Page 154 - ShowSight - December 2019

Lines From Linda: Candid Candidates Part One BY LINDA AYERS TURNER KNORR continued
• Regional Commissioner of Education, US Department of Education
• Regional Administrator of Education, US Department of Education – responsibilities for 350 colleges and Universities in the eight southeastern states.
These experiences resulted in the development of many skills that are needed on the AKC Board. Research about dogs, breeding, puppy raising, detection dogs, super dogs.
• Subject matter expert in dog legislation matters.
Conducted the largest study about Juniors that
involved 1,300 juniors.
• Published articles on early neurological stimulation, bloat,
pedigree analysis, breeding formulas, etc.
Share your educational and professional backgrounds that have prepared you for the decision making for an approximately 77 mil- lion dollar a year organization.
am also Second Vice President and Affiliate Club Chairman Poodle Club of America. I have also served as President of Lone Star Poodle Club. I believe one must support the efforts of our dog clubs and work in any capacity to make sure that they succeed. I will bring to the Board of the American Kennel Club my dedication and strong work ethic to support and promote our Sport, the people in our Sport and the health and well-being of our Purebred dogs.
My background in my community, I have served on the Dallas Philanthropic Board and served as the Chief Fund Raiser for 7 years for the Dallas Philanthropic Society, personally raising substantial funds for children. I served as Chairman of the Dallas Fine Arts Committee for 9 years. I served as the Treasurer of the North Dallas Gentlemen’s Society for 11 years, which has a multi-million dollar budget. These positions, at times, are very political, influential, and are highly visible positions, which require an enormous amount of tact, diplomacy, diplomatic communication, persuasion and nego- tiation skills. As Chairman of many committees, I have utilized my education in human resources to help guide people, especially the committee members, to speak with one voice and to unite instead of divide. My education in banking and finance, as well as my expe- rience in fundraising and managing large sums of donated funds, provides me with a unique background which I can bring to the AKC Board of Directors.
My Executive Staffing Firm involves managing people and situ- ations, getting involved at a personal level, coaching others to see the bigger picture and communicating with all types of individuals. Employers have needs and people seeking new employment have different needs. The key is listening, hearing what people are really saying and negotiating the highly personal needs of each to come together for a mutually beneficial outcome. Through my experience I have acquired an aptitude for listening and talking with people to extract information and to make good matches among potential employees and employers. I have carried these people skills with me in working on the various boards that I have served.
I feel that The American Kennel Club’s role is to always be the leader and authority as well as the voice for purebred dogs. The American Kennel Club should always work with purebred dog owners and with the general public by whatever means are avail- able that best promotes the health, well-being and education of the purebred dogs and their owners. We must be the leader in public education and awareness of purebred dog issues and concerns, and work toward finding a solution to those concerns and issues. As most of you know, our Dog Fancy is facing challenging situations with Animal Rights Organizations and the various local and state- wide legislations working against the breeders in our Sport. I will work to help in any way I can to stop the Animal Rights Organiza- tions and the legislations prohibiting the breeding of purebred dogs by responsible dog breeders.
The unique combination of my education, professional experi- ence, community service as well as my many years of breeding and showing dogs gives me a diverse background that I feel has prepared me to serve on the Board of Directors for the American Kennel Club. Thank you in advance for your support.
Thank you to the candidates who created time during this busy holiday season to respond to my one very important question shar- ing their qualifications with you! Let your club’s AKC Delegate know what you think!
The halls are decked, Santa with his sleigh piled high with brightly colored boxes greet friends at my home. The manger scene is surrounded by candles as my family celebrates the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Ho Ho Ho!
DR. MICHAEL KNIGHT
My name is Dr. Michael Knight, a candidate for the American Kennel Club Board of Directors and dog fancier of more than 40 years. As a candidate for the AKC Board of Directors, I have been asked to share my educational and professional accomplishments that, I feel, have prepared me to serve on the Board.
I possess degrees in Banking and Finance, Psychology and Human Resources. I own and manage my own national Staffing Firm, volunteer in my local community with different organiza- tions, have served on the finance committee for my church and like many of you, I am still actively breeding and showing my own bred- by dogs, the Poodle.
I have served on many different boards throughout my career including: Hospital, Museum, Philanthropic, Dallas Fine Arts, North Dallas Gentlemen’s Club, as well as Poodle Club of America, Texas Kennel Club and the Lone Star Poodle Club. The best boards possess a diverse set of skills and I feel that my personal diverse abilities would be beneficial to the American Kennel Club Board.
In addition to actively showing dogs, I am Show Chairman for Texas Kennel Club and Treasurer for the Lone Star State Classic. I
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