Tim Bourdess resigned from the Certification Board at the beginning of this year.  Tim's work commitments were making it extremely difficult for him to give the time he want to the NRCEV.  We thank Tim for his service and wish him continued success in his career.

This month the NRCEV has the the honor of welcoming two new Commissioners to the Certification Board.

M. Clay Jackson, N7QNM from the State of Washington. Clay is an experienced emergency communications volunteer.  His service as a volunteer includes being a Service Support Volunteer for Eastside Fire and Rescue where he provides backup communications support during disasters, emergencies or other events, staffs Communications/Command vehicle and coordinate communications between Fire and other Public Safety Officials, and acts as Net Control for communications nets established to supplement normal communication.  Clay is the Training Officer for the Sammamish ARES/RACES Group where his duties include: conducting training for FCC Amateur Radio License Exams - with prior students have a 99.9%+ pass rate, developing drills and exercises for group, and staffing the City EOC in the event of a Disaster or other activation. Additionally, Clay is the Co-Founder of the Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue Operations Support Unit, with which he has supported over 100 Search and Rescue Missions, served in all ICS General and Command Staff positions except IC and PIO on various missions, and conducted Radio Procedures and Amateur Radio Licensing classes.

Clay's Education and Credentials include:

• Master of Software Engineering- Seattle University, Seattle, WA
• National Incident Management System (IS-100, IS-200, IS-700, IS-800)
• Citizens Emergency Response Team
• Passed CISM Exam, Dec 2007
• Amateur Radio Extra Class License

and

Dan Bixby from the State of Minnesota. Dan is a training professional with over ten years of experience. He currently serves in a Communications equipment company. Dan is bilingual (French/English) and has traveled extensively around the world training radio and networking personnel. He has created a successful certification program and specializes in online teaching and learning.  Along with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree, Dan is currently working toward completing his Master of Science in Education, Online Teaching and Learning from California State University.

We look forward to working with both Clay and Dan as we stive to reach new goals during 2009.