Thanks for the support!

Running for the PASS Board of Directors is always a process. There are forms to complete, interviews, online and virtual events to attend...it's a lot of time and effort and hopefully it serves the community in helping make the ballot choices clearer. One piece of the process, though relies on others providing statements of support and recommendations for your spot on the Board. This year, I had several people willing to speak on my behalf. While you can find those in the application online, they have been copied here for convenience. Also, there were some which couldn't be used on the application due to limitations so those are here, too.

Check out what these people had to say about my candidacy below.

Angela Dugan (t|b)

Allan Hirt (t|b)

Kathi Kellenberger (t)

David Klee (t|b)

Tim Mitchell (t|b)

Allen White (t|b) 

Andy Yun (t|b)  

I'm always incredibly humbled by the words of my peers - thank you so much for taking time out of your day to support me.

When you have your ballot arrive in your inbox today, please take a moment to vote! Thank you!


Anglea Dugan

I have known Wendy for about 6 years now, and we have interacted at the MVP Summit, at Girls in Tech Chicago, and at a number of other community events in the Chicagoland area.

Wendy’s enthusiasm is contagious, and she brings a lot of energy to any event she attends. She is also deeply technical with an amazing network, and has been able to connect me with a lot of great people in the Chicagoland technical community when I needed assistance. I would recommend her to any group looking for an active member or leader. 

Allan Hirt

I have known Wendy Pastrick for eons and would also consider her a friend as well as a colleague. Those of us that are acquainted with her know that her personality always shines, and she would be the first person lending a hand or even just providing a smile if someone needed it. If you looked up either selfless or volunteer in a dictionary, Wendy would fit the definitions in every way, shape, and form.

One thing about Wendy besides her warm personality is that she can bridge diverse groups together. I have seen that at play not only in the SQL Saturdays that she has helped to organize, but in social situations as well. She has a natural way of making everyone feel comfortable which is a great quality to have in a role of leadership. Wendy treats everyone the same – newbie or veteran.

At the same time, Wendy is not a pushover or unrealistic. For example, she states in her application, “As much as the organization has pushed toward transparency, the speed at which some decisions and directions are chosen can be difficult to relay to the community at large in a timely manner.” As long as I’ve known Wendy, she’s always strived to improve herself both personally and professionally, and I know she wants the best for PASS even if it will not be an easy road to get to the brass ring. Wendy is certainly a straight shooter, which I appreciate. I would rather have someone be up front with me than skirt around the issue. PASS certainly needs people who want the organization to be better, are also honest, and not just wanting to be a figurehead. She’s also not someone who is afraid of rolling up her sleeves and get down to hard work.

Besides her devotion to her family, I know Wendy’s other passion is her dancing group. I know I strive for work/life balance, and I think anyone in a leadership role needs to do the same. It is always clear to me that she has her priorities in order.

Wendy has also served many roles with PASS over the years. From my vantage point, she’s given each one her all. I would expect nothing less of her in this position as well. 

Kathi Kellenberger

Wendy Pastrick has been a dedicated PASS volunteer for several years and has served on the PASS Board for the past two years. I have worked with Wendy on the WIT Virtual Chapter and WIT panels at many SQL Saturdays. Wendy not only works for PASS at the organizational level, she is also very involved with her local user groups and has organized several SQL Saturdays in Chicago. Wendy even won the PASSion award a few years ago and is a SQL Server MVP. She is always ready to assist PASS in whatever way is asked of her.

To me, the best thing about PASS is the wonderful community we have formed. When I think about community, Wendy is one of the first people who comes to mind. Making sure that everyone feels welcome is very important to Wendy. Wendy is just one of those people who makes others feel comfortable and accepted. She also encourages new speakers which is very important for the health and growth of PASS.

Because of her many contributions to the SQL Server community and dedication to PASS, I would like to recommend Wendy Pastrick for the PASS Board of Directors. I am certain that she will continue to serve the best interests of the organization and faithfully represent the membership.

