, the warrior and the wild man.  MKP is a 25 year old man, an adolescent that is moving into the power stroke of its life.  I choose to make myself available as one of the shepherds that brings MKP into full, vibrant masculine adulthood as an organization.

If I were aware of the shadows in my life that may cause men to have reservation about me standing for this position, they would be my capacity to get loose with words when I go unconscious, my impatience, my tendency to take on a lot in my life and to flash with anger when I do so and the unspoken expectations I put on others.

If I were aware of gifts and gold in my life that may cause men to support me standing for this position, they would be my tremendous persistence and resilience, my ability to see the big picture, to integrate matters of finance, heart and soul, to speak plainly and clearly and to do the hard work that aligns with my ideas.

In MKP, I was the first Philadelphia Weekend Coordinator, I’ve coordinated 4 trainings, held various council positions in Philadelphia and New Jersey, I was the Philadelphia TRIAD co-center director from 1994-1996 (3 of us split the job), I’ve facilitated over 20 PITs, staffed 29 times and am a sitting participant in 3 I-groups, one of which is over 20 years old.  In the early to mid 90s, I took  BSDT (also as staff), LT1 (also as staff), LT2, LT3, Shadow Work – Basic Facilitator Training, Multicultural Training and I’m taking LT3 again to refresh myself  before I sit for certification in 2012.  I was co-creator of Fund the Plan am currently the Interim Chair for the Northeast Area, I sit on the MKPUSA Finance Committee and am the USA representative to the current MKPI Finance Committee.  I extend myself in mission both inside and outside the MKP community.

I am a full leader in my life.  I am married with two beautiful children, Theo 4, and Aurora 7.  I care for my family and my extended family.  I have deep relationships in the MKP community and the community beyond.    I’ve visited all 50 states and 23 countries and have lived in 3 countries in my lifetime.

In business, I run several companies, consult for dozens more and develop real estate in Philadelphia.  I was a registered principal and managed a number of business units for Merrill Lynch over a 10 year period and brought the tenets of this work into the organizations I led, in a language and with methods that could be understood in corporate America.  I have been sales, personnel development, training and finance.  I’ve been a pit conductor for orchestras, was drum major for a 300 piece marching band and have competed in, taught and studied Ballroom and Latin Dancing.  I’ve taught and lectured at Princeton University, Rutgers University and various state and community colleges in New Jersey.  I’ve developed, delivered and been invited to co-facilitate countless workshops over the years including Men and Money, Grace and Miracles and Opening the Hearts of Men.

Time and again, I’ve shown that I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get what I’ve come for, which is to serve my mission to the world.  I’ve hear the call to serve as a Member-At-Large and I am willing again.

Contact:  732-599-2442 or jjl.mkp@gmail.com