To the membership,

Attached, you will find the resignation letter from our Regional Executive, Kenny Leighton. Due to an organizational change within the company he works for, Kenny is being re-located to the west coast. We are losing one of the most dedicated RE’s that we have ever had. Under his watchful eye our region has seen membership grow, greater involvement among members outside the Charlotte area, a new racetrack developed, a new racing series started and our finances strengthened. Kenny had a vision that encouraged us to look towards the future and think out of the box so our region would continue to grow in a positive direction. That is what great leaders do! As a region member I am sad to lose such a great leader. As a friend I am sad to lose the person who helped me through the tough times and celebrated with me during the happy times. His bright smile and quick wit will be missed, but not forgotten. He has promised me that he will be back. The CCR Board of Directors and myself wish Kenny all the best in his new adventure.
Another BoD member and our Secretary, Melissa Introne, is also leaving us. Her husband has gotten a new job with Ford Motor Company and they are moving to Detroit. In addition to her duties as a BoD member, Melissa was also our newsletter editor. As you all have seen, she has done a wonderful job in creating a newsletter that we are very proud of. It is going to be very difficult to replace the talent and dedication that she has given to our region. The CCR Board of Directors and myself wish Melissa all the best in her new adventure.
As you might expect, the BoD will have to go through some changes. There are two BoD seats vacant and the RE’s position has to be filled. Since I am the assistant RE, our bylaws require me to fill the vacated RE’s position for the remainder of the term, which is the rest of the calendar year. In the event that a BoD position becomes vacant, the bylaws require the BoD to appoint a member in good standing to fill that position for the remainder of that term. I am happy to announce that Kevin Hoff and Pete Schneider have accepted our invitation to be members of the BoD. We now have all 9 BoD positions filled. At our next BoD meeting we will elect new officers for the positions of assistant RE and Secretary. The new slate of BoD members and officers will be posted on our website.
For those of you who don’t know me, let me give you some background of my SCCA experience. I went to my first event at the age of 4, to the Chimney Rock Hillclimb; 27 years later I would run that event for the first time in an ITB Honda. I grew up going to VIR (the old one), Rockingham, Charlotte, Road Atlanta (during the Can-Am days) and Savannah. I have been F&C chief for 2 different regions and held a national competition license. I was on the CCR BoD during the mid 90’s as assistant RE, and again as assistant RE for the past 2 years. I have been a member of CCR for over 15 years, even while I was living in Portland, Oregon. The BoD has put their confidence in me and I hope to gain that same confidence with the general membership. I am looking forward to the opportunity of continuing Kenny’s vision of a bigger and better region.

Respectfully,
Whit Fairer