Monday, January 05, 2015

Slán Go Fóill, Craig agus Mindy

The 1st day of this month and new year brought to a close the terms of two of our festival directors, President Craig Duke and Secretary Mindy Johnson. Both joined the board back in 2010.

Craig, our first director and president from the north of Ireland, is a Kansas City (Kansas) deputy fire chief in his day job. He assumed the role of president tin his final year on the board and lead with his trademark good humor and charm. While always quick with a joke and a laugh, Craig took his duties seriously, especially in his year as president. As a firefighter, Craig took special interest in keeping out patrons and staff safe over out long weekend and he was a critical leader during the weather emergencies we experienced the last couple years. Not one to let the grass grow under his feet, Craig recently joined the board of directors of the Kansas City Irish Center where He'll no doubt provide leadership, insight, and groans at his jokes. All of us at KCIF are grateful to Craig for his 5 years of service to the board.

Mindy, the Small But Mighty, leaves the big shamrock-shaped board of directors table after five years, the last spent as board secretary–a tough job because it meant she had to transcribe what Craig was saying in board meetings, without the help of a translator. Mindy came to us from back stage at the big beautiful Boulevard Stage, which she has managed for years with her lovely sister Marcia, where she plans to return. From from embracing retirement pool-side at the old directors home, Mindy is going right back to work and will be representing Irish Fest in Dublin later this month at the Temple Bar Trad Fest, finding new bands to bring back to Cowtown for future fests. We're lucky to have had Mindy's leadership these past five years and luckier still that she's not going anywhere now that they're complete.

It was an absolute honor for me personally to get to serve with Mindy and Craig during both their first and final years on the board, and all us offer them our heartfelt thanks for jobs well done.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Don't forget that it was a trio that ran the Boulevard Stage!! Marcia, Mindy and MICHELLE!