Board Candidates

We had three applicants for the three open board positions. Here are their answers to the essay questions:

 

Q1.  Please describe professional and personal skills and experiences in terms of the characteristics outlined above, that qualify you for a PFBF Director position:

 

Q2.  In addition please answer the following question on a separate sheet of paper:

Mission: PFBF is a member-owned cooperative creating access and building infrastructure to support sustainable, viable fuel sources and use.

 

CANDIDATE #1

 

Paul A. Morschauser Sr.

           

            I would like to take this opportunity and nominate myself for a position with the PFBF Board. I have had contact over the last several years with employees and Board Members. I do believe I could help PFBF.

 

I am an instructor with Madison Area Technical College (MATC) here in

Madison

at the Truax campus. I teach in the Diesel Department and have done so for 19 years. I have been working/repairing diesel engines and equipment since 1976. I am ASE Master Truck certified. I started teaching the fuels class along with other classes for MATC and that lasted for 14 years and now I teach Drive Trains, Hydraulics, and Intro to Diesel and Diagnostic Strategies.

 

The college has been nationally recognized for it’s pioneering into Biodiesel. We have been in Biodiesel magazine along with the students that were the first to process a batch of biodiesel. We joined with the UW Madison Engineering department and built our own reactor to produce biodiesel. Another colleague, Ken Walz, and myself have been teaching an ”Intro to Biodiesel” for 3 years and have trained over 100 students and teachers in the process and testing of biodiesel. We also cover the environmental effects that biodiesel has as compared to regular diesel. The class is being offered again this fall.

 

Looking at the vision statement and what it means to me is that we will help the community to realize that there is an alternative to fossil fuels and we can get them the information and the fuel sources to help them break their dependency of fossil fuel. Renewable energy is one great opportunity for all of us and we should help each other and future generations.

 

As a board member I feel I can get more members and perhaps even students from MATC to join PFBF so we can grow and prosper.

 

I look forward to the opportunity to run for a position on the board. I believe that I can help PFBF to move forward and grow.

 

Sincerely:

 

Paul A. Morschauser Sr.

 

Candidate #2

Jamie Derr

I have served on Landmark Services Cooperative Board for the last 5 years, I am also a past National Biodiesel Board member for the Wisconsin Soybean Association 2002-2007, and a current Dane County Farmers Union board member.  I am a small business owner operating 400 acre crop farm and consulting business. 

 

The PFBF mission is to facilitate access to renewable fuels and conduct education and outreach in support of leaving oil before it leaves us.  I will ensure the board members receive accurate and timely financial reports and conduct board meetings that are concise and to the point.  PFBF’s success depends on a well operated board making informed and wise decisions.

 

CANDIDATE #3

Taavi McMahan

 

 

I am a past board member and founder of the Prairie Fire Biofuels Co-op.  I seek to right the course of this troubled co-op and restore it to its former greatness.  I feel that the early success can be reborn with a quality board of directors and I want to be part of that.

 

I feel the mission of the co-op is to git-r-done and be above political positioning and personal egos.