Joe E. Baker has been a member of Mensa for about 13 years.  He was elected to the ExCom in September, 2007 to fill the unexpired term of a member who moved from the area.  Joe had previously served on the ExCom for two terms.  He has also served as Program Chairman (twice) and is the Mensa Coordinator for Northern Mississippi.  Joe has arranged programs and field trips over about a five year period.  He organized and directed the Memphis Mensa Financial Special Interest Group (SIG) for a number of years.

Joe's interest in serving on the ExCom is to use this position to increase the value of Mensa to present and future members, of all ages, by steering and forming programs and events for Mensa of Memphis and assuring sound management of Memphis Mensa.

He's retired from 29 years Air Force and National Guard service and currently teaches part-time.

I joined Mensa in December of last year.  Last year, I met Eric Peabody at my bridge club and he brought me to Temperance.  Through Eric, I met the Temperance regulars as well as the dinner group.  When I decided to join, I discovered my prior evidence no longer qualified.  I went to the AG planning on taking it there, but had too much fun.  I try to continue to participate as much as my full-time job will allow. Currently, I am a decision writer for Social Security.  Before that, I was a poker dealer, lawyer, and Military Police officer.  If elected, I will concentrate my efforts at expanding our active membership and continuing this board's efforts at providing a variety of opportunities.

I have been a Mensa member for 20+ years and have served on the ExCom (both as the LocSec and as a Member-at-Large), as Newsletter Editor, Webmaster, Proctor, Proctor Coordinator, RG Co-Chair, Publicity Officer, Webmaster and New Member Officer.  Thanks to the help of many of our members, this past year we have had an increase in membership, as well as an overall increase in participation by the members.  I think the communication between the ExCom and the members has also improved significantly and if elected, will work to help see that these trends continue to improve.  The NomCom has done an excellent job of selecting candidates for the 2009 term and having to choose which five candidates to vote for is going to be a difficult task.  I hope you will allow me the opportunity to serve Memphis Mensa and represent you for another year.  Thanks.

Rich Olcott is a one-time chemist, one-time massage therapist, two-time Daddy and one-time (so far) Grampa, currently working for IBM as a mainframe systems management specialist.  Rich has a long list of professional and not-so-professional publications in journals ranging from Computer Management and Evaluation Transactions to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction to Playboy.  He has served in elected positions for the MidSouth Aquarium Society, the Federation of American Aquarium Societies and the Vollentine-Evergreen Community Association.  Rich only became smart enough to join Mensa three years ago, but has been a Proctor for two years and twice served on the NomComm.

I have really enjoyed serving on the ExCom over the past year, and I have tried to do my part to increase member involvement and attendance at Mensa functions.  I have enjoyed interacting with members of our new Memphis Mensa Facebook group, which has now grown to forty members.  For many of the members of the group, Facebook is the only way that they participate in Mensa, and for others it has prompted them to attend various Mensa functions for the first time.  Face-to-face interaction among members is important, too.  To foster more in-person interaction, I created a crafting SIG that met for the first time in November, and will hopefully meet monthly starting in January.  I am also planning to hold a games night each month starting in January.

I am a life Mensan, and have held major MM offices for 5 years - LocSec, Assistant LocSec, Publisher, Proctor and Proctor Coordinator, and (temporarily) Editor.  Last year, Mensa monopolized my time - and I was happy to take a break.  Now, refreshed by a hiatus from the ExCom, lighter and stronger from regular exercise, I am ready to contribute to keeping MM an enjoyable and useful activity for all of its members.  I believe that I can usefully serve as an at-large ExCom member - and I solicit your vote for that purpose.