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Commissioners are district and council leaders who help Scout units succeed. They coach and consult with adult leaders of Cub Scout packs, Boy Scout troops, and Venturing crews. Commissioners help maintain the standards of the Boy Scouts of America.
District Commissioners*
| Name | District | |
| Keith Bidne | Prairie Winds | kgbidne@iastate.edu |
| David Yeager | Woodland Trails | wtdistrictcommissioner@gmail.com |
| Twin Rivers | ||
| Whit Johnson | Council Commissioner |
Retention Mission StatementThe retention mission of the commissioner corps is best achieved by providing an adequate number of trained unit commissioners who provide a link to district committee resources in support of a quality unit program. |
Unit commissioners will focus on the following four primary areas:
- Supporting unit growth in the Journey to Excellence criteria: JTE measures performance characteristics that unlock the door to a successful unit. We should analyze the unit’s program and identify JTE areas where help is needed to move the unit to a higher level of JTE success.
- Linking district committee resources to the unit: We should support the district committee’s delivery of a “catalog of services” to support the specific JTE elements needed for a particular unit’s health and success.
- Visiting units and logging the visits into the Unit Visit Tracking System (UVTS): Our core task remains visiting the unit. UVTS input feeds critical information to the district committee to help link resources to the unit.
- Supporting on-time charter renewal: The commissioner’s focus is the retention of the unit, though we should be especially mindful of supporting new youth membership efforts as we move more toward a volunteer-led, professionally guided approach to increasing membership.
Focus:
Supporting unit growth in the Journey to Excellence criteria:
Linking district committee resources to the unit:
Contacting units and recording strengths and needs into Commissioner Tools:
Supporting on-time charter renewal.
| Commissioner Training | Norm Reid Award nomination form |
Focus:
Supporting unit growth in the Journey to Excellence criteria:
Linking district committee resources to the unit:
Contacting units and recording strengths and needs into Commissioner Tools:
Supporting on-time charter renewal.
NORM REID LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT COMMISSIONING AWARD
Program Planning Support
“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.”
Quality Scouting programs begin with program planning. Unit program planning is an annual process where a Unit invites all families to have input in the program and activities of the Unit. It is also the process of selecting great activities, developing a Unit calendar and budget and sharing the plan with all the families.
Benefits to a strong Unit program plan include:
- Well run, high quality activities for youth
- More parent involvement
- More youth participating in outdoor programs, including summer camp
- More funding with less fundraising, reducing the out of pocket expenses for parents
- More fun for everyone
Cub Scout Program Planning
Boy Scout Program Planning
BSA – Troop Program Planning Conference
| Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook | |
| Order of the Arrow | Troop Open House |
| Troop Program Resources | Troop Program Features |
| Year-round guide to recruiting | Troop Calendar Template |
| Troop Resource Survey | |
Venturing/Exploring Program Planning
Crew Program Planning Calendar
| Crew Monthly Program Forum | Exploring Youth Leader Guide |
| Crew Budget Form | Exploring Adult Leader Guide |
| Activity Interest Survey | Crew Planning Resources |