Advisory Board
We are appreciative of their service to the organization and it is with gratitude and pride that we present the Board members to you.
Greg McClanahan - President
When Greg stood in front of his first classroom of students, he knew he had found his passion. When he received his first acknowledgment of appreciation from a student for the influence the class had on their life, it became infectious. When he realized the indefinable impact that education can have on others, he was driven to make a difference.
As his career progressed, Greg learned that ongoing professional development was the key to his success and that when he was not consistently engaged in personal growth, his success was compromised. He has watched his own children succeed in one class and struggle in another. He has witnessed miracles by some teachers and other experiences that compromised his children’s confidence at a tender and impressionable age. He asked what could be done to increase the percentage of successful experiences within the classroom? Statistics show that it lies in the ability of a teacher to be at their best, personally. This lead him to the establishment of the ‘Around the Campfire’ organization.
While completing his degree in Business Management and Industrial Relations, Greg worked for America West Airlines in their Reservation Sales Training Department. Corporate training has a two fold mission; first, to train skills and second, to ensure that the culture of the organization thrives. He loved the challenge of fulfilling both aspects of the job.
National Computer Systems was Greg’s next employer. Their School Administrative Software (CIMS) had just launched a new platform and Greg was hired to head up the training and support services for the new product. This became his first exposure to developing training and support materials along with conducting classroom education. The second love of his career was in realizing the significance and power of the written word. Successful implementation of the product was a combination of classroom instruction and continued reinforcement of the operating protocols through written correspondence.
Greg helped form a company which provided training on a national basis for Fleetwood Enterprises and SAM’s Club. His ability to contribute to the Around the Campfire Organization comes as a result of these cumulative experiences and many others all of which started at an early age while working for his father in the family grocery store and culminating in what happens today. All experiences have been equally valuable in helping define his drive and ambition to succeed and to help others in their pursuit of excellence.
Tim Connor, CSP
Tim is the best selling author of over 75 books including several international best sellers, including - ‘Soft Sell’ (The Number One Best Selling Sales Book In The World Now In 21 Languages), 81 Management Challenges, Your First Year In Sales, 91 Sales Mistakes Salespeople Make, Life Is Short, Corporate Disconnect and Overcoming Life’s Challenges and Difficult Times.
He is the President and CEO of Connor Resource Group and Peak Performance Institute and he has been a full time professional speaker, trainer, coach, consultant and best selling author for 37 years. Since 1973 he has given over 4000 presentations in twenty-one countries around the world to a wide variety of audiences.
Each year over 85% of his presentations are return engagements for the same clients on such topics as peak performance management, effective leadership, customer focused sales strategies, personal motivation, value driven customer service and building positive business and personal relationships.
Each year he also facilitates a number of strategic planning events and meetings for many of his clients and presents several public Boot Camps. He is a results oriented business coach and consultant working with a select few clients each year helping them improve their individual and organization performance.
Tim has been a member of the National Speakers Assn. for over 25 years and he is one of only 400 Certified Speaking Professionals in the world, a designation given by the National Speakers Association since 1979.
His international clients range in sales from 5 million to over 50 billion a year and come from a wide variety of industries including; food, manufacturing and distribution, housing and construction, financial services, hospitality, technology and communication, and personal and professional services.
Tim’s presentations are filled with insightful and contemporary ideas and are presented in a riveting and entertaining style.
His experience and talent make him an invaluable addition to our board.
Tommy Brown, MS
For forty-one years Tommy has enjoyed a remarkable career. Baylor University was home for six years while he earned both his Bachelor of Science in Biology and minor in Physical Education, as well as his Master of Science in Education. From there, he taught Science and was the head baseball and football coach for Farmington High School in Northern New Mexico. He then moved into administration as an assistant principal and simultaneously served as the Assistant Executive Secretary to the New Mexico Activities Association.
Tommy then became a Principal for five years followed by being the Assistant Superintendent for that same school district. In 1983 he moved South and was hired as the Superintendent of Schools which he continued in that capacity until 1998. He relocated back to his hometown of Farmington, NM and worked until 2002 as the Assistant Superintendent until his retirement. He represented eight states while serving for four years on the Advisory Committee of National Teachers Exam. He served on the National Basketball and Football Rules Committee and was a baseball scout for the Baltimore Oriels. His hobby for a decade was refereeing college basketball.
It would be difficult to enumerate his accomplishments and successes - especially if you were relying on Tommy to tell you any of his accolades. His humility and generosity are hallmarks of his character. He now loves to work in his garden with his wife Gloria, serve together in the community, play golf, and travel. He beams with pride when he talks about his son and daughter. As a side note, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree as Tommy’s education heritage continues with his son who is a principal in Texas.
As a board, we could not have been more fortunate to have such a wealth of experience among us. When we are crafting messages to assist administrator’s in their task of inspiring and motivating their staff, he knows the challenges and he advises on founded principles he has practiced.
Dr. Donald W. Green
Donald received his Bachelor’s degree at the University of British Columbia, his Master of Science Degree at Brigham Young University and his Doctor of Science in Biology at Canterbury University. It would take many paragraphs to describe the work Donald has performed as an educator from 1964 to 2005. In brief, he was a professor of Biology at New Mexico Junior College for thirty years; and, in addition, has been published for his research. He has worked to provide improved teaching aides for students and worked to create more effective tutorial programs.
