Hello, my name is James Henningson, MrJimmy on talk, and I am running for the board of directors. I am currently the vice chair of PR, and I also the interim head of the expansion team. As part of Team Expansion I have been working towards getting our certificate of occupancy for the new space and coordinating vendors and volunteers. During my time on Team Expansion I have gotten to work directly with many of you. It has been a great pleasure getting to work with each committee to help each of you get the most out of your new space. It is this work that has motivated me to run for the board.
Outside of DMS I have worked in digital marketing for more than 20 years. Currently I am the senior director of commerce innovation at The Integer Group where I run the Retail Arts Lab. The lab is a retail innovation lab where we develop prototypes for Fortune 10 companies. I have developed numerous prototypes in my lab including Smart Mirrors, Holograms and even a beer coaster that charges your phone.
Prior to joining DMS I was a board member for the Slingshot foundation. The foundation raises money from corporate sponsors and distributed it to low income schools and afterschool programs through a grant process. I have also done extensive work with The Salvation Army through a previous employer. That work focused on their Red Kettle fundraising initiative and was successful at increasing their donations in person and online. Between the two I have gained a wealth of knowledge around all forms of fundraising.
If I am on the board of directors I pledge to be an advocate for the entire membership and to improve communication at all levels within DMS. To achieve this I pledge to send out regular scheduled board status updates, similar to the expansion updates and to institute an open door “office hours” policy that allows any member to come discuss business and learn about the board.
My goals for DMS in 2019 are:
- Improve transparency on the board with regular status updates and office hours
- Complete the expansion
- Increase Dallas Makerspaces position in the community through improved outreach
- Improve our ability to raise capital
Endorsements:
Sue Rodgers
Anita Willis
Curtis Baker
Josh Melnick
Coul
Max Kirkland
Ken Purcell
M. Blatz
