Kris Kleinsteuber – Candidate for Regional Advocate 2024

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.

Nomination Statement

Howdy!

My name is Kris Kleinsteuber. I’ve been a judge for over five years, and I’m approaching two years since becoming a Level Two judge. I started my journey under the old program, before the shift to Judge Academy.

Many of you know me from the regional conferences I hosted for Judge Academy. During these events, I learned a great deal about the US West region, now part of the new Pacific West. I feel I would be a good candidate for the new Regional Advisor position.

I have a solid understanding of the regional landscape and am familiar with its struggles and successes. One of the issues I’d like to address is evaluating which Level One judges want to advance to Level Two. Additionally, there are very few Level Three (or higher) judges in the area, and I’d like to help more people achieve this level. A strong base of judges ensures we continue to pass along our knowledge and build up a new generation that can assist players, stores, and TOs. I also want to get to know Hawaii and Arizona better. Thankfully, we have some standout folks in those areas, and I’m excited to see how we can expand the program in those states.

My goals for the first year are simple: establish a regional identity, similar to what we had under US Southwest, build a network of trusted Area Communicators, create communication hubs on Facebook and Discord, identify judges who want to advance in the program, and support those who wish to maintain their current level. I aim to build a structure that ensures a smooth transition to the next RA, with the infrastructure already in place.

I hope I am worthy to represent you all in the region. Thank you.

At the end of your first six months as Regional Advocate, what does “success” look like?

Within six months of assuming the role of Regional Advisor, my goal is to cultivate a cohesive team of Area Communicators to collaborate with me. I am committed to ensuring that updates and announcements from Wizards, Judge Foundry, and myself are conveyed to the region’s members in a seamless and efficient manner. It is important to me that the region perceives the Pacific West ACs as valuable resources for their needs. For me, success is synonymous with establishing stability within the region.

What skills/experience do you bring to the role of Regional Advocate?

I possess strong organizational skills and take pride in my ability to effectively plan projects, establish timelines, and collaborate with teams to achieve project goals efficiently. This approach has proven successful in my experience managing conferences, where I consistently delivered positive outcomes. I have cultivated relationships with numerous judges, stores, and Tournament Organizers (TOs) in the region, as well as with key TOs across the United States and Canada.

While I excel in organization and project management, I acknowledge a personal development area in communication. I recognize that clarity in communication is paramount in a role such as this, where avoiding misperceptions and ensuring timely project management are crucial. I am committed to enhancing my communication skills daily to better align my intentions with my interactions.

Describe your plans to recruit and utilize Area Communicators.

If selected as Regional Advisor, I have identified several candidates to serve as Area Communicators. I also plan to develop a few online platforms to be remotely managed by an individual residing in our region. If any of these candidates are unable to fulfill their roles due to prior commitments, I will seek their recommendations to ensure adequate coverage in each major area of the region. If additional volunteers are needed, I will create a Google Form for individuals to express their interest, followed by interviews to select the most suitable candidates for both the team and the area.

I envision utilizing my team as a dynamic network, facilitating the flow of information between the Area Communicators, myself, the Regional Coordinator, and the board as necessary. Area Communicators will manage issues within their capacity while keeping me informed, and I will serve as a resource for them. Matters beyond my scope will be escalated to the RC or the board.

What is something unique to the Pacific West region that you would advocate for the Judge Foundry Board of Directors to do?

I haven’t seen anyone advocate for this, but I would like to see if the board could help the region host a leadership gathering. The RA and ACs (and any L3+) could meet up, discuss the politics of the region face to face, and host topics to help us in our duties or grow our skills as judges. Team building, communication, diplomacy, deescalation techniques, and such. The regions used to host these, and I feel that meeting the leadership in the region has a vast benefit that being distanced and digital-only doesn’t foster. Maybe even once every couple of years, since the first term in set to be longer than normal. We have some vast distances between our various hubs that a board-supported physical gathering could help break down.

Do you have plans for any region based projects?

I spent some time gathering information before I wanted to answer this. I learned from the former US SW leadership and senior judges that we used to have a decent amount of regional project. Chris Higashi ran educational classes to help judges level up their skills. Zimet formed a cohesive regional identity and mantra (albeit he admits it was a joke) “Mandatory Fun.” He and Angela helped lead a push for regional swag to coalesce this identity so that when judges gathered together, they could show to others that they were from this particular region. This swag can still be found today out in the wild! I want to support judge meetups, especially when a large event is in the area. There is nothing better than meeting over a shared activity or a meal to learn about one another. Our region is vast. Some of our areas have distances between each major hub. I want to help judges in these isolated areas become more integrated into the community and feel that they can succeed. Each of these can be a project for the region. I had plans for some of them, while talking to the former leadership gave me further ideas to consider. If I am selected to be the Regional Advisor for the region, I look forward to implementing my ideas to help the region be successful and swell our numbers.