Interview With Pat Wright

Back in September of 2004 I attended my very first PASS Summit. It was held in Orlando and the timing was perfect because the event organizers knew in advance to have it right after a hurricane rather than during. On a whim I had decided to attend a pre-conference seminar (and somehow managed to convince my boss to pay for it), which meant I would actually be there a day early. I remember the lecture was given by Kimberly Tripp and as amazing as the time spent with her that day was for me, I remember breakfast as being the high point of my day.

At breakfast, as I sat with two people I had never met before or since, Pat Wright walked over and asked if he could join our table. I like to tease Pat by telling others that I saw him sitting alone and he looked like he could use a friend so I sat down with him. It is really the exact opposite. Pat saw how lonely I looked and he was making a concerted effort to come out of his shell at the conference so he decided to sit with me.

There is no doubt that meeting Pat has been the most influential moment in my PASS history. We spent the day together, attending Kimberly’s talk, where we met Allen Kinsel. The three of us had lunch together as well. Pat took part in the Quiz bowl at the Welcome Reception that night so Allen and I stayed in the back and heckled Pat along with a few guys from Sweden. Just the fact that these guys flew from Sweden to the conference was amazing to me, I had never thought about the existence of a global SQL community.

The three of us shared most of our meals together that week, and a few beverages, as well as a handful of the same sessions. I learned a lot from Pat and Allen that week and to this day they are without a doubt my closest PASS colleagues. Before the week was out we met Wayne Snyder who talked the three of us into becoming PASS volunteers and five years later Pat and I are on the Board with Allen heading up the Program Committee.

I feel very, very lucky to have met them both and to have them in my life. I asked Pat if he would like to take part in the interviews I have been doing and he agreed, as long as I did not mention just how lonely and scared he looked sitting at that table by himself.

SB: How long have you been a member of PASS?

PW: I have been a member and volunteer for PASS since the PASS Summit in Orlando in Sept 2004. So 5 years.

SB: How long have you been on the PASS Board of Directors, and what is your current portfolio?

PW: I have been on the board for 2 years and Volunteers is my current portfolio.

SB: In addition to PASS are you involved in local user groups or community events?

PW: Yes, I started out as a Program Manager for my local chapter and quickly became a Chapter Leader for my local chapter (Salt Lake City). I organized our local code camp and have run it for the last three years. I’ve put on smaller events and training’s throughout the years locally. I typically organize one or two events per year in my area.

SB: What did it feel like to win the PASSion award? More importantly, what is the PASSion award?

PW: The PASSion award is an award given to one volunteer per year in the PASS organization. It is given for unparalleled contribution to the PASS organization. To me the award not only shows someone who has dedicated time to PASS but also their Passion for helping others in the community. These are the people that you hear talking about PASS in user groups/community events/PASS summit. The people that go out of their way to help the community and the PASS Organization. I can say I feel very passionate about this award and I have strived to make this something that really signifies the best in the organization. I have a ton of respect for any volunteer that has received this award as I know they have gone out of their way to help others. When I was awarded this honor I was really quite shocked but very honored to have received it. I was humbled that someone took the time to review what I had done for PASS and the community and recognized me for my work. Overall it’s one of the great honor’s I’ve received in my professional career.

SB: What are some of the biggest challenges facing PASS right now?

PW: Communication for one. Being a volunteer based organization we struggle to communicate effectively with each other. This is something we have improved on with process and more central management recently. We have made huge strides in communicating with the community as well by publishing meeting minutes and budget information. Another challenge would be the down economy and the effect on training budgets. In a low revenue situation for companies one of the first things to get cut is Travel and Training. I think this will effect PASS this year more so than other years. I believe that PASS offers much more than just great training at the summit. Networking opportunities, meeting with MVPs, authors, trainers and many Microsoft personnel in both support positions and development positions. We will continue to add more value to the summit to help members of the community to get the training they need in a down economy.

SB: What would be, in your opinion, the biggest strength for PASS right now?

PW: The passionate volunteers that keep the lights on. I’ve always been a believer that if you take care of those around you they will take care of you. PASS still has much work to do to make it to that goal for its volunteers but we are making strides towards that goal. I see this as our greatest strength because as a volunteer organization we need to have passionate people that take the ups and the downs and continue to work on projects for PASS.

SB: What are some ways that PASS can attract new volunteers?

PW: Right now I think we do a good job of already attracting volunteers. Some of the ways we can improve is to get the word out to more of the social networking sites (Facebook and/or Twitter). We should be focusing our efforts on taking care and utilizing the volunteers we have. The more we take care of them the more they will take care of PASS.

SB: In all the years you have been associated with PASS, what are some of the most positive changes you have seen?

PW: Hiring a new management company has really helped us to succeed as an organization. Publishing our minutes and budgets has helped to give transparency and helped people to understand the organization better.

SB: How long have you been interested in photography?

PW: I was interested in photography back in high school but never did much with it. Then I spent many years with simple point and shoot camera’s cutting people’s heads off (I was very good at that) About six years ago I got a better camera and started really focusing on making photographs instead of taking pictures. I always had the love and passion to do photography but I think the driving force was wanting lots of good pictures of my kids. Now my goal is to share that with others.

SB: Did you ever think, when we met in Orlando, that we would be on the Board together someday?

PW: I was not thinking that far ahead I can assure you:) I think we are a great case for why you should network at the summit and get out of your shell and meet others. I can’t imagine these past years without having you and Allen with me through all the volunteering we have done for PASS. The relationships both professionally and personally that you can make through an organization like PASS need to be taken advantage of at the summit and while volunteering. I also had no idea of the amount of Jaeger that would be consumed by us over the last 5 years:) Hopefully we will double it in the next 5 years.

For more info on PASS check out http://sqlpass.org.