Note: This is a candidate page for a Judge Foundry Election. Information on this page is provided by the candidate, and does not represent the opinions or positions of the Elections Committee or of Judge Foundry. For more information about this election, see the schedule and index for the 2024 Regional Advocate Election.
- Name: Brendan Whatley
- Location: Greenville, South Carolina
- Election: Regional Advocates 2024
- Running For: Southeast RA
Nomination Statement
Hi hello 👋. My name is Brendan Whatley and I am an L2 based out of wonderful(not wonderful) Greer SC. I have been judging since Dragon Maze. Since working my first big event(GP Las Vegas 2) I have worked many many events that just no longer exist.
I have seen our region so many great things over the years, and my goal is to try and bring us together and onto the same page.
I plan on only be running for 1 term.
At the end of your first six months as Regional Advocate, what does “success” look like?
An area of communication is re-established to connect judges in our region as well getting all judges on the same page of what is going on in our region. From our Once every 6 month SCG visit, to our growing popularity Coolstuff, CCS, and various Cedh events. Regional connections is how we grow as a community, but so is networking with game stores. This does not necessarily mean posting every RPTQBBQ into judge apps.
What skills/experience do you bring to the role of Regional Advocate?
In the past I spent time as South Carolina’s state captain (way back when those existed) . What I bring along is a goal of networking, communication network building, and hopefully ground work where the next generation of JA/JF judges can grow.
Describe your plans to recruit and utilize Area Communicators.
*Attach crayon drawing sketch here*
I am only looking to lay a foundation. We no longer are as active as we were in the past, but a rolling creation in our more populated areas first. Our region is Big, but no one is alone. The goal is communication networking and building.
Area captains are to be the key communication points in various areas that will be more specialized in their local game store scene. They will help aid with connecting judges with stores in the area.
What do you feel the Southeast is currently doing better than other regions, and what do you think you can learn or adopt from other regions?
The Southeast (SE) used to be a very large community of judges. It was great having yearly gatherings with amazing numbers. With our numbers drastically reduced from Covid-19 and attrition, I believe most regions will be looking at one another for various ideas and projects on handling this.
Describe the general areas of the Southeast region. As RA, do any areas need specific types of assistance? How do you plan to bring these areas together to foster an overall regional identity?
The SE is a very large diverse region, especially given the middle mark (Lat:28.36483 Long: -77.764878), is 175 miles away from land off in the ocean.
Given all this, we have made it work in the past and can make it work again. To do so, it takes a lot of team work from people in each area working together and communicating regularly.
Areas in the SE can be broken down as follows:
- Upstate South Carolina, Mid/lowlands South Carolina.
- Atlanta & Everything on the loop, The top half of not Atlanta GA , The bottom half of not Atlanta GA.
- Florida pan handle, Disney/Orlando Florida, South Florida.
- Puerto Rico.
In the past we utilized a network of Area Captains to help communicate and come together. I fully support and believe in this approach due to the *many* distinctive areas the region homes. These ACs would have a much more refined knowledge of an area that a RC would be able to assist as need be.
For the Southeast, a total of 3 people applied for the position of RA. Do you have any plans to harness their enthusiasm, if you are elected?
The SE has had many enthusiastic people throughout its existence, and I am sure some of the most motivated people have applied to carry this torch to the next generation.
These other 2 people would be the first people I contact when working to re-establish communication lines throughout the region. I would hope they keep that enthusiasm in everything they do 