SAFE & VAULT TECHNOLOGY | September/October 2023 www.savta.org EDUCATION Education in Orlando: “Better Than That Giant Amusement Park!” By ALOA SPAI Director of Education William M. Lynk, CML, CPS, ICML, CMIL, CAI, M.Ed. T his year the ALOA 2023 Convention and Security Expo in Or- lando was right in the backyard of one of the world’s best-known amuse- ment parks. However, my pleasure as director of education for ALOA came from seeing the many smiling faces and high energy levels com- ing from the students taking a wide array of the impressive 59 classes beautifully executed by the instructors of the ALOA Education Department. But it takes much more than the eye can see to do that well. Education Department The work of the instructor may appear seamless, but the hard work of all our Certi- fied ACE Instructors starts way before any convention begins. It requires planning, updating data, assembling samples, preparing lesson plans, collecting handout mate- rials and giveaways, packing, shipping and unpacking to be able to craft a meaningful and effective eight-hour class. We are fortunate to have some of the finest security instructors in the world, and I hope you recognize the vast expertise under our roof. If you feel you have that ability and desire to share and teach for ALOA, we will be organizing a three-day ACE Instructor Training Class within the next several months so that you, too, can become a CAI (Certified ACE Instructor) and begin the path of imparting your expertise and skills to locksmiths everywhere. Associate Director of Education John Hubel and I identified four potential instructor trainees during the con- vention who indicated they would be taking the class. Perhaps you might be included? It takes the joint effort of many to make the Education Department work effectively. Organizing and moving all the classroom and classroom-related materials onto a semi-trailer to go from Dallas to the convention site, unloading into the Education Office, physically moving those heavy crates to the numerous classrooms, assuring classroom setup with projectors, dry erase boards, audio/visual equipment, etc. is just part of the duties that Operations Manager Joe Peach, CML, must con- tend with. His assistant, Carlos Blanco, does the same. We mustn’t forget the behind-the-scenes duties of Media and Marketing Manager/ Education Coordinator Dawne Chandler. It is her persistence with updating student records, creating class certificates, prepar- ing daily class enrollment logs for instruc- tors, printing/organizing the after-class PRP tests, assuring each student’s CEUs are issued and class registration is accurate, that helps the student focus on their classes and not the details. Obviously, Dawne is an integral part of our department. And then there’s Associate Director of Education John K. Hubel, CML, ICML, CMIL, CAI, M.Ed. As part of his new position, he visited each classroom, as- suring that students and instructors had what they needed and offered support to make their experience as seamless and valuable as possible. We have an excellent Education Team making sure the details are correct. Their dedication shows. 10
