ZOOMantics 44 Committee
ZOOMantics 44 Committee
The unsung heroes for any organization, including Mensa, are its volunteers. Without them, we couldn't organize or hold any of the gatherings and activities that fill SEMM's monthly calendar. The success of a Regional Gathering, even when not held in person, involves teamwork, dedication, and time commitment in order to organize such an event. I appreciate all of you for giving us the gift of your time, energy, and talents to make this year's virtual gathering a reality.
Vicky Stout, our esteemed Zoom Expert and RG 44 Registrar, deserves a heartfelt thank you. Her knowledge of Zoom was an asset in the preparation and execution of every part of our virtual Regional Gathering. She also created the registration form, as well as the online program guide and the easy to use portal to navigate to all of the activities.
Tom Ott is our treasured RG Treasurer. With a B.S. in Chemistry, an M.S., and a Ph.D., he clearly knows his way around numbers. This is his second year serving as SEMMantics Treasurer.
Joan Rayford has been serving as SEMMantics' Program Grid Editor and Tournament Chair for many years. Without her guidance and dedication, SEMMantics would be known as Chaotics.
Melissa Jenkins is SEMMantics' Kids' Track Chair. For years, she has provided a variety of events, activities, and speakers that educate and stimulate our gifted youth. For this year's virtual RG, Melissa has arranged for an interesting guest speaker who will undoubtedly hold everyone's attention.
Billie Lee is SEMMantics' Publicity Chair. She has publicized information about our RG throughout American Mensa and Mensa Canada via social media. You are here because you might have seen one of her notices. Thank you, Billie!
Ed and Jean Becker, serve as mentors to the RG Planning Committee. They bring many years of experience and knowledge, which we respect and appreciate.
John Senko is SEMMantics' Logo Designer. For many years, John has been creating the logo that represents the theme of each Regional Gathering. His current logo is at the top of this page. John is also the editor of the printed Program Guide for in-person RGs. Let's hope he gets the chance to produce one next year!
Thanks so much to Mark Heffernan and Brian Fuller, our Games Track hosts. They are both very knowledgeable and experienced in playing games via Zoom. I appreciate you both for providing players a day of fun and games! Brian and Mark are excited to have you join them. Let the games begin!
Speaking of games, I'd like to thank all of our Game Track hosts for keeping our brains active and engaged! Fact and Crap hosted by Ed and Jean Becker. Carnelli® hosted by Toby Berger, and Mensa Bowl hosted by James and Lynne Draper.
Toby Berger, SEMMantics RG 2023: ZOOMantics Chair
RG Chair, Carnelli® Host, Hospitality Host
This is Toby's third year serving as SEMMantics Chair. She is hosting the Welcome Breakfast event and the Closing Ceremony in the Hospitality Track. Toby is also the host of the word association game Carnelli®, something she's done at SEMMantics for many years.
Toby is a Life Member of Mensa, editor of SEMM’s newsletter M-Pathy for the past twelve years, and is ExComm's Recording Secretary.
She is a lifelong resident of Michigan, an IT trainer/consultant since 1978, and loves puns, music, and word games, particularly Scrabble and Wordle.
RG Committee, Fact or Crap Co-Host
Ed is a Life Member of Mensa and holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. He retired from General Motors after 30 years of service, mostly in the Powertrain division working on a variety of GM engines and transmissions. Ed then established Friction & Wear Solutions, LLC, which provides advice on materials to solve tribological problems. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Michigan.
Ed will co-host Fact or Crap.
RG Committee, Fun & Games Track Co-Host
Brian is a 23-year member of Mensa. He is Co-Chair of the Fun & Games Track at SEMMantics 44 and an experienced Zoomer.
He retired from doing computer programming for clinical drug trials. In his retirement, he enjoys playing games, RVing, playing handbells, singing in a choir, country line and contra dancing, doing jigsaw and crossword puzzles, and answering the question, “How’s the weather up there?”
RG Committee, Fact or Crap Co-Host
Jean is a Life Member of Mensa.
She is happy to be an advisor and mentor at SEMM's second Virtual RG, contributing here and there. She is talented at reminding others of tasks that need to be done and when.
As in past years, she will host Fact or Crap.
RG Committee, Fun & Games Track Co-Host
Mark is Co-Chair of the Fun & Games Track at SEMMantics 44. He is an 18-year Mensan who has made the transition from teenage slacker (before that term was in use) to middle-aged underachiever. Last year, he was host of SEMMantics 43’s in-person game room, but has now moved this year to the Internet as co-host of the Fun & Games Track. He will be running games such as Blank Slate, Codenames, and selections from various Jackbox Party Packs.