David Klee

I truly cannot think of anyone more deserving to be elected to the SQL PASS Board of Directors than Wendy Pastrick. She is easily the most dedicated PASS volunteer that I personally am aware of, and her eagerness to involve herself in the PASS community is second to none. From contributing leadership and guidance to the Chicago SQL Server User Groups, WIT Virtual Chapter, and WIT sessions at SQLSaturday, all the way to being the chief coordinator for the most successful SQL Saturday in the last two years that I attended, Wendy works very hard to contribute to the success and growth of PASS and the community that has evolved around it. 

On a personal level, Wendy is one of the sweetest and most vibrant people that I know. Her warmth and ease at which she can make anyone - from the most senior professional to the newbie attending their first SQL Server Users Group meeting - comfortable and eager to contribute to the community is unparalleled in our technical communities. Her personal attributes are guaranteed to positively reinforce the professionalism that Wendy exudes 24x7 to help the Board of Directors continue to be even more successful as PASS continues to grow. 

Because of her passion for PASS, strong involvement in the community, years of experience, and fantastic personality, I would like to wholeheartedly and without hesitation recommend Wendy Pastrick for the SQL PASS Board of Directors. 

Tim Mitchell

I have had the pleasure of working with Wendy Pastrick in various capacities during the past four years.  In that time, Wendy has always exemplified the qualities I would expect to see of a community leader.  She has demonstrated a selfless work ethic and a strong desire to help others.  As a prior PASSion Award winner, her passion for the SQL community is second to none.  Further, I have observed her in her current board service as a true community leader, willing to tackle difficult matters in the interest of community harmony.

In short, Wendy is exactly the type of person I want to have representing me on the PASS board.  I am happy to endorse her candidacy.

Allen White

Wendy and I first worked together as part of the Election Review Committee and were partners on the PASS Quiz Bowl a few years ago. I've also spoken at SQL Saturdays she organized, and have spent a good deal of time with her at SQL events where she was always active in helping out in any way she could.  On the ERC there were times where issues caused people to "get their dander up", and Wendy was instrumental in keeping the discussions professional and focused, and helped us get to an outcome we could all agree upon.  She not only did a great job getting the Chicago SQL Saturday off on a great foot, but set up the organization so that it could continue successfully after she moved on.  That is a skill that many leaders don't understand - that of leaving the organization stable and healthy when passing the baton to someone else.  I believe she's done a great job with her past two years on the PASS Board of Directors, and will continue to do so on reelection.

Andy Yun

I am writing today to provide a Referral Statement of Support for Wendy Pastrick.  

For PASS, I worked with her to help organize SQL Saturday #291 Chicago.  She was the event's team leader & primary organizer.  In her role, she exhibited exceptional organizational skills, along with smart delegation capabilities.  She knew when to let other team members continue to complete work, and when to step in if someone needed assistance or fell behind.  Her communication was also very strong.  Wendy operated with an open ear, welcomed feedback and acted upon suggestions and areas that needed improvement.  

Wendy Pastrick's strong leadership played a critical role in making SQL Saturday #291 an extremely successful event.  

PASSion for PASS

I am running once again for the PASS Board of Directors. One of the questions in my Board interview by the Nominations Committee was "What is the biggest challenge currently facing the Board?" My answer could have included many things, but the top issue I see was highlighted by the current slate of candidates you have for this year's election.

Why are there only four candidates for the Board?
Why do people not want to run for the Board?
Why would you not want to give back to your community or become more involved in an organization that has given you so much be it training or networking or opportunity?

If you base perception of what it means to be a Board member on reading many of the more vocal critics of PASS, I can see how that can make it daunting. It is not easy to have your character, your motives and your decisions picked apart by people for every communication or path which is chosen. In that vein, I would like to clear up a few misconceptions about my involvement in PASS and my work status.

1. I am a DBA. My title is Data Platform Consultant. Majority of my work relates to performance tuning, high availability and more recently delving into the realms of APS and Azure. Yes, I do sometimes work in SSIS or (gasp!) SSRS and have even had some exposure to Analysis Services, but primarily and foremost I am still a SQL Engine DBA.

