Dear Friends, Acquaintances, and Other Club Members:
Thanks so much for considering me for a seat on the ACMOC board. Here’s a little bit about me.
I’m California born & raised and have a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Davis (Go Ags!), where I was a member of the Antique Mechanics Club and picked up that love for old iron. Currently, I’m two months away from finishing my master’s degree in Taxation from Golden Gate University.
The boards I’ve served on have been pretty diverse, and range from small hands-on clubs to a large organization where I help provide financial oversight. I have served as treasurer and/or secretary for the Woodland Parent Nursery School and Antique Mechanics Society. I currently serve as a Woodland Sunrise Rotary board member, secretary/treasurer of EDGE&TA Branch 158, secretary of ACMOC Chapter 15, and the Co-Vice President of Finance of the Woodland Opera House, an operating theater and State Park. As the volunteer coordinator for Toys for Tots, I have the honor of organizing volunteers to help the Yolo County Detachment Marine Corps League distribute toys each year. As a certified public accountant, I work with businesses and nonprofits to help them better understand their financial statements, implement budgets, and navigate a complicated world.
I owe the Boy Scouts of America immense gratitude for the leadership training I received. The tools they provided helped me guide the youth I served, and have served me well in my life as an accountant and volunteer. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t survived 6-day Wood Badge leadership training and then later served as a trainer on two courses. My son earned his Eagle three years ago, and I served in the Boy Scouts as a den leader, Cubmaster, Committee Chair, Scoutmaster, and trainer. I only reluctantly ended my Scouting adventure when it became clear that I couldn’t be both a Certified Public Accountant and serve as a trainer in Wood Badge, a program that required so many days of my time in either fall or spring tax season.
When it comes to tractors, I’m more of a mechanic and operator than a collector. My happiest times are learning something new, spraying on a nice layer of paint (dark gray with red trim, of course), detailing the inside of a carburetor, feeling the satisfaction of a successful repair, going on a tractor drive, trying my hand at plowing, or running one of my grain binders at a show. I helped put on the 2011 Best Show in Woodland (not to be confused with the larger 2008 show), and will always remember that this was the show that Dave Kestler took the time to teach me all about vacuum tanks. I also learned about combine harvesting and felt the excitement of pulling a combine with a Caterpillar Sixty, turning the corners with my foot hard on the brake and driving that machine parallel to the reel.
I can’t recall exactly how long I’ve been a member of ACMOC, but it was back when the magazine was black & white and the club was still in Oregon. I was asked to take on the newsletter just before it moved to Illinois, but with two small children at home I had to decline. That request to help the club has always been open, but now I have the skills, knowledge, and experience to be of real service.
I respectfully ask that you write my name, “Sue Westwood”, on your ballot tucked inside your most recent newsletter and mail it to the ACMOC office with a postmark date no later than November 2.
Your questions are welcome, and I am grateful for your support.
Sincerely,
Sue Westwood, CPA
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