RG Committee, Kids' Track Host
Melissa Jenkins, a lifelong resident of Michigan, has been the Gifted Youth Coordinator for Southeast Michigan Mensa for the past eleven years. She is the mom of a fourteen-year-old son who loves math, computer science, and engineering. Melissa was a contract computer programmer for Ford Motor Company in Dearborn for 23 years. She is currently starting a new career as an indie author of both non-fiction and fiction works, and her current works can be found on Amazon Kindle Vella. Her main hobbies include reading and gardening.
RG Committee, RG Treasurer
Tom Ott, a native Michigander, is a graduate of University of Michigan with a B.S. in Chemistry, and received his M.S. and Ph.D. from Northwestern University. After spending a few years doing postdoctoral research in biochemistry, he taught chemistry at local community colleges and universities, mostly at Oakland University and Oakland Community College. He retired at the end of 2017 as a Special Lecturer at Oakland University and Adjunct Faculty at OCC.
Tom is also SEMM's Scholastic Chair.
RG Committee, Hospitality Track Host
Joan is a Life Member of Mensa and has been part of the SEMMantics RG Planning Committee for many years, serving as Tournament Chair and Program Grid Editor.
When SEMMantics is held in-person, Joan is host of the Cribbage Tournament. Since this year's RG is virtual, attendees will be sad to learn that she won't be handing out the annual cribbage tournament winnings of $1 Million (in chocolate).
RG Committee, RG Registrar
Vicky joined Mensa in 2006, but only became an active member in 2020. She is an English teacher, but is also queen of the side hustle as a yoga instructor and a teacher trainer for Kagan Publishing. Vicky has been the registrar for the last three RGs, served as ExComm Recording Secretary for one year, and is the current host of SEMM's Gen X SIG group.
Mensa Bowl Host
Lynne joined Mensa in 1986. The first event she went to was a NEMM reorganization meeting in Flint organized by Jean Becker in March 1989. There, besides becoming NEMM’s new Vice President, she also met James. They were married exactly 15 months later. They have been Northeast Michigan Mensa Co-Vice Presidents since 1990, certified Mensa proctors for over 20 years, have coordinated several RGs together, and both received the Mensa Service Award a few years ago.
Lynne has had a private law practice since 1990, which she retired from at the end of 2020. She will continue to do mediations.
Gen X Host
Tony is a 18 year member of Mensa and has been a SEMM member since October 2018. He is currently SEMM's Membership Officer and has previously held positions as Newsletter Editor for Metropolitan Washington Mensa and Membership Officer for New Mexico Mensa.
As Membership Officer, his primary responsibilities are to welcome new SEMM members, help them get involved in SEMM activities, and increase overall engagement among all members. In this capacity, Tony has contacted new members directly by mail to inform them about the upcoming RG.
Tony has lived in Southeast Michigan since December 2016 and is currently working as a Systems Engineer for Ford Motor Company.
He is hosting the Gen X Meet and Greet in Hospitality.
Mensa Bowl Host
James joined Mensa in 1977. The first event he went to was RG #1 held in Plymouth, Michigan in 1978. He’s never missed an RG since. He was SEMM Vice President 1981-1983, LocSec 1983-1985, and Gen Rep 1985-1987. James is an engineer (retired) and has been a working (and selling) artist since 2006.
Mensa Bowl started in 1984 and somewhere along the line, maybe 1986, James stopped participating on a team when he was asked to start running it. Since 1990, he and Lynne have been doing it together. What started as single questions and answers hand written on 3 x 5 cards, has grown to computer files containing thousands of questions with new ones added each year.
Wine Tasting Co-Host
Spence joined Mensa in 1978 in Delaware.
He met Kathleen Giesting, his future wife, at a Chinese M Eatout.
In 1978, they moved in together in New Hampshire, and got married in 1979. In New Hampshire, they hosted a coffee tasting. They moved to Michigan in 1995
Due to their mutual love for both wine and beer, he and Kathleen have been presenting their Wine Tasting event at SEMMantics since 2002 and have only missed one year before 2020.
Wine Tasting Co-Host
Kathleen joined in 1982 in Chicago. She met Spence Wolff, her future husband, at a Chinese M Eatout.
In 1978, they moved in together in New Hampshire, and got married in 1979. In New Hampshire, where they hosted a coffee tasting. They moved to Michigan in 1995.
They've been hosting the Wine Tasting event at SEMMantics since 2002, and have only missed one year before 2020.
Show Off Your Smart Pets Host
Heather is a Life Member of Mensa and is the editor of Northern Michigan Mensa's newsletter, 'Borealis'.
She lives in Traverse City with her two cats, and is looking forward to seeing everybody's pets on April 15th.
SEMM LocSec
Chuck is Southeast Michigan Mensa's LocSec, that's the same as president. He is a software engineer for a Tier 1 automotive supplier.
In addition to Mensa, he enjoys books, travel, classical music and, as anyone who reads his monthly column will know, he's never met a Broadway musical he didn't like.
For the last 17 years he's lived in Wyandotte with his wife of 22 years, Pauline, (whom he met in Mensa), and their three spoiled cats.