Greg Johnson, Candidate for President , 2012

Greg Johnson

Candidate for President

 

Having served in the role of the Cascade Blues Association President for nearly ten years, I have seen just how much work that the members of your Board of Directors conducts and I have to say that this past year’s group rose high above the standard. They have helped to establish the CBA as a stable organization and whoever fills the roles of those departing board members will need to continue in this ever-developing process to help us build upon recent successes. There are a lot of people out there with talents that we can use, so please feel free to speak with any board member about what you may be able to offer. And support those individuals who will continue in the operation of our blues society.

I would ask that you consider myself once again when filling out your ballots to continue in the role of your CBA President. Having been laid off from my regular job this past year gave me an extra amount of time to pursue ideas with the CBA and besides my routine involvement with events like the Journey To Memphis and the Muddy Awards, I oversaw the creation of the first CBA CD in nearly a decade, Puddletown Blues, Vol. 1. I am currently piecing together Vol. 2. I also put the line-up for the 25^th Anniversary Concert together and scheduled the musicians for all CBA events this past year. Though I am actively seeking employment I still believe my time and commitment will be available to continue in pushing the status of the CBA even higher on a national level and finding the recognition for our local musicians far outside of our region

Wendy Schumer, Candidate for Vice President, 2012

I have lived in Portland since March of 2010.  One of the driving forces that led me to decide to move here was the amazing blues talent and blues music community.  I have been a huge fan of the blues and prior to moving to Portland I served for 6 years on the board for the Santa Barbara Blues Society, the oldest blues society in the country.  My responsibilities there included overseeing all volunteers as well as managing our merchandise.  I became a member of the Cascade Blues Assn. even before I relocated to Portland.  I have been a Board Member At Large for a little over a year and am very excited about the energy and commitment of this organization, as well as its’ members, and am proud to be an active participant.  Living here and being part of the blues community, meeting the CBA members and getting to know the amazing musicians in the Northwest, has been more rewarding than I ever imagined.  Aside from the activities I support locally, I also attend the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruises.  I have been blessed to be on 7 of these and January makes 8.  There’s nothing like it!  My participation in that has rewarded me with many friends (whom I refer to as my framily) throughout the blues world, professionally as well as socially. I attended the Waterfront festival even before moving here.  In the past few years I have attended a myriad of festivals throughout the country. I recently attended Bluestock at Hunter Mt., NY (where we met Hurricane Irene) as well as Doheny Blues Festival, Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival, Fire on the Mountain, Bronze, Blues and Brews – to name just a few.  I have attended the Blues Music Awards in Memphis the past two years and have been a member of the Blues Foundation for almost 10 years.   You have most likely seen me working at many of our CBA events, or seen me out on the dance floor at the various wonderful venues around town. Professionally I am employed at Hewlett Packard as a marketing program manager and am entering my 23^rd year there.  I am excited to offer my services acting as the Vice President for the Cascade Blues Assn and would be honored to accept that role.

Wendy S. Schumer, Candidate for Vice President

CBA Officer Position Election Coming in December, 2011

Though the Cascade Blues Association’s election for officer positions on the Board of Directors for 2012 doesn’t actually take place until December, we want to get the word out early because due to life and employment changes within our current board, we will have a few openings that will need to be filled. If you are interested and not afraid of giving your time and help for events and other special needs, please consider running for one of the following positions: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Membership Secretary. All are vital for the continued success of our organization. The current board has been hard working and one of the strongest I have seen within my tenure with the CBA. I hate to lose any of them, but changes do occur from time to time. These positions are chosen by the membership at the general meeting in December, but it is never too early to state your interest by submitting a brief bio to introduce yourself to the members, which we will publish in the December issue of the BluesNotes (please have these sent in to CBA, PO Box 14493, Portland, OR 97007 before November 15^th to make the December issue). If you have any questions about board responsibilities, please speak to any board member.

 

Greg Johnson

CBA President

Seeking Volunteer to Help Deliver BluesNotes

Due to the departure of long-time volunteers and several venues that have opened in the recent past, the CBA is seeking somebody who may be able to help deliver BluesNotes in the SE Portland area. The route would include venues Queen of Hearts, Knuckleheads, Mama Maria’s, Gators and Vino Vixens, plus any other spot you may want to approach about displaying the paper. Preferably we would like to have the papers delivered before the first of each month and that would mean picking up the papers from our cabinets located at our office in Tigard (we can give directions and the papers are available 24 hours a day). Or they can be brought to the CBA monthly meeting and picked up from there, though sometimes the meetings occur a week into the month, which means word of several shows may be missed. If you’re interested in helping, please send an e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . It doesn’t stop there; we can always use other volunteers for various needs. Thank you.