Commissioners

Welcome!

We are pleased that you’re visiting the Dan Beard Council’s Commissioner’s pages, and hope that you find what you’re looking for while you’re here. It is our goal to be welcoming and helpful, and to always sincerely practice the Scout Oath and Law in our service to Scouting.

We’ve worked hard to construct a website which Commissioners (or those who are interested in becoming a Commissioner) can find everything that they need to do a better job serving Scouting units. Here you’ll find links to the many documents we use to guide us as we help unit leaders to always reach a little farther to better serve the boys in their units. You’ll also find that Commissioners are dedicated to lifelong learning, so naturally, there is a lot of Commissioner Training information here, too.

Hopefully, we’re providing just what you’re looking for, but if for some reason you have difficulty navigating our pages or can’t find what you need, please give us the gift of feedback. We’d love to hear from you.

What is a Commissioner?

Commissioners are Scouting’s first line of support for units and leaders. We are coaches, friends, and mentors as we help unit leaders deliver the Scouting Promise. Others have described the role as Scouting’s “customer service department”, meaning that we are responsible for customer satisfaction and quality control. That’s a tall order!

But simply put, a Commissioner stands in the gap with leaders who may be either new in their position and have questions about how to best work with the boys to deliver on the Promise of Scouting, or to be on hand to be representatives of their District and of the Council. They may, from time to time, even be asked to help find and recruit new leaders for the unit or to work with the Chartering Organization to assure that the unit is operating at peak efficiency. Regardless of the details, our job is to be behind the scenes, supporting the unit and its leaders, helping them reach the highest level possible on their Journey to Excellence.

Perhaps the most important characteristic of any Commissioner (or Commissioner candidate) is a true heart for service. There must be passion for the mission of Commissioning, which is to help more youth to participate in (and thus benefit from) Scouting. You don’t need to have years of Scouting experience (we can teach you all about Scouting), but you should have a deep desire to help our children succeed, and you must recognize the importance of the values based character development program that is Scouting America. Many people who are in careers such as law enforcement, fire protection, military service or the teaching professions make great Scouting Commissioners, even if they’ve never been in Scouting as a youth and even if they have no children of their own in the program. When looking for new Commissioners to join our ranks, don’t be afraid to look outside your circle of friends that already proudly wear a Scouting uniform.

Commissioner Team

District Commissioner

Envisions what effective Unit Service in the District will look like and what goals must be accomplished to fulfill that vision.
Represents volunteers and Scouts to the District Committee.
Recruits an adequate number of Assistant District Commissioners, Roundtable Commissioners, and Unit Commissioners to provide effective Unit Service.
Retains Commissioners and units (ensuring Commissioners are given assignments that fit well with their passion, potential, and priorities and recognizing their achievements and that units receive effective service to support retention).
Enables Commissioners to be successful (including ensuring Commissioners complete onboarding, and training, are given assignments that are a good match for their passion, potential and priorities, are provided with a clear definition of success and are recognized for their achievements).

Mike Pillman
East Fork District

Kevin Owen
Fort Ancient District

Tom Montgomery
Fort Hamilton District

Mike Wood
Little Miami District

Ted Langdon
Queen City District

Tom Reckner
Trailblazer District

Rob Beckman
Whitewater Trails District

Council Commissioner

Envisions what effective Unit Service in the Council will look like and what goals must be accomplished to fulfill that vision.
Represents volunteers and Scouts to the Council’s executive board, executive committee, and its professionals.
Recruits Assistant Council Commissioners and an adequate number of other Administrative, Roundtable, and Unit Commissioners to provide effective Unit Service.
Retains Commissioners and units (ensuring Commissioners are given assignments that fit well with their passion, potential, and priorities and recognizing their achievements and that units receive effective service to support retention).
Enables Commissioners to be successful (including ensuring Commissioners complete onboarding, and training, are given assignments that are a good match for their passion, potential and priorities, are provided with a clear definition of success and are recognized for their achievements).

Doug Siebenburgen

Council Commissioner Service Team Chair

Service Team Resource Lead
Commissioner Recognition

The Commissioner Service Chair functions as the lead for the Council Commissioner Service Team encouraging their continuing training and development, and recognizing their achievements and impact. Working directly with the Council Commissioner, this role offers guidance and support in the development of resources for the purpose of strengthening relationships and service to our Commissioners and unit volunteers.

