New MATOC non-voting appointments

DeMolay International groups jurisdictions into Regions for administrative ease.

Our Great State of New York, is grouped with the Great State of New Jersey, the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Great State of Delaware, The Great State of Maryland including the federal colony, and the Great Commonwealth of Virginia. Collectively the form Region II. When I was a youth we used to say "Region II: Second to None." As an adult, we know that's still true.

Our Region hosts an annual ritual tournament called the Mid-Atlantic Tournament of Champions and is supervised by a board of directors consisting of Active DeMolays and advisors.  In our jurisdiction Brother Gavin J. of Ridge Council serves as our youth voting rep and "Dad" Craig Riha serves as our adult voting representative. I want to thank them for all of the hard work they have been doing.

MATOC also allows non-voting members to advise, guide, but not to vote.  Using that option, I have designated State Master Councilor Altman, Deputy State Master Councilor Jordan as non-voting youth reps, and "Dad" Perry, "Dad" Schoonmaker and "Dad" Hurkala as non-voting members.

I hope and trust they will ensure the MATOC Tournament Director is doing his job correctly, but also learning about how MATOC works and making sure it is the best ritual tournament it can be.

“How did failure contribute to my success?".... and help me win $1,500

Did the headline capture your attention? 

Have some thoughts on it?

Can you write 250-350 words on it?

Each year, the Grand Lodge of New York sponsors an essay contest for graduating high school seniors and this year's theme is "How did failure contribute to my success?"
You can read the full information here:
https://nymasons.org/site/masonic-youth-contest-and-awards/


I did ask RW Br. Cary Cohn and our Masonic Youth are part of the extended family and the sponsoring body of your Chapter can act as the sponsor of the essay.

The prizes range from $1,500 for first place down to $100 for 10th place. This means each word you write is worth between $4.28 to 3.5 cents depending on how you place.

I would love to see a DeMolay or Sweetheart win this year's contest!

Thank you to RW Br. Cohn and his committee, the Fifth Manhattan District Endowment Fund, Inc. for sponsoring it, and of course our amazing Grand Lodge!

Working Groups

Working Groups

As we look at what we do in New York DeMolay, we want to take stock of where we are going and where we are heading.  To help in this process, I am pleased to announce the creation of several different working groups spearheaded by advisors that will be addressing a number of different issues. 

Ritual Working Group: I have asked “Dad” Riha, Director of Ritual, and our assistant directors of ritual “Dad” Perry, “Dad” Schoonmaker, and “Dad” Hurkala to work with three appointees of our State Master Councilor to look at the state of our ritual program, examine ways we can make it better and develop a standardized obligation card policy for our state. 

Alumni Working Group: I have asked “Dad” Bob Siebold, Director of Alumni Affairs to form a group to look at the state of our alumni program and ways we can better engage and involve our alumni.

Parental and Family Engagement Working Group: I have asked “Mom” Celentano to spearhead and form a parental and family engagement working group. This will help us see how we can better engage with our parents and families of our DeMolays.

Medical and Safety Working Group: I have asked  “Dad” Truebger, “Dad” Stephen Romano,  “Dad” Michael Leonard, and “Dad” Nicholas Portera to think through medical releases and safety issues and come back to us with best practices. 

Bullying Prevention Working Group:  I have asked “Dad” Justin Cook to form up a group to look at issues related to bullying and how we can make sure we are leading in the prevention of bullying.

Sweetheart Working Group:  I have asked “Mom” Stephanie Cook to form a working group looking at how DeMolay can best serve the young ladies who are involved with our program.

I look forward to what these working groups will produce and sharing the fruits of their labors with you.  In the future as we look at other parts of our programs we will be adding other working groups! 

New Staff Appointments

 As I have shared with many of you our goal is to provide a program where young men and young women feel empowered to run activities and programs that embrace the DeMolay values while being fun and enjoyable to the youth of today, yet at the same time are challenged to grow their skill sets through the mentorship and support of caring adult volunteers.
 To do this New York DeMolay will

i.                    Create a culture where the young men and ladies are actively listened to and consulted at every level of the organization

ii.                    Provide leadership and training opportunities for young men, young ladies and their adult mentors to grow their skillsets 

III.                    Grow both the number of young men involved in the program and the number of chapters.

IV.                    Strengthen our existing chapters and programs. 

V.                    Grow our advisor ranks by reaching out to our alumni and finding places that we can engage them where they find value and meaning behind their work

VI               Promote the programs and activities of DeMolay International 

VII                  Partner actively with our Grand Lodge promoting applicable programs of the Grand Master and the Grand Lodge

VIII Partner actively with our sisters in Rainbow and Triangle

These are some pretty high goals, but luckily we have the talent and resources in the Empire State to make it happen.  From time to time I am going to announce the appointments of new staff as well as some new roles for existing staff.

Director of Parent and Family Engagement:  “Mom” Maura Celentano. Family involvement in DeMolay is critical to what we do. “Mom” Celentano is an active DeMolay advisor, and the proud mom of two of the hardest working DeMolays I knew, Michael and David. She has also done an OMGAMAZING job with the hospitality suite every year. 

We want to make sure that parents and family are welcomed, involved and informed about DeMolay.  Many years ago in a state far far away from here, I was sitting in a diner with a couple of other state officers and our advisor. We were rocking our DeMolay polos and the waitress said “DeMolay what’s that?” We gave her the information and she said “Oh, is that like sponsored by the Masons? I think my son belongs to that.” Later, it turns out the son was a councilor for the local chapter, but she never knew what they were doing or where they were going.  Let's make sure that doesn’t happen in our state.

