I don't remember the tricycle I must have had as a child, but I do remember wanting Santa to bring me a bike for Christmas when I was 5. I remember being told that I was not old enough for a bike; I didn't know how to ride one. I remember crying and saying over and over again, "I do know how to ride a bike!" To my surprise and glee, Santa left me a shiny new bike (red, of course) on Christmas Day!

I'd seen the older children riding their bikes, and I was eager to take mine out to show everyone. Riding a bike looked so easy, but, not surprisingly, it wasn't as easy as it looked. I was in the middle of the street being helped to balance for some time. When the adults grew tired, someone said, "Either you'll ride this bike today or somebody who knows how to ride it will be happy to have it."

I was getting the hang of it and feeling pretty confident while someone ran along side me and held onto the back of the seat, but my confidence completely disappeared when I realized no one was holding on to me. I was pedaling fast and didn't really understand how to stop. I ended up in a ditch with my pride wounded more than my body. Even though I said I could ride, I've often wondered why Santa didn't bring training wheels.

Right now, I'm looking for a person who won't need training wheels to work with me at NASPA as the Avatar for the Executive Director for Special Projects. The right candidate is smarter and more efficient than I am and capable of understanding my special projects so thoroughly that he or she will be able to stand in for me when I can't be on a phone call or at a meeting. This person shares my passion for forwarding practices and policies to increase student persistence and completion, providing effective holistic services for veterans, creating systems to better prepare all kinds of students for the world of work, and so on. 

The Avatar for the Executive Director for Special Projects is an innovative, good communicator with excellent writing skills and a love for doing the research needed to support NASPA's special projects. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. The work is strenuous, but the benefits are generous, and NASPA staff members are good people with whom to work.

If you know someone with the qualities I've listed—someone who can ride without training wheels—please encourage her or him to apply for this position. Candidates should e-mail a letter of interest and a resume to office@naspa.org with "Avatar" in the subject line. This position needs to be filled ASAP, ideally before the 2010 NASPA Annual Conference.