BCRR Club Officers are elected annually for one year terms at the BCRR Banquet. 

Nominees for 2008-2009

President

Eddie Rodriguez

I feel truly privileged and honored to have been given the opportunity to serve another year as BCRR President. Maybe some of you felt I should get a second chance to get it right or probably, and possibly more accurately, nobody else really wants the job! Going into the year I thought I had a pretty good grasp of what it takes to be BCRR President, having been Vice President the year before, but even Bob Brown would admit, Vice President is probably the easiest job on the Board…unless the President assumes room temperature! Both Bob and I hope that gruesome turn of events doesn’t occur, but for obviously different reasons. Serving this past year has been a very rewarding experience for me but, at the same time, I couldn’t have done it without the support and help from my friends on the Board and the hard work and dedication of a few other members who seem to be fixtures at all the club events. I won’t mention anyone because I’ll undoubtedly forget someone who played a major part in getting things done and get myself in trouble. Suffice it to say, thanks guys, you know who you are! There was a period just before The Bayou City Classic when I was under a tremendous amount of stress as Volunteer Coordinator for the race and the ever-present daily pressures of my personal and professional life. It looked for a while like there was no way the race would go smoothly as we were lacking the necessary people. Luckily, I was able to pull it off and I hope nobody noticed because I didn’t want it to affect my performance as President. BCRR will again be my first priority but I will need the help of all the members in one area that I feel the club and I have both failed. See From The Prez for more insight. Thanks to everyone for all the kind words and support along the way. BCRR ROCKS!!!

Vice

President

Bob Brown

Hi Everyone. I have been a member of BCRR since 1999, so that makes me a veteran of the club. If you do not know me, you can usually find me at Rice/ Valhalla on Wednesday nights, at most HARRA races, and at Memorial Park on Sunday mornings. BCRR has provided so much enjoyment to me since I joined. I believe it is important for me to give something back to the club. Over the last two or three years, I have taken on the unofficial role of planning some out-of-town trips which have included ski trips and some running events like the Reno-to-Tahoe Odyssey last summer and a planned future trip this summer to Mammoth Lakes. I am the current Vice President of BCRR. As Vice President, I see my role as being one who interacts closely with club members to encourage them to communicate their ideas and the issues they have with the club. It is then my role to see that appropriate action is taken and communicated back to the group. Under Eddie’s leadership, the current Board has made many positive contributions to the overall benefit of BCRR. Reelecting several members of the current Board to next year’s Board will enable us to continue to work together to make BCRR the best running club in Houston and beyond. 

Secretary

Mike Mangan

I have been a member of BCRR since 2005 and am the current club Secretary. My participation in club activities has increased over the years from originally simply paying my club dues until this past year when I have been Secretary, newsletter editor, have volunteered to support most of the races that BCRR has managed or supported and have run in almost all HARRA races. Many of you may  recognize me as the guy who harasses you to don nametags at Valhalla one Wednesday evening each month. I have enjoyed my involvement as a member of the BCRR Board (usually). I am happy to give back to the club for all the joy that I have received as a member. For those of you who have masochistic tendencies, I will be happy to pass on the more difficult and time consuming aspects of the job. Just let me know!

Treasurer

Patrick Flaherty

It has been my good fortune to be a member of BCRR. I have benefited from the friendships that I have made and all of the great times I have experienced. I would like to serve in the role of Treasurer to get more plugged in with the group and to give something back to a club that has been so good to me. By profession, I am a CPA. I don’t think the position needs to be held by a CPA, but I do know a debit from a credit. Did I mention that my favorite color is purple and my favorite animal is a bird?

Member at Large

(Vote for Three)

Cheryl Esposito

I have been a member of BCRR for the past 7 years. I am usually just a seasonal Valhalla visitor (coming around during the Houston Marathon Warm-up Series). BUT I want to take my club participation up a notch… I have taken 2 club trips (Athens Greece & Beach-to-Bay Relay Marathon). I traditionally volunteer at both the Jingle Bell Run & Rockets Run. I served on the HARRA Board 2 years ago, doing a similar position to our Member at Large and tracking race volunteers (VVIP). I have coached with Houston Fit at Memorial Park for 3+ years (yellow pace group). I have completed 12 marathons and am trying to become a member of the 50 state club (I only have 3 states so far). I would love the opportunity to get to know and support more of our members and am interested to see how many other crazy people are interested in that same 50 state club goal.

June Harris

Membership in BCRR for the past 2 years has enhanced my running experience. The camaraderie and support from fellow club members makes every run enjoyable, even when I’m dragging. I am not new to running, having run 15 marathons (16 after the Great Wall Marathon) and 5 ultras; but I am new to the running club experience. Being involved in many community organizations, I consider myself part of the 20% when talking about the 20/80 rule on organizational membership. I have been on the North Channel Chamber of Commerce Board for 13 years, serving as Chairman in 2006. I was the Event Chair for the North Channel Relay for Life benefiting the American Cancer Society in 2007 & 2008. I am currently a Board Trustee for Galena Park ISD and serve on the Educational Foundation Board for Sheldon ISD. I would like to give back to my BCRR club, working with the Board and members to ensure our reputation as the best running club in Houston. I would be honored to serve on the BCRR Board; but will always welcome and encourage all members no matter what position I hold.

 Sue Leone

Hello All! I’ve been a member of BCRR since 2000, which is the year that I moved to Houston. In fact, it was probably one of the best things that I did when I moved here because I have met so many wonderful people and I have had such a great time participating in the running AND non-running activities! I have served on the Board as a Member at Large for 2 years and have enjoyed volunteering my time to BCRR. I would like to volunteer again to serve the club and I would appreciate your support. 

Ron Morgan

Some of you don’t know me because I haven’t been to Valhalla in a while, like 8 years. I used to be a regular. I’ve been running for 32 years, and ran my first marathon in 1977. I joined BCRR in 1993, served on the Board for several years until I burned out. It wasn’t just BCRR; I was also a member of the Board of LDR (Long Distance Running), the predecessor to HARRA, and sanctioning chairman for several years in the 1980s. I was also involved in the transformation of LDR to HARRA and served on the Board of HARRA from its inception until 1999. I was one of the race directors/organizers for the 100x1 mile relay that set a Guinness World Record in 1998. I have been a volunteer, or captain for almost every race that BCRR has been involved in since I joined in 1993. Does all this experience make me the most qualified to be on the Board of BCRR? Honestly, no it doesn’t. Being a Board member is not a highly skilled position that requires experience. What it does require is a desire to get involved and do the tasks that help to make BCRR the best running club in town. What my experience does show is that I’m that kind of person. 

Neeraj Rohilla

I have been a fellow BCRR member for little more than one year. I am a PhD student in Chemical Engineering at Rice University. Before coming to the U.S. in the Fall of  2004, I lived in various parts of India. My earliest memories of running are from my 4th class when I won a running contest. With BCRR, I got back into running (and drinking beer) while socializing with some of the amazing members. This has been an added bonus.  At Rice University, I have led many organizations. I was Vice President of the Indian Students at Rice (2005-06). Currently, I am Vice President of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) student chapter (2007- 08), Rice Cricket Club (2007-08) and a member of the Grant Committee for the Graduate Student Association (2006-08). In undergraduate school, I was President of the Chemical Engineers Association and Literacy Sub-council. I bring with me leadership qualities and lots of experience in creating synergy while working with large groups. I want to be on the Board of BCRR so that I can actively contribute toward planning and execution of various group activities. As Member at Large, my focus will be on bringing more enthusiasm and recruiting active young members to the club.