Jack Ball

Unit Service Support Chair

Onboarding of new Commissioners
Commissioner Training

The Unit Service Support Chair is responsible for development and maintenance of training and onboarding materials and processes that enable Commissioners to ensure that every member of Scouting America has a great Scouting experience, encouraging their continuing training and development, and recognizing their achievements and impact.

Tom Forsythe

College of Commissioner Science (CCS) Dean

Member of the Unit Services Support Committee
Acts as the chief administrator of the college

The CCS Dean is plans, organizes, coordinates, and manages the establishment and execution of the college. The CCS Dean is also responsible for the college program and all of the business and affairs of the college.

Mark Carlton

Commissioner Engagement Chair

Recruitment Support
Engagement Coach

The Commisioner Engagement Chair connects District Commissioners with the resources to effectively recruit, train, guide, and evaluate the required Commissioner personnel of the District.

Ron Bacu

Communications Chair

Social Media/Promotions
Newsletter Content/Updates

The Communications Chair serves as a Scribe to the Service Team and manages all internal and external communications by providing relative information, shared best practices and Commissioner Resources as needed.

Emily Bills

Technology and Renewals Chair

Commissioner Tools Reporting
Unit Renewal Reporting

The Technology Chair helps provide commissioners with an understanding of the functionality of Scouting America applications such as: Commissioner Tools, Training Manager, Member Manager, Membership Renewal, and Unit Renewal.

Craig Vollmar

Roundtable Resource Chair

Roundtable Network Engagement
Planning Resources

The Roundtable Resource Chair ensures that Roundtable Commissioners have the resources to provide information, captures information, offers current program training, and provides networking opportunities. Building on the foundation provided by position-specific basic training and each leader’s commitment to serving youth through Scouting.

Cathy Carlson

Records Administration Chair

Commissioner Reports
College of Commissioner Science (CCS) Registrar

The Records Administrative Chair provides accurate and historical tracking of commissioner registration, training and recognition data and through monthly reporting. This role also serves as the Registrar for the Council College of Commissioner Science, maintaining course curriculum coding standards and individual degree path transcripts for participants and instructors.

Jon Dreier

Service Team Resource Specialist

Assists with special projects and Service Team initiatives
Provides additional resources

The Service Team Resource Specialist assists with special projects and Service Team initiatives, providing additional resources to ensure the successful implementation and execution of the Council Commissioner Service Team’s objectives. This role is vital for supporting various tasks and offering supplementary assistance to enhance the team’s overall effectiveness.

Scott Douglass

Commissioner Training

A trained Commissioner is an effective Commissioner!

Commissioner training has the following elements:

Completion of the Commissioner Position-Specific Training – Online or instructor-led within 30 days.
Completion of the Commissioner Onboarding progress record within 30 days.
Participation in Continuing Education (monthly and annually) opportunities.

Commissioner Position-Specific Training

Postion-specific training is available in the online Scouting America Training Center (user your My.Scouting.org login credentials to access).

In addition to the required Safeguarding Youth Training (SYT), there are learning plans available for the various types of Commissioner roles:

Unit Commissioner (77 minutes total)
Roundtable/Assistant Roundtable Commissioner (69 minutes total)
District/Assistant District Commissioner (100 minutes total)
Council/Assistant Council Commissioner (89 minutes total)

Commissioner Onboarding

A commissioner is considered trained when they complete the prescribed online training or the facilitated in-person training, and when they complete the defined onboarding requirements outlined in the Onboarding Progress Record appropriate for their position while working with an assigned onboarding coach. The Onboarding Progress Record is a set of 10 to 12 position-specific tasks that the commissioner and their coach work through together. The coach’s role is to review each of the onboarding requirements with the new commissioner and assist them in completing each task. The onboarding coach is usually an experienced commissioner who is familiar with the duties expected of the newly appointed commissioner and who will help the new commissioner to become effective in their role.

Onboarding Progress Record Forms:

Once completed, send the completed onboading progress record form to the Unit Service Support Chair for review and approval. The appropriate Basic Training code will be added to your training record:

D20 = Unit Commissioner
D19 = Roundtable/Assistant Roundtable Commissioner
D18 = District/Assistant District Commissioner
D17 = Council/Assistant Council Commissioner

Continuing Education

Discussion Documents – Use as a resource in your Commissioner meetings. Ask your commissioners to listen to the relevant podcast prior to the meeting and use the Discussion Document to guide a follow-up conversation.

