State Officers at National Leadership Conference

Rick Bodey, Ohio Association Parliamentarian

Being at the National Leadership Conference (NLC) as a State Officer was one of the most amazing things in which I have ever taken part.  Being in Cincinnati, I had no idea what was in store for me.  Everything about the conference was completely new to me.  I would like to just give you an overview of my experience in Cincinnati.

We arrived a day early with my instructor, and it was almost like the calm before the storm.  I could not believe that just tomorrow there would be hundreds of students arriving to see who would be judged the best in the nation.  Wednesday I took the morning looking around at all of the exhibits and going to the aquarium.  I also went on a riverboat ride down the Ohio River.  I found out later, that this would be one of my only free days of the trip.  After my riverboat ride, I checked in at the registration desk, got my pins, and checked in with the other state officers in the Ohio Suite.

That night, we headed over to opening session.  It was amazing seeing and meeting people from all over the United States.  Trading pins was an excellent way to get to know people.  The national officers did a great job getting everyone excited about their events.  Thursday I spent my morning taking as many computer certification tests as I could fit in.  I found that the tests were almost half the cost at the national leadership conference, and I was knocking them out as fast as I could.  That afternoon, we met with the voting delegates to discuss several issues that we would be voting on that night.  We arrived early to the second general session to ensure that every voting delegate was accounted for. Alex, our president, and I had everyone’s name on a check off list and had many eager alternates waiting.  We were not going to let Ohio lose any of its votes.  That night we voted on several issues and listened to many excellent candidates.  Alex and I even tried to clear up a disruption between the Michigan delegation and the national officers.  It was surprising how big a role Ohio plays in national decisions.

Friday morning, I woke up early and ate at the state officers’ breakfast.  I almost didn’t make it, thanks to my roommate’s resetting the alarm.  I am glad I was there, because they had a unique way of seating us by drawing seat numbers out of a hat.  This kept everyone separated and meeting new people.  I sat next to the Illinois President who was a really good guy.  We ended up staying in contact the rest of the trip.  After breakfast, I squeezed in another certification test and then headed over to the State Caucuses in the Rosewood room.  The voting delegates developed questions for all of the candidates to answer.  After hearing all of the national officer candidates speak, we voted for those we felt would be the best national officers.  That night, I went to the “Rockin’ Party” and felt my duties as a state officer were pretty much over for the rest of the conference.

Saturday morning, I received a call from the Ohio Suite.  Something had happened, and I was supposed to try to get in touch with as many officers as possible, as quickly as possible.  When the officers were located, we met and discovered that to be a national officer, a majority vote is needed.  Not enough candidates receive a majority vote, so a revote was required.  The officers contacted as many voting delegates as possible and surprisingly came to a consensus rather quickly.  We were quickly able to solve our voting dilemma, but it just goes to show you that anything can happen and, as a state officer, you must always be prepared. 

That night we went to the awards ceremony and the dance.  We found out that night that Ohio received three national officers.  It was a wonderful end to a very productive and eventful week.  I went home the next day wondering how the time slipped by so fast.  Being a state officer at the National Leadership Conference was an experience that I am counting on to lead me into the future.  It is an experience I will never forget!