1. Greetings Fellow ACB Members:
My name is Kenneth Semien, Sr. and I am seeking a director position on the ACB Board. I experienced vision loss and became deaf in my right ear after being diagnosed with a severe case of meningitis in 2002. My hobbies include singing, reading about personal growth and leadership, traveling, comedy, listening to gospel music and smooth jazz. I am the grateful father of Kenneth, Jr. (age 40), and proud grandfather of Christian Victoria (age 8) and Sir Kieran (age 17). I joined the organization in 2005, and following my years of consistent demonstration of commitment, I desire to serve in this capacity at this time in an effort to share my management and leadership experience, aptitudes and skills gained from my employment of 22 consecutive years with Southwestern Bell, Southwestern Bell Corporation (SBC) and AT&T. Within ACB, I have actively served as a chapter, state and special-interest affiliate President, having fully participated in committee service on all levels of the organization and currently serving as Chair of several ACB of Texas committees, along with meaningful service on other committees. I have gained insight and become more familiar with the work of ACB as I attend meetings of the board of directors. It has been an adventure as I have traveled to the DC area since 2010 to participate in advocacy efforts on various issues and met with congressional staff to share our annual legislative imperatives.
My current service on the national level consists of Chair of the Durward K. McDaniel Fund Committee for 5 years, a member of the committee for nearly 10 years, and I am member lead on the Scholarship & Awards Program Steering committee. It was a privilege to serve on the ACB membership committee for over 5 years.
2. My most significant contributions have been made on the state level. While serving three consecutive terms as President of ACB of Texas, I introduced the Partners for Success initiative to acquire sponsorships to assist in achieving our annual financial goals, and I am happy to report that the funds received have strengthened our financial standing and we have not had to extract funds from our reserves since 2013. I would be more than happy to share other initiatives that were implemented while serving as President of ACB of Texas.
3. ACB, as well as other membership, service-related organizations and civic groups share the challenge of ensuring that there are younger members who are willing to become familiar with the history, mission, vision and purpose of the organization, and develop necessary skills to provide volunteer service for future leadership roles. It has been my privilege to assist in educating and empowering younger members in Texas when I initiated the Club FLT (Future Leaders of Texas), the Torch Tour associated with preparing members to effectively perform in their desired office and accept the torch of service from current officers, and provided a membership tool entitled “Fifteen Ways to Maximize Your ACB Membership.”
As a supporting member of the ACB Next Generation affiliate and the chair of the Durward K. McDaniel Fund Committee, I will make a special effort to identify those who are exhibiting interest in learning more about how they can play a part in sustaining our organization. I will work to assist members who desire to learn and grow while providing mentoring opportunities and encourage participation in the Berl Colley Leadership Institute training sessions. It would be my pleasure to collaboratively join in with other leaders to develop proactive succession plans that would ensure that ACB continues to thrive.