LAKE ERIE CONFERENCE XVII     SECRETARIAT INFORMATIONSECRETARIAT DESCRIPTIONOur staff is one of the most experienced of any conference nationwide, with some volunteers having served for more than 30 years. This is the advantage of a conference run by a corporation and not by a college or university - an institutional memory of more than 4 years, organizational stability, proven dedication to fostering consistent growth and development, and a wealth of knowledge. The vast majority of our staff volunteers have also served as either high school or college delegates (or both). Many have volunteered as staff at other Model United Nations conferences. A handful of the staff volunteers at the Lake Erie Conference are high school advisors at our Northcoast Conference. All of this activity allows our staff to continually hone their skills and keep on top of world affairs.
Our staff comes from a wide variety of age groups, educational levels, employment backgrounds, religions, and political affiliations. Our volunteers come from across the United States and Canada. Some have even flown in from other parts of the world to attend a conference. Our staff includes students pursing everything from an Associate's degree to a PhD. It also includes attorneys, business and finance managers, entrepreneurs, administrators, educators, social workers, politicians, health care providers, and more. We have liberals, conservatives, independents, and few libertarians.
There is no one type of person that makes up our staff. Each person is equally important and contributes to the conference in their own unique way. What binds everyone together is the desire to provide a valuable educational opportunity. For many, it is a way to give something back to our organization because it has helped them is some way or because they believe in our mission. For some, it is a way to experience a conference from "the other side of the gavel".
SELECTED STAFF BIOSBelow are brief biographies of some staff volunteers for the Lake Erie Conference.
Ryan graduated from Jefferson High School in 2007. He is currently a Lance Corporal in the United States Marine Corps and on the Meritorious Corporal Board. He serves the Military Occupation of 0311 Rifleman with a secondary MOS of 0351 Assaultman/Explosives Expert on MCB Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. He has extensive knowledge of over ten weapon systems belonging to the Marine Corps and have served two tours in Iraq. He is currently taking online courses in International Relations/Foreign Relations.
Forest graduated from Kirtland High School in 2004. He received an AA from Lakeland Community College and is currently pursuing a BA in Linguistics. He currently resides in Kirtland, Ohio where he is "between jobs". An interesting fact about Forest is that he collects "Do Not Remove Under Penalty of Law" mattress tags.
Marc graduated from Jefferson Area High School in Jefferson, Ohio in 2004. He went on to pursue a degree in History at 4 schools in 3 1/2 years, finally earning his degree at New York's SUNY Geneseo. Marc lives and works in Northern Alabama as an environmentalist running down armadillos. He once gave a lecture on how, if we're to save the environment, we would "axe down light posts and not axe down trees". Marc tends to think his entire life story is a fun fact. He is very, very proud of his Che floating head picture which he thinks is really much better than everyone else's floating head picture.
Shannon graduated from Midview High School in Grafton, Ohio. She earned a BA in Politics & Government from Ohio Wesleyan University. She currently lives in Willoughby, Ohio where she is vetting law schools and working toward her life's goal of becoming a writer. In her spare time, Shannon enjoys babysitting her favorite Canadian.
James is a graduate of Geneva High School. He earned a BA in Political Science and Communications from Kent State University, a JD/MPA from Syracuse University, and a LLM in Law and Government specializing in Business Law from American University. He lives in New York City, where he is an Associate with Callan, Koster, Brady & Brennan, LLP specializing in Business Transactions and Civil Defense Litigation. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Political Science at Hunter College.
Greg graduated from Bay High School in Bay Village, Ohio. He has earned the following degrees: BA in History from Ohio University; MA in International Relations with concentration in Conflict Resolution and Cross-Cultural Negotiations from Syracuse University; MBA in Strategy and Human Resource Management from Syracuse University; and is in the process of completing PhD in Organizational Behavior from Syracuse University. He has worked in Japan as an English teacher, business development manager for a consulting firm, and Membership Manager for the American Chamber of Commerce. He currently lives in Syracuse New York with his wife, Mina, while he is pursuing his PhD. A fun fact about Greg is that he won 9 matches in a Sumo tournament at Waseda University. His team finished 3rd in the tournament.
Andrew graduated from Madison High School in Madison, Ohio. He earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a Masters of Urban Planning from Cleveland State University. He currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio where he is employed in the records storage and information management industry. He also performs with the North Coast Men's Chorus where he has just finished 4 years on their Board of Directors and was recently elected their Chief Financial Officer.
