Structure & Leadership
The Lake Erie International Model United Nations Corporation is overseen by a Board of Trustees, which can range from five to fifteen members. The Trustees have taken on the long-term planning and operational responsibilities formerly handled by Dr. Hammond and Kent State University.
The Trustees appoint a President to manage all conference operations. The President appoints one individual to serve as Secretary-General and five individuals to serve as Corporate Officers. The Secretary-General is primarily responsible for assisting with conference planning and operations. The Directors are responsible for specific organizational areas - Education, Recruitment, Marketing, and Finance. The President may also appoint other Corporate Officers on an as needed basis.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES & CORPORATE OFFICERS
Dave Bebout
Dave Bebout is serving his first term on the Board of Trustees. He began his involvement with LEIMUN as a delegate from Jefferson Area High School in 1988, and was one of the first to participate in Jefferson's MUN program as a graded class. Over the last 20 years, he has served in nearly every available position on staff, and has enjoyed his time immensely.
Dave attended Kent State and Cleveland State Universities studying, in his words, "anything that struck my fancy". He currently works as a building exterior restoration consultant, and uses knowledge gained from LEIMUN and political science study to write effective and persuasive building assessments, as well as to mediate between opposing viewpoints. As he explains: "The one thing I have found most rewarding (aside from the great friendships I have from LEIMUN) is the very real world skills that I use regularly in my professional life, even though I didn't end up working in international politics as I once planned."
Michael Dylann Brennan
Michael Dylan Brennan is serving his second term on the Board of Trustees. Michael returned to the Board after several years of serving LEIMUN and its conferences in various capacities, after having served a term on the original founding board of the LEIMUN organization. He began his involvement with Model United Nations as a delegate from Geneva High School at the Northcoast Conference and then Bowling Green State University at national conferences.
Michael's ongoing support of and involvement in LEIMUN is due to his commitment to Model United Nations as an alternate and supplemental educational experience for high school and college students. From his own experience, Model United Nations was where Michael acquired his interest in both advocacy and world affairs, and his ongoing support of LEIMUN and its conferences is an embodiment of this commitment.
Michael has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Bowling Green State University and a Juris Doctor from The Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University. An attorney since 1996, Michael had a judicial clerkship with the Honorable Kathleen Ann Sutula of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, and was associated with two respected Cleveland area law firms before founding The Law Office of Michael Dylan Brennan, LLC in 2009.
Michael lives in University Heights, Ohio with his wife, Gina Ventre, and their cats, Tito and Lola.
Warren Matthew Buckey
Warren Matthew Buckey is a serving his second full term on the Board of Trustees. He was elected in 2005 and was appointed to fill a vacant seat in 2009. He was reelected in 2009. Warren currently serves as our de facto Publishing Manager - designing conference brochures, programs, etc. Warren has previously served as both Vice President and President and currently serves as Chairman. Prior to his terms on the Board, Warren served the organization in multiple conference positions including Secretary-General, on the Advisory Council, and on the Rules Revision Committee. Warren became involved with LEIMUN as a high school delegate in 1983. He became a staff volunteer upon graduation from high school. His current term ends in November 2012.
Warren is a graduate of Ashtabula's (now defunct) Harbor High School. He attended the Ohio State University where he earned a BA in Political Science and German Literature. He lives in Columbus, Ohio where he is a IT Systems Specialist for the Ohio State University.
Greg Laurence
Dr. Gregory Laurence is serving his first term on the Board of Trustees. He has been involved on the LEIMUN staff since 1990 (attending whenever he was not working in Japan) but began doing Model UN in high school. He has presided over a wide variety of committees, as well as participating on the A-Team and Emergency Simulation Design. He also served on the Senior Staff and Advisory Council.
Greg graduated from Bay High School in Bay Village, Ohio. He has earned the following degrees: BA in History from Ohio University; MA in International Relations with concentration in Conflict Resolution and Cross-Cultural Negotiations from Syracuse University; MBA in Strategy and Human Resource Management from Syracuse University; and PhD in Organizational Behavior from Syracuse University. He has worked in Japan as an English teacher, business development manager for a consulting firm, and Membership Manager for the American Chamber of Commerce. Greg is now an Assistant Professor of Management at the University of Michigan-Flint where he lives with his wife, Mina.