Director of Higher Education and Career Opportunity: “Dad” Brad DeSantos. “Dad” DeSantos is a senior DeMolay from Colonial Chapter, and a past Hudson Valley Division Councilor and one of the hardest working educators I know. He has been honored with the Chevalier and the Legion of Honor. He graduated from the College of St. Rose and Johns Hopkins University. 

Our goal in DeMolay is to prepare youth for the future.  For some youth this means attending university or college. For other youth this means learning a trade, while there are some youth that do not know what they want to do yet. Regardless of what field you wish to enter we want to support your goals and make this happen. “Dad” DeSantos will be a resource for young men who may need help looking at colleges or applying to colleges, or looking for an alumni resource for a person who is in a field of interest, or pushing and promoting Masonic scholarship programs.

Director of Winterfest: “Dad” Eric Evarts. “Dad” Evarts is a Past State Master Councilor of Connecticut DeMolay, and an Honorary Member of the Supreme Council.  Winterfest is a big event for us and we are thinking through some ideas on how to make it different this year.  The plans and ideas are large enough that we want to make sure we are not taking people away from their other responsibilities. 

Director of Communications: “Dad” Anthony Cucci. We need to share and communicate ideas with people. “Dad” Cucci has extensive experience in communications and communication strategy.

Assistant State Chapter Advisors: “Dad” Tom Perry and “Dad” Peter Stokke Jr. have agreed to take on the role of Assistant State Chapter Advisors.  Both are Past State Master Councilors and have been there and “walked the walk” and “talked the talk.” They have already been helping our State Chapter Dad/Advisor “Dad” Jeph Dais.

Assistant Directors of Ritual: “Dad” Tom Perry, “Dad” Jack Schoonmaker and “Dad” Phillip Hurkala. Our ritual is an important part of the DeMolay experience. Our state is far too vast to be able to expect one person to do it all.  Looking at the best practices of not only our Grand Lodge but all of our concordant bodies, each has a Grand Lecturer and AGLs to help them, so we are adding Assistant Directors of Ritual.  These three advisors are resources for your chapter ritual advisor as well as traveling around and helping to coach and improve ritual.  Ritual is a journey and it needs to be a fun and exciting one. I am excited about this trio. “Dad” Perry and “Dad” Hurkala have a background in education that will help with learning and both were talented ritualists as active DeMolays. “Dad” Hurkala has competed several times at MATOC, winning at the Champion Level and is now a certified MATOC judge. “Dad” Schoonmaker has the experience of working with a chapter. All three of them, together with “Dad” Riha will form a potent ritual group. 

Director of the DASH (DeMolay Access to Sustainable Haberdashery) Program:  We are bringing a clothes closet to New York DeMolay and I am glad to share that “Mom” Anne Draves has agreed to spearhead this.

I want to thank each and every one of these adults for stepping forward and assuming new roles. 

In time we will be announcing other new appointments including a Director of Membership.  As always if you have ideas or suggestions please do not hesitate to let me know.

Frank S. Land Day is November 8th!

As many of you know from your Leadership Correspondence Course, DeMolay International has several days that it obligates all chapters to observe.  What do we call these obligatory days of observance? Obligatory Days!

These days are so important that they are explicitly included in the promises a Master Councilor makes and our Advisory Councils are to make sure they happen.  We want to make sure that all of our Chapters and DeMolays are observing them and wanted to give some background on our upcoming one on November 8, 2019  “Frank S. Land Memorial Day.”

Who was “Dad” Frank Sherman Land?

“Dad” Frank Sherman Land was the founder of the Order of DeMolay. He was a lot of other things too, a dutiful son, a member of the Kansas City School Board, a man of faith, a loving husband, a distinguished Scottish Rite Mason, a past Imperial Potentate.

  In a time of great societal upheaval, he saw the need for an organization for young men to be able to come together, to grow, to learn and to develop a spirit of comradeship.  His vision that started out with nine youth at a Scottish Rite building in Kansas City has expanded to impact millions around the globe.

“Dad” Land literally knew presidents, senators, business leaders, spiritual leaders and a whole bevy of important people. Yet, he always made time to listen to youth, to ask youth, and to talk to youth.  His memory lives on every day in DeMolay when one generation cares for and mentors the next generation.

Why November 8?

It was on this day in 1959 that “Dad” Land died. We gather to remember him and to  perpetuate, or carry on, his memory.

Must it be on November 8?

It does not need to fall right on November 8, but ideally plus or minus a week.  What I care about is that you observed it in some manner.  

How do we celebrate Frank S. Land Memorial Day?

There are a number of different ways that Chapters have been able to observe Frank S. Land Memorial Day. The list below is not exhaustive but hopefully gives you a few ideas of things you could do. Maybe you even do multiple ones.

- Host a talk about “Dad” Land at your next meeting. 
One Chapter I know assigned the Senior Deacon to present about “Dad” Land for five minutes. The young man did not know anything about “Dad” Land so he went through and read the book “Hi Dad!” (Don't have a copy? Florida DeMolay has it in PDF https://www.fldemolay.org/files/resources/books/Hi,%20Dad!.pdf )

- Make a donation to a Masonic charity in honor of “Dad” Land.  

A Chapter I worked with made an annual contribution to the local Shrine Hospital Fund.  Some years it was $25 other years it was as much as $500 depending on how their fundraising went. Another Chapter I knew donated to the Scottish Rite Learning Centers in honor of “Dad” Land.  In another jurisdiction the chapters donated to the state charity in honor of “Dad” Land.
Some options:
Children's Dyslexia Centers: https://www.childrensdyslexiacenters.org/donate/ 
Shriner's Hospitals: https://lovetotherescue.org/
Masonic Medical Research Institute: https://www.mmrl.edu/donate/ 
Camp Turk https://www.campturk.org/wishlist.html 
If you wish to donate to the State Charity we take checks payable to NY DeMolay memo