Arn Menconi

Arn Menconi(1959, Chicago, Illinois) is an American politician. He earned his M.B.A. At University of Denver, Colorado and undergraduate in Communications at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.

Early life and education

After moving to Vail, Colorado in 1991, Menconi started teaching snowboarding and saw a need for the sport to reach out to those who would not otherwise have an opportunity to visit the mountains. A fully certified snowboard instructor through the American Association of Snowboard Instructors, Menconi produced the largest amateur snowboard series for ten years through SOS and has inspired many more fundraising sport events such as the Colorado Eagle River Ride, a hundred mile road bike event. Mencon is also President of Vail Velo, the Vail Valley's biking club.

OS Outreach

Menconi is the Founder and Executive Director of SOS Outreach, formerly the Snowboard Outreach Society, the county's largest winter sports based youth developmental agency. The mission of SOS Outreach is to build character in underserved and underprivileged youth to enhance decision-making for healthy and successful life experiences. Headquartered in Vail, Colorado and founded in 1993, SOS teaches over 3000 kids each year at 30 ski resorts in the United States.

With an operating budget of over $3 million a year, SOS Outreach is a not-for-profit organization with over 500 adult volunteers. SOS aims to build character and self-esteem in youth through snowsports and the SOS curriculum (1). SOS programs offer snowboarding and skiing programs and the structure of the SOS Curriculum, which include consistent adult mentors, community service opportunities, and life skills workshops. Each SOS program integrates the five core values of the organization: Courage, Discipline, Integrity, Wisdom and Compassion. The core values are an integral part of the entire organization. SOS has been accredited by US Senator Ken Salazar (2), by the Congressional Record United States House of Representatives (3) and by the National Ski Area Association as a leader in sports-based youth development (4).

Political career

In 2000, Menconi was elected to the Board of County Commissioners in Eagle County, Colorado as a Democrat. He was reelected to his second term in 2004 and term limited in 2008. He held many board positions on local economic, environmental and social capital posts and state and national designations. For six years he was the Vice Chair of the Colorado Counties, inc. Health and Human Services Committee and a board member of the National Association for Counties' Human Services board.(5)

He is the co-founder of the Eagle County Economics Council, a forward thinking group made up of top community leaders are actively engaged in a variety of efforts to sustain long-term economic viability and high quality of life for current and future citizens of Eagle County.

Noted for his visioning skills, Menconi created the Eco Sports website, the county's only online mapping chamber for counties to showcase their recreational opportunities. Menconi's term was concerned controversial by many. He advocated for a social justice focus by creating sustainable growth management, affordable housing, budget analysis leveraging social programs and early childhood development. Twice conservatives tried to recall him without success and his first opponent accused him of having snowboarders from a neighboring county illegally vote for him. Menconi is looking forward to spending more time with his family and with SOS Outreach upon his term limit at the end of 2008 (6).

Early childhood development and environmental activism

In 2006, Menconi lead a tax increase to raise funds for early childhood development that lost at the polls. Menconi created a subsequent county-funded million dollar program that was the first early childcare program to bring together all four areas of early childhood — education, health, special needs and family resources.(7) Menconi helped to bring permanent funding for open space and placed thousands of areas into preservation. He led the successful campaign to acquire the two largest open space parcels in Eagle County. Working with a multi-generational ranching family and community activists, prevailed over a two year period to save a pristine convert|4000|acre|km2|sing=on parcel of ranch land that serves as the gateway to Glenwood Canyon. Menconi actively supported a public-private partnership to preserve a 70 acre parcel of prime Eagle River land in the heart of the county's most populated area.

ocial life and family

Menconi speaks on various topics of social justice, land use, non-profit leadership and sports-based youth development. He is married to Anne Menconi, the Executive Director of the Bright Future Foundation and has two children Maya Rose and Matteo. In addition to snowboarding, he is an avid cyclist and has competed in over a dozen convert|100|mi|km|sing=on mountain bike races. He currently lives in Eagle, Colorado.

References

# http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/01/williams-teaching-kids-life-lessons/
# http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_7687107 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/record.xpd?id=110-s20071206-35&bill=s110-2338
# http://www.sosoutreach.org/docs/snowboard%20outreach%20society14.pdf
# http://www.sosoutreach.org/Docs/diversity.pdf
# http://www.eaglecounty.us/uploadedFiles/administration/Menconi_speech.mp3
# http://www.postindependent.com/article/20080117/VALLEYNEWS/31921967
# http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20080304/EDITS/655343215/-1/rss01

External links

* [http://www.sosoutreach.org/ SOS Outreach (formerly the [Snowboard Outreach Society)]
* [http://www.vailvelo.com/ Vail Velo]
* [http://www.ecosports.com/ Eco Sports]
* [http://www.eaglecounty.us/electedOfficials/commissioners.cfm Eagle County, Colorado Commissioners]
* [http://www.economiccouncil.biz/ Eagle County Economics Council]
* [http://www.arnmenconi.com/ Arn Menconi's Official Website]