STAFF BENEFITSAny staff volunteer who incurs travel expenses to attend the conference may be fully reimbursed for those expenses, up to $250.
Staff volunteers will receive free hotel accommodations in quad rooms for three nights (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) during the Lake Erie Conference. Accommodations may also be provided to any staff volunteer who arrives on Wednesday. Staff volunteers requesting single or double rooms are required to pay 75% or 50% respectively of this cost to LEIMUN prior to the beginning of the conference.
STAFF RECOGNITIONLetters of Recommendation and Certificates of Appreciation may be provided to all staff volunteers. The Secretariat and Board of Trustees will provide personal recommendations or other documentation for anyone who requests it.
Anyone who has served on the staff or as an advisor for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 years will receive special recognition at Closing Ceremonies of the Northcoast Conference.
Any staff member who has contributed more than 4,000 hours of service will qualify for President's Volunteer Lifetime Service Awards sponsored by the Points of Light Institute. Service hours are accumulated by serving in the following capacities: Program Director, Program Assistant Director, Trustee, Corporate Officer, Corporate Director, Secretary General, Under Secretary General, Special Assistant to the Secretariat, Webmaster, Registrar, Advisory Council, Senior Staff, and Conference Staff Volunteer. Each position garners a different number of volunteer hours. For a more specific breakdown, please send a request via the Contact Us page.
RULES & POLICIES QUIZZESThere are three different quizzes available to assist delegates, advisors, and staff prepare for the Lake Erie Conference. They can be accessed via Diplomatic Access. All LEIMUN Members, staff volunteers, and advisors or head delegates of registered schools will be provided with an ID and password to the Diplomatic Access area. Delegates may receive an ID and password by sending a request via the Contact Us page. The Basic Rules & Policies Quiz is highly recommended for all conference participants, especially those who are new to Model UN or to our conference. The Advanced Rules & Policies Quiz is recommended for all conference participants, especially those who are more familiar with Model UN and our conference. The Staff Rules and Policies Quiz is required for all staff volunteers and is recommended only for the most experienced advisors and delegates. STAFF APPLICATIONWill be posted when available. |
Ryan Michael Trout has been involved in Model UN since the seventh grade. He joins our Lake Erie Conference staff for the first time this year. Prior to joining the LEIMUN staff, he served in various positions on the staff of UN/USA at Jefferson High School and was a contributor to the Northcoast News.
Forest Walker Davis has been involved within LEIMUN since he first came here as a college delegate in 2005. He joined the Northcoast Conference staff for the first time in 2009. He has participated as a college delegate on numerous committees and will be serving on the Historical Security Council. 
Marc Hudson has been involved within LEIMUN and other Model UN conferences since he attended his first conference in the year of aught'0 when he was a nigh schooler. He has attended a LEIMUN conference every since then as either a staff member or delegate. He has chaired a variety of committees, as well as being the creator of and driving force behind the Dual Crisis Committees at our Lake Erie Conference. In addition, he was Under Secretary for Delegate Development for Miami University's team and Vice President for his team at SUNY Geneseo.
Shannon Hopkins has been participating in Model United Nations for 4 years and has been involved with LEIMUN for 3 years. She participated as a delegate at our Lake Erie Conference, most famously as "Le Femme" Nikita Khrushchev on our Cuban Missile Crisis. She has since staffed both our high school and college conferences. She is currently LEIMUN's Director of Staff Development.
James W. Bacher became involved with this organization as a college delegate in 1996 when he served as the President of the Kent State University Model United Nations team. He became a staff volunteer immediately thereafter. James served the organization in multiple conference positions including Secretary-General, and as a member of the Advisory Council, Rules Revision Committee, Bylaws Revision Committee, Development Committee, Handbook Committee, and Governance Committee. James was also elected to two terms on the Board of Trustees, where he assumed the roles of Webmaster, Registrar, Chief Financial Officer, and President. 
Greg Laurence has been involved on the LEIMUN staff since 1990 (attending whenever he was not working in Japan) but began doing Model UN in high school. He has presided over a wide variety of committees, as well as participating on the A-Team and Emergency Simulation Design. He also served on the Senior Staff and Advisory Council.
Andrew Zupcsan has served on the LEIMUN staff for more than a decade and has been involved with Model UN since 1992. He debated as both a high school and college delegate. He has presided over a variety of committees, as well as serving as Under Secretary-General, Secretary-General, and Director of Research. He was served on the Advisory Council, Handbook Committee, Governance Committee, Bylaws Committee, and Rules Revision Committee.