ACC E-note #89: Elections for ACC Officer Positions 2010-2013

Dear ACC,

Having circulated the slate of Executive Officer candidates to the membership and solicited additional nominations, in accordance with Article II, Section 3 of our Bylaws, the Nominations Committee of the ACC is pleased now to open the 2010 ACC Executive Officer voting process to all Regular Members in good standing with the ACC. Ballots must be electronically dated/postmarked no later than January 15, 2010.

This year's vote will be taken electronically. Please use the following link to access the electronic
polling tool:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ACC2010Officers

If you are unable to use the link, try pasting the link address into your browser window directly. If you
are still unable to access the poll, please contact the ACC Office directly at 847-781-7800 or
memberservices@accantors.org, and we will mail you a paper ballot to complete. You may only
submit one ballot, either paper or electronic.

Please take the time to vote for each officer position independently. Although those slated are running
unopposed, it is important for all regular members of the Conference to vote. For your consideration,
below is the list of candidates followed by a brief biographical statement about each.

Thank you for your diligence.

ACC Nominations Committee
Cantors Jill Abramson, Wendy Autenrieth, Jordan Franzel, Jonathan Grant, Kat Hastings, Jeff
Klepper, Sarah Sager, Kay Greenwald (Ex-Officio) and Mark Childs (Chair)

The nominees and their individual statements are as follows:

Slate of Executive Officers for Election in 2010
Officer ballot statements:

The ACC is on a path from a model of individual efforts, toward a model which values and promotes
the positive actions of individuals to collectively join their strengths and influence to work for a greater good. We are slowly drawing in more of you who are able to actively contribute your time, energy and resources, but there is still more to go. Empowerment means that all of our membership should be provided with the tools to become their most successful selves within our Conference. It will be upon this team of officers to address this membership activity and leadership development; this type of working model overlaps every area in which we act.

Susan Caro - President

Throughout my tenure in ACC leadership, I have tried to build relationships with colleagues in the
ACC and in the Reform Movement, having gained a great deal of experience working within our
organizational structure. This work, along with my synagogue work and my work as a chaplain, all
remind me daily to value the strengths that each member of a team brings to the table. The principle
of Empowerment will strongly shape my Presidency, should I be elected, for we are stronger with
every effort made by each person. By embracing and implementing our mission and principles, we
work together to ensure that the Conference remains a respected voice of our colleagues and of our
calling. My deepest hope is that we have the support we need in our professional and our personal
lives so as to exercise sincere and determined efforts toward continued refinement of our skills,
enlivening us spiritually and professionally. The ACC continues to branch out in many areas including
encouraging and supporting our members in study; providing resources (time, treasure and talent) for our work; giving guidance in practical employment matters; providing advocacy of our role and
prominence in the Jewish world; and promoting the living of meaningful Jewish lives. This inspires me to continue to give my energy and time to our Conference. I hope that my commitment to teamwork will create a framework of mutual support with my fellow officers, our Executive Board, our
professional staff and our membership at large.

Mark Goldman - VP of Internal Policy and Administration

As a member of the executive board of the Conference, and as an officer for the past three years, I
have cultivated meaningful and supportive relationships within the social, religious, and political fabric
of our membership to further the goals of the conference. For much of the past decade, our
leadership has continued the task of building a strong and enduring conference. From our
administrative, financial, and process oriented protocols, the ACC has grown immeasurably as an
organization of professional cantors. In this portfolio of Internal Policy and Administration, I want to
create ways to further utilize and develop our systems of governance and policy to be constructive
and effective tools which we employ to expedite the goals and aspirations of the Conference. I hope
to continue this important work while simultaneously ensuring the future relevance and prominence of the cantorate by increasing our level of influence and impact within our movement as well as within
our individual congregations. The mission statement and guiding principles of the ACC perfectly
describe and affirm the essence of our beloved calling. Every opinion, decision, and enactment on
behalf of our organization should, I believe reflect these ideological beliefs. I make every effort to take
our guiding principles of accountability, alignment, empowerment, and wholeness to heart.

