Candidate Information

Name: Doug Garcia

LMSC: Colorado

Nominated for: Vice President of Member Services

Response to Questions

Why are you interested in this position and why do you believe you would be a good candidate?

I have served USMS for the past 10 years in a variety of capacities, most all of the positions have been in the effort of increasing membership and providing excellent, consistent and clear communication to both USMS members as well as non-members. I would like to continue these efforts with added responsibility, but more importantly to provide vision on how important marketing and communications issues are for USMS.

As a Masters Swim Coach for the past 17 years, I have seen how important volunteers are to the day-to-day work of USMS. I have always been a firm believer in volunteer organizations and how they provide a great service to their members and would like to continue my volunteer efforts towards making USMS a even better organization.

What do you consider to be the major issues facing USMS now and in the future. As a person holding an elected position within USMS, how would you address these issues?

I feel the most major issue for USMS is to provide a great product and service to swimmers who come to the pool 3 times a week for a fitness swim, and have no intention of participating in competing locally, regionally or nationally.

As an elected official of the organization, it will be my goal to help local groups to grow their programs emphasizing fitness, and not rely on competitions to sell USMS.

In addition to providing a great service, I feel training our volunteers to help provide a consistent product across the organization is one many ways I can make a difference in growing our organization.

I would like to use my role of VP Member Services to help the coaching community become better ambassadors for USMS.

Please list USMS committees on which you have served. Include the dates you were on the committees and the names of the committee chairs under whom you served:

Coaches Committee, 1999-current (Scott Rabalais, Mo Chambers, Bob Bruce, Chris Colburn)

Marketing Committee, 1999-current (Rich Burns, served as committee chair for one year, Chris McGiffin) My current role on this committee is ex-officio

Communications Committee, 2005- current (Hugh Moore) current role is ex-officio

Zone Committee 2004-2005 (Elected as Northwest Zone Rep) Lynn Hazelwood

Inland NW Masters LMSC Board of Managers, served under Chuck Tasca, Cindy Clutter, Bill Bresko, Elin Zander, and Susanne Simpson. During my tenure on this board I served at various times as team rep, web master, newsletter editor and coaches rep as well as serving as LMSC SCY Champs meet director for 10 years.

Currently serve as USMS Graphic Designer

Please list any other experience that relates to your qualifications for the position.

For the past 20 years, I have been employed as a Marketing Communications professional. For the past 10 plus years, I have worked with masters swimming groups to increase membership and promote the variety of programs offered by USMS. I am intimately aware of many of the marketing and communications issues surrounding USMS at the local and national levels.

As Art Director for Colorado State University, and formerly as Senior Art Director and Brand manager for Washington State University, I have a firm grasp of communications and marketing issues in the non-profit area.

Please list any other information you would like included.

Newsletter of the Year Award winner, 2003

Visit http://www.DougGarciaDesign.com for a portfolio of my graphic design work.

Co-founder and head coach Washington State University Masters Swimming 1992-2008