A Message from new CCSA President, Tony Dickens

PRESIDENTIAL PLAN 2008

As I accept the position to lead and guide the Central Carolina Songwriters Association for 2 years, I am reminded of the steady hand used by Shantel Davis to organize and form the organization we now enjoy. Taking the gavel from Shantel, Dawn Williams provided strong leadership and has taken our group to improved levels of performance following Shantel’s lead. Thanks to both Shantel & Dawn our group has increased membership while improving content.

Since I began as a member of CCSA in 2000 we have met at the Harrison Library, Sam Ash Music Store and now The Longview Center. Hopefully The Longview will be our long-term home. Thank you, Charles Owens for providing this wonderful facility for us.

My plan is plain. Expand leadership, spread our duties and responsibilities out evenly, increase our visibility as the premiere songwriter’s organization in central Carolina, improve our network information, and fine tune our focus on the craft of songwriting. Already we have expanded our board, more clearly defined our mission statement, created a set of organizational and meeting by-laws / guidelines, and have redefined officers’ duties while setting our calendar for 2008. I would like to see our group become more involved with sister songwriting organizations, their events and share our resources. It is our goal to be a support group that is not only a sounding board, but a source of valuable information for new as well as veteran songwriters. My desire and intent is to work with each and every member of the group, in order to become partners in what can be a relationship that will benefit both the member and the group at large. Within our group there is a tremendous talent and experience pool that we have yet to expose. Engineers, designers, producers, graphic designers, promoters, musicians, as well as webmasters are members of our organization. I want to be sure that everyone is aware of and given every opportunity to share talents, services and information with the group at large.

I thankfully accept the position of president and will do my best to deliver results that will take the group to the next level. Let me say thanks for all the hard work that our board of directors has delivered. Each and every member of our group is valuable. We will not forsake content in order to satisfy growth.

Working together we will all improve and make 2008 a year to look back at next year and say, “it was a great 2008”.

Thanks, and we grow and share because we care.

Tony Dickens