Kerith Spencer-Shapiro - VP of Member Relations and External Partnerships

My vision for the ACC is that we continue to be a strong voice of leadership in setting the standard for worship and music within the Reform movement. In order to do this, we must maintain our presence as a calm and steady organization with much to offer. Our financial well-being is of utmost
importance. Our external relations and our outside image are tantamount. Our members are our
strongest resource. As Vice President of Member Relations and External Partnerships, I look forward to many opportunities of working with our members and with our partner organizations to continue to build the reputation of the ACC as an outstanding organization. The need for fiscal responsibility during this time of economic upheaval, and building relationships within the ACC and between the ACC and other URJ organizations is critical. I find great pleasure in building those relationships one at a time and getting to know the individuals who make up the ACC. I hope to bring kindness, openness, compassion, humility, organizational skills, candor, communication ability, focus and direction to the Conference.

Claire Franco - VP of Professional Development, External Policy & Placement

My vision for the cantorate continues to be in line with the vision outlined in the work of our Strategic
Development Task Force of 2008. The goals that we determined for the Conference were threefold;
to be a driving force in Jewish music, to be a crucial and vital element of the larger Jewish community and to have our members be consummate professionals. In other words, we will provide our members with the education that they need to set the "gold standard" in cantorial work. We will create a relationship with Am Yisrael and we will develop our relationship with music and Jewish text in a way that is meaningful for our members and the larger Jewish community. The area of sustaining
education is my passion. For me, 'sustaining' is the key word for it reflects how basic I feel this
learning is to the continued viability and success of our organization and its members. Cantors enter
the field with a basic compendium of knowledge. We must have a system of sustaining education that allows our members to grow and to be the ultimate experts in Jewish music. It is incumbent upon all of us to help each other be a cantor of which the ACC can be proud. It is clear that the ACC is well on its way to achieving this and it is my goal to continue this work forward in new and exciting ways. As Vice President of Professional Development, External Policy & Placement, I look forward to bringing the breadth of experience from my work in the business world, my pulpit and the volunteer work in which I have been engaged.

Tanya Greenblatt - Secretary

Serving as an officer of the ACC is a tremendous responsibility, and not one that I enter into without
careful consideration. I have been privileged to be a member of the Executive Board. As I prepare to
step into the role of Secretary, I do so with an understanding of the expectations and commitment
required of me, and the organizational skills necessary to keep the records of the Conference. I enjoy the extra administrative responsibilities that are part of my congregational work, and have found that overall I am more productive and organized with additional responsibilities. I take the work that I do for the ACC very seriously, and as a team member, I pride myself on being a great "starter," full of ideas and enthusiasm. I strive to move ideas along and empower others to take on leadership roles. I will challenge myself to continue to improve as I continue to serve this conference, valuing the honest feedback of my fellow officers and board members, and making constant course corrections as I strive to work most effectively for our collective goals.

Peter Halpern - Treasurer

The role of the Treasurer requires sensitivity in working with our membership. The depth of my
personal and professional experiences is such that I feel prepared to handle these matters. My
overseas experience in European congregations has offered me further exposure to the cultural
diversity of individual needs. Through time and experience, I have come to realize how crucial
relationships are with our colleagues. We share something unique, with the potential to support each
other in a unique way. I look forward to playing a part in encouraging a sense of growing closeness
and collegiality. The ACC mission of empowering its cantors "in Truth" (our Guiding Principles)
reflects my commitment to fulfilling our calling to be leaders in a way of genuine Anavah, humility. I
am fully committed to our fiscal responsibility (the principle of Accountability) both as individuals and
as an organization. With a strong sense of how to accomplish this on a congregational level, I look
forward to contributing to the ACC's ability to continue this as an organization in this next term. While
maintaining a caring, feeling presence that congregants look to us for, I will strive along with our other
officers and Board members to model these qualities and seek a healthy balance in our lives.