President’s Newsletter – September 2026

Greetings to all. I hope we have finally seen the end of the heat. I apologize for not sending an update sooner after being elected. From day one, the Board and I have been very busy, and the time has passed quickly. Thank you for electing me as your president. My goal is to help our chapter bounce back from recent shortfalls, renew member interest, and build greater participation in our activities.

We have a new location for our 2027 Regional. In recent years, Hampton has continued to raise its prices for our event. At our last Regional, several attendees checked out early, and the chapter had to cover the cost of those rooms because the overall rental price depended on meeting the room commitment. After reviewing event venues and other hotels, the Board voted to try something different. The 2027 Regional will be held at NTX Arena, 2401 S. Stemmons Freeway in Lewisville, in the former JC Penney building at Vista Ridge Mall. The event will be two days, not three like years past and will take place Friday, March 12, and Saturday, March 13. The other venues the Board considered were either too small or too expensive, and we expect the new location to cost about half as much as in previous years. The Board is excited about this change and has been working hard on the planning.

Shortly after being elected, I called a meeting of our educational instructors. The goal was to bring all available instructors together, identify the classes each person could teach, and determine who could assist in the classroom and at the open benches. We hope these assistants will become more familiar with the classes and eventually serve as instructors themselves. Building a larger group of instructors is important because it distributes the teaching responsibilities among more people. The meeting was very productive, as reflected in the number of classes that have been scheduled for the first half of the year.

Regarding the Board, I made several temporary changes by pairing some Directors at Large with the Mart Director, Educational Director, and Regional Director. This arrangement has worked well so far because it helps distribute each director’s workload. Arnold Madnick informed me that he was stepping down as a director so he could focus on personal matters. At age 91, Arnold has been a tremendous help to the Board and the chapter. Thank you, Arnold, for all your help and support. The Board voted to appoint Drew Pearson to fill Arnold’s position. The Board also asked Scott Stauffer to serve as a temporary director and assist with the Mart Director’s responsibilities while Mike Brazil undergoes cancer treatment. Mike, we are praying for your healing and recovery. Thank you, Drew and Scott, for stepping up to help.

Thank you for your continued support of our chapter. I encourage each of you to attend a class, volunteer at an event, invite a prospective member, and help us make the 2027 Regional a success. I look forward to working with you as we strengthen our chapter together.

Tim Henz
President
NAWCC, Chapter 124