Donald and his wife Judy are enjoying retirement; but, they remain very active. They serve unselfishly in caring for Judy’s mother. In his free time, you’ll find Donald in his wood shop or playing with his bull dog. When possible, he travels to visit his four children and their families.
The success Donald has had in the classroom provides significant expertise to our advisory board. He was an Academic Counselor and Tutor at the high school level for seven years just prior to his retirement. This experience affords a unique insight to add to our messages. Fortunately, the five syllable words he used throughout his thesis are not required to be used in documenting and understanding the key principles of success found in this program.
LeiLani Scott, MA
LeiLani received her Masters Degree at the University of Northern Colorado. She is the Special Education Director for Secondary Education for the Board of Cooperative Services which serves the special needs students in Southwest Colorado. Simultaneously, she is the Director of the Special Education Department for the Cortez, Colorado School District. She is also the only Vision Specialist in Southwest Colorado and Northern New Mexico who services visually impaired students in all surrounding communities including the Navajo Reservation.
LeiLani has devoted countless hours to continuing her education and refining her skills by earning special certifications which include: Elementary Education, Interdisciplinary Studies, English as a Second Language, Severe Needs Vision and Orientation and Mobility, certified as a Severe Needs Specialist, Transition Specialist and has her Licensure in Special Education Direction.
Special needs student programing requires an intense amount of attention to detail to ensure that student’s legal rights are being met and that Individual Education Plans are not only written, maintained, and precisely followed. Her greatest attribute is that she can keep up with all the program details and still be meaningfully engaged with her staff and students.
Compassion leads the list of her personal character traits and not far from the top of the list is her passion for ensuring that all external conditions are organized so that nothing interferes with a student’s education. LeiLani is a welcomed addition to the Around The Campfire Advisory Board. The experience and perspective she brings to the board ensures that this vital part of our educational system is represented in our messages.
Catherine Spriggs
Catherine earned her teaching certificate in Secondary Education from the University of Texas A&M. Both Catherine and her husband have made a huge commitment, both financially and emotionally, to organize Grace Preparatory Academy, a private school. They adopted the University Model teaching format and the school is a member of the National Association of University Model Schools.
Under her leadership for the past seven years, Grace Preparatory Academy has provided an environment that encourages learning with its low student/teacher classroom ratio. The school serves grades six through twelve and offers a broad range of elective courses that compliments core classes. Catherine is the Administrator for the school and along with the Board of Directors makes all pertinent decisions that pertain to daily operations as well as the future direction of the school.
As you walk the halls of the school with her, it is enjoyable to see the interaction she has with her staff and the students. Her love for each of them emanates from her and is the key to the ongoing success of the school. These qualities and many others make her involvement in the Advisory board a valuable contribution.
Fred Achierno, MA
As some of the original messages went into distribution from the Around the Campfire Organization, it was obvious that we needed a critical eye for grammatical accuracy. We never wanted sentence structure or errors to detract attention away from the message. Fred was one of the most influential teachers to Greg McClanahan, President of Around the Campfire, and just happened to be his English and Composition teacher in high school nearly 30 years ago. He graciously agreed to join the board and we are grateful.
Fred’s decision to go into education began at a summer camp for kids in Bailey, Colorado where he worked as a group leader during the summer of his sophomore year at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado. Up to that time he was a Business Administration major. He realized, that summer, that there was a need for teachers who cared about the future of our youth and their ability to become useful members of their society as adults.
Upon his return to ASC as a junior, he changed his major to Secondary English and Education with a minor in Business. He did his student teaching in the Jefferson County school system near Denver, Colorado and received his BA in August of 1966. He then secured a teaching assignment in the Ignacio school district in Ignacio, Colorado in 1966.
The schools there contained a tri-ethnic community of students to include Anglo, Spanish, and Native American. He taught Jr. High and Sr.High School English, Business, psychology, and computers. He decided to work on his MA in Guidance and Counseling and completed this degree in 1969. He was a Jr. High and Elementary Counselor for eight years under the Johnson O Malley federally funded program. He returned to teaching when the funding ran out. He taught Jr. High and High School English, Business, Psychology, computers and Alternative Ed. He remained in the Ignacio school system until his retirement 37 years later.
He moved his family to Grand Junction, Colorado where he continues to be involved in the service to his community of senior citizens and homeowners’ association. He is on the board of directors for his HOA.
He categorizes all individuals into three groups: Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened. He is most interested in working with the last two groups. He wants to help them become useful members of a community some day.
Kay Lindsey
Do you remember your elementary music teacher? You probably haven’t met anyone as sweet and loving since. That is a perfect description of Kay. How could our board be complete without her?
Kay received her degree in Elementary Education at Eastern New Mexico University with a special interest major in elementary music education. Since her retirement from public education, she continues to be active in many civic organizations such as the New Mexico Cattlewomen’s Organization where she has served as vice-chairperson. Chair for the Claunch-Pinto Soil and Water Conservation District as well as the recipient of awards from the New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts.
It is easy to conclude that her third generation roots in the cattle business has lead to her passion for devoting her free time toward promoting this industry. Her experience in the classroom extends to programs that have educated youth on the importance the ranching community has in our food supply. Her success is a result of the skills she developed in the classroom.
It is these experiences and many others that make her a great asset to our Advisory Board. She brings an awareness of the importance of combining programs that are specific to our varied communities and the significance of integrating them into school programming. Her perspective keeps us focused on how interconnected we are as a community.
