Fred Sheets

Candidate for treasurer

I seek your vote for the AVA National Treasurer. I am concerned that our AVA national organization provides continued vitality and excellence in service under our sustained austere resources. Our AVA needs to be fiscally responsible, yet seek increased growth. This balancing act is not a one-person performance, but a team task. I believe that my presence as AVA Treasurer would significantly enhance this undertaking.

Currently employed as a Department of Defense Supervisory Auditor with the Defense Contract Audit Agency since 1988. Certified Public Accountant & Certified Government Financial Manager. Served as Chapter officers in Professional Accounting Organizations. Master in Accountancy. Retired Reserve Armed Forces - 28 years. Active participant in Volkssporting since 1978. Served as Volkssport club officers in Texas and Florida. First Florida State Volkssport President - two non-consecutive terms. Served as Southeast Region Director, Executive Council X & XI. Served as National Treasurer, Executive Council XII. Experienced in AVA club, state, and national treasurer positions.

TAW Questions:

What is your vision for the AVA?

I would like the AVA to be recognized by whenever a national, state or local civic or community based organization thinks about putting on a walk that they would want to first contract the Volkssporting association for advice and assistance.

Why do you want to serve on the AVA Executive Council?

The AVA needs national leaders who can articulate the challenges facing our membership and bring it to a national forum for discussion. Humbly, I am one of those leaders.

What are the major challenges facing the AVA and what would you do about them?

The AVA is not only experiencing a shrunken participation base, but an ever-diminishing volunteer base. There is nothing that the AVA at the national level can do to fix this, but there is much the local club can do to publish and be more inclusive to attract new members. I am trying to insure that the AVA has the financial resources to continue before the turn-around comes.

What specific professional and volunteer expertise would you bring to the Council?

Professionally, my expertise is significant in the financial arena with strong credentials and membership associations. I have been an active Volkssporter volunteer since 1978 and held elected offices since 1984.

What have been your most significant volkssport contributions in the past 5 years?

During 2001 through 2002, I bought to the AVA membership the need to financially strengthen the AVA operations by means of a fee increase. This was widely unpopular and I received severe criticism for bringing this to the national forum. I was literally censured by friend and unknown alike. It was a tough position to take and personally exhausting. But all that weight that I shouldered was wiped away when a club member came up to me and said, “Thanks, Fred, for saving the AVA.”