Ashley Motta

Hello!

My name is Ashley Motta and I am running for Sakura-Con Convention Secretary. I believe it is important for me to write to you and give you some more information about me as you might have not worked with me before.

This first time I attended the convention was when it was still in Sea-Tac. I was sixteen and I instantly fell in love with the convention. The past three years I have volunteered in Relations as the reimbursement coordinator. This position requires a lot of trust and responsibility and I have really enjoyed taking on the position.

Teaching is my profession outside of Sakura-Con. I finished my undergraduate courses in 2011 and have been teaching ever since. In August of last year, I began my Masters of Education in Learning and Technology. With it being an online program, I had to keep in constant communication with instructors and keep to a strict timeline. It is normally a two-year program, but I will complete the program in less time June of this year. When I lived in my condominium, I was the secretary on the HOA board. I use much of my experience from my jobs in my everyday life. I believe it is important to be prompt when attending meetings, events or responding to emails. It is also important to listen and communicate clearly with others.

I consider the secretary position to be an important role and take that responsibility and trust very seriously. My goal is to help provide a line of communication between the board and the members and staff. One way this can be achieved is by keeping the meeting minutes up to date and making them accessible to all members and staff in a timely manner. I want to help members and staff be active participants in the con as you are the ones that make this con so great. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I look forward to answering any questions you have.

Questions for Ashley

Question

I am most curious as to why you have never served under Erin, in the Assistant Secretary position before this (I believe it has been unfilled for some time)?

Related: How do you expect the voting members to hand over this position, without serving under it in some capacity?

Response

Hi! Thank you for your email. There is no assistant secretary position. The secretary is an officer of the board, not a director.

I have experience doing reimbursements which has allowed me to work with Alyx in Relations, Renee in Treasury, and Christopher the current chairman.
I also have experience as secretary for a home owners association, so I am familiar with the duties performed by the secretary.

Thanks for your question. Let me know if there is anything else I can help answer.

Follow Up

Thank you for your prompt reply.

Although I did find the Assistant Secretary answer contradictory to the website, because on the list of Staff Positions, I can clearly see it

*Note from Vice Chair* We amended the bylaws in the past couple years to allow officers to have assistants with the board’s approval in situations where the need was present. Before that, none of the Officers were allowed to have an assistant. Typically none of the officers (Chairman, Vice Chairman, Treasurer, and Secretary) have assistants.