My name is Sam Liles and I am running for the MOA Board of Directors. I am a life long motorcyclist and I started riding BMW’s when I bought the new to market K1200LTC in 2000. I currently ride a 2012 K1600GTL, and a 2008 R1200 GS Adventure. I travel extensively on my bikes and enjoy the camaraderie of a vast community of motorcyclists. I commute daily by motorcycle and considering I live in West Lafayette Indiana that can be quite a challenge. I like riding long distances and finished the 2013 Iron Butt Rally. Like many members of MOA I ride because it is fun. I offer to volunteer my time because I want to give something back to an organization that has provided a venue for enhancing the fun factor in my motorcycling.
As a member I firmly believe that the MOA is a strong, vibrant, and healthy organization. The smiles you see in pictures of MOA members at rallies, and the adventure you can feel when reading stories in the Owners News is ample evidence of this. I in running for a board of directors position do not advocate for wholesale change or massive restructuring. I do think that there are things that can be adjusted to bring some of the fun and camaraderie to others. I like to focus on the positive and bring positive change to the activities I engage in.
I do advocate for aligning the needs of members with the operations of the MOA. What are the needs? Members need the organization that they joined. There was a reason and a buy-in at some point that made them join the MOA. The reason they joined is the number one thing we need to be aware of for attracting new members. Though, I suggest this is not the same thing we need to know for current members. We need to know why current members renew and build upon that simple success.
If elected I will try and foster an open, transparent, and inclusive leadership role. I will be an advocate for adding technologies and techniques that make the MOA inclusive to more people. Technology and social media are not a replacement for current practices, but an additional way to allow more people to share and enjoy the MOA. I would also advocate as a leader for ways to make the administration and operations of the MOA easier for members to utilize.
Whether you vote for me or one of the other candidates for the Board of Directors I ask that you vote. The BMW MOA is an association and the Board of Directors and officers are there to serve the members. Express your will by voting. There is no winning a position on the Board of Directors. There is only being selected.