Virtual Impact Sessions – Monthly 2 hour live online training events. They provide a laser focused session on a relevant topic for commissioners. The sessions will generally start at 1:00 pm EASTERN time. Participation is limited to 30 people.

The College of Commissioner Science mission is to provide supplemental training for all functions in the council and district related to commissioner service. It is recognized that commissioners are key to the continued health and growth of the units in the council. The College of Commissioner Science will provide the supplemental training to aid the commissioners in providing outstanding unit service.

Courses offered address National and Territory programs of emphasis, local Council concerns, and other pertinent topics.

Degree Requirements

General requirements for all degree work include current registration as a Commissioner and completion of Youth Protection Training (YPT), Commissioner Basic/Position-Specific Training, and Commissioner Onboarding. Requirements for the non-accredited degrees and certificate in College of Commissioner Science are as follows:

Associate Degree – Awarded to all non-degreed students upon completion of four (4) class sessions of training (while as a student or instructor).
Bachelor Degree – Awarded upon completion of seven (7) class sessions of training not spanning more than two (2) consecutive years (while as a student or instructor).
Masters Degree – Awarded upon completion of seven (7) class sessions after obtaining a Bachelor Degree, not spanning more than two (2) consecutive years (while as a student or instructor), earned the Arrowhead Honor.
Doctorate Degree – Awarded upon completion of at least ten (10) class sessions after obtaining a Masters Degree (either as a student or instructor), for a total of 24 class sessions. Other requirements include completion of the Doctoral Thesis or project as prescribed in the offered courses, and previously been awarded the Commissioner’s Key and served on the staff of the College of Commissioner Science for at least one year. The thesis or project must be approved in advance by the Doctoral Committee.

NOTE: There are requirements in addition to course attendance. Degrees will not be awarded until all requirements are verified. In order for degrees to be awarded on the day of the college we will need all of the required documentation of prerequisites submitted in advance of the college. Please check the prerequisites (located in the Administration of Commissioner Manual) and submit them to our Dean of Academic Affairs. The students may bring the documents with them on the day of the college, but we can’t guarantee that the registrar will have enough time to enter it in the student’s records. Photo copies of the documentation (Scouting America certificates, transcripts, degree certificates, etc.) are sufficient.

For a complete description of the courses offered please see the list in the Administration of Commissioner Manual.

Doctoral Project

As you read the requirements for earning a Doctor of Commissioner Science degree, you will find a fair amount of information on completing the necessary doctoral project. As a service to all, prior submitted Doctoral Theses/Projects are posted on this page as a guide for Commissioners thinking about starting their projects or Scouters looking for information on topics researched.

Report Out-Of-Council Attendance

Use this contact form to inform the Dan Beard Council (DBC) Commissioner Service Team of any College of Commissioner Science courses that you completed at an out-of-council Commissioner College so that your DBC record can be updated accordingly.

Which Council Commissioner Service Team member would you like to contact?(Required)

Name(Required)

First Last

BSA ID

Email(Required)

Enter Email Confirm Email

Subject(Required)

Date(Required)

Council/Location(Required)

Course List(Required)

Please list the courses that you completed.

Number (e.g., MCS 306)

Title (e.g., Mentoring Skills)

Additional Comments

If you were the instructor for any of the courses listed in the Course List above, please note that in the "Additional Comments" field; Example: "I was the instructor for MCS 306 Mentoring Skills."

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Learn best practices for Scouting from world-class faculty and share experiences with Scouters from across the country at one of more than fifty conferences. Bring the whole family, as family programming is available for conference attendees.

There is also usually an annual Commissioner Week conference that provides opportunities to meet and interact with the National Commissioner and members of the National Commissioner Service Team while networking with Commissioners throughout the country. The week includes a special fellowship reception.

Dan Beard Council has a scholarship available to volunteer leaders and professional Scouters for up to 50% of the cost of a conference held at the PTC. Fees will be reimbursed to the participant upon successful completion of the conference.

Commissioner Resources

Safety

Commissioners

Scouting America

Marketing

Membership

Training

Commissioner Awards and Recognition

Contact a Commissioner

Use this form to sent a message to the selected member of the Dan Beard Council Council Commissioner Service Team.