"Building a better tomorrow, By starting today"

What Is The TMAA Executive Advisory Committee?

The TMAA Executive Advisory Committee (EAC) is an international body of volunteers who provide advice, support, recommendations, referrals, and suggestions to directly to the TMAA Board of Directors (B0D) and the TMAA Instructors Executive Council (IEC.)

The members of the EAC are drawn from all walks of life, life experiences, and viewpoints to provide the most effective, diverse, and accurate advice possible to the BoD and IEC. Some members of the committee utilize their professional working skills to benefit TMAA, while others represent experience and liason with the many other non-profit organizations and communities with which we work.

All TMAA local, regional, and national entities are encouraged to form and develop Advisory Committees to assist them in the functions and operations. Often, it is members of these committees that are invited to join the Executive Advisory Committee following recognition of merit, talent, and committment.

Who Are The Members Of The Current EAC?

The current EAC is made up of the following

LARRY COWEN

Committee Member

Larry currently lives and works in San Francisco, California.

I'm very excited about becoming involved in a more meaningful way (although I must say that watching my partner rollerblade half-naked in the Pride Parade in front of thousands of people was certainly a meaningful experience as well...... achem.).  In all seriousness, over the years, as I've become more familiarized with TMAA and your tremendously welcoming and friendly students/instructors, and have had the privilege of training side-by-side with them, I've realized what a significant contribution your group makes to our community.  While 1996 marks the 10th year of training with Seido Karate, I am nonetheless honored to have the opportunity to work with TMAA and participate on the EAC.
 
In the past, I have assisted my Sensei with preparations for karate tournaments and other Seido-related fundraising events that involved coordination with students from dojos all over the world.  I am also currently an Executive Committee Member of the San Francisco chapter of an organization called Hedge Funds Care (www.hedgefundscare.org) which is an alliance of West Coast hedge fund industry professionals committed to protecting children from abuse and neglect.  We hold an annual fundraiser in order to provide grants to community based nonprofit organizations dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse (next year's event will be on March 15th, 2007 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts).  I think the skills I've acquired by helping to organize some of these events will serve me well as a member of the EAC, and hopefully come in handy as we prepare for the Matthew Shepard Memorial Week.
 
While the LGTB community is always faced with ongoing challenges, the recent events in the Castro are particularly alarming, so for me there is no better time than the present to get involved and do what I can to help out.