2. I have been very fortunate over the years to build an amazing network of friends, colleagues and technical experts. This is what PASS is to me - not an acronym but a community sharing their knowledge and supporting each other. I regret not blogging about my decision to accept the PASS name as it stands, without the words behind it. It had nothing to do with dropping SQL Server out of the name. PASS is a global organization - did you know that in some countries, it is actually illegal to call yourself a "Professional" anything unless you have been granted that designation by the local government? Trying to manage different org names for various countries is not a good use of our resources. I would have preferred we come up with another name, but PASS has so much branding already behind it, that route didn't stand a chance. I did make the suggestion, more than once, to come up with a separate entity name for the BA focus. No, I didn't have anything in mind but I did share my thought with the Board. (Example: Coinstar bought Redbox, but they now operate under an umbrella called Outerwall) I'm hopeful that using PASS is only a first step and we can come up with a more meaningful naming.

3. Yes, I now work for Pragmatic Works. Many of you who know me know that this was one of the toughest decisions I've had to make in a long time. From afar, it may appear that I was wooed away but alas, that is not the case. I found myself in a position where I needed to find new employment. Every person I talked to over a several week period suggested I really look at what I wanted to do. I want to work with PDW. "Have you talked to Adam?" No, I didn't - not for several weeks until it became clear that it wasn't fair of me to exclude them as a potential employer. I love consulting. I love learning. I've found a place to work that promotes both, while also supports my efforts to maintain involvement with the PASS community. There is a reason there are so many amazing people who work with PW! I can assure you that Adam and I understand working on the Board has nothing to do with our employment at the same company. We were on the Board prior to my employment here and I will not be changing the way I think or involve myself just because I've changed jobs. If Adam didn't respect me for my own decision making ability and thought leadership, then PW would not have hired me anyway.

4. Groupthink. This one is tougher. As a Board member, each person has their own portfolio. We don't micromanage the other portfolios. We come together at Board meetings and give each other status reports or present ideas. I take the criticism for anything that comes from "PASS" whether I had any direct involvement or not. Not everything is a vote. Not everything is a discussion. Sometimes, things happen and I find out about it maybe hours or days before the rest of the Community. If there is any groupthink happening, it would be between a portfolio owner and the HQ counterparts. I can tell you that my Community Evangelists know what direction I'm planning and they make suggestions and have questions and we involve others, too. I was very open with the Chapters and Regional Mentors during the Chapter Agreement rewrite process. I moved my deadline back three times to ensure they had ample time to respond and we made a lot of additional changes based on that feedback. Was I swayed by groupthink? Absolutely - from the community.

I will always be involved with PASS in some fashion or another. With any luck, I will be able to continue to encourage people to step up and become involved. PASS needs volunteers. PASS needs YOU - yes, YOU. This organization is more than the sum of its parts, it is #sqlfamily. I am forever thankful for the support and encouragement I get (especially in these past few days) from those friends and colleagues.

As with everything else politically related, I want to encourage you to make up your OWN mind about who you want to vote for and why. Each candidate has their information and application posted on the Elections website. Check us all out. Decide who you want on the Board, but make it your decision.

Just make sure to Vote!

Smiles,
Wendy

#Tsql2sday - Passwords

It's another installment of the always fun and informational #TQL2sday series! This time, I'm going to share my super secret method of creating passwords AND being able to remember them. I know, it's impossible, right? How can you possibly have a unique password for every account, plus keep it secure and at the same time fulfill all those darned requirements? Well, dear friends, it can be as simple as KISS.

Yes, there is is: Keep It Simple Stupid Silly

No actually, that it only part of the story. Here is the key: come up with a meaningful sentence that you can recall easily. 

Here is my recipe:
Step 1: "I cannot remember my password for this site!" 
Step 2: Take the first letter of each word: icrmpfts 
Step 3: Substitute captials/numbers where it makes sense: Icrmp4ts
Step4: Add punctuation if needed: Icrmp4ts!

This way, you are really recalling a phrase instead of a word or a series of characters. I have a few key phrases I like to use and they have, so far, served me very well.

Thanks again to our Host Sebastian Meine (B|T) and Adam Machanic (B|T) for coming up with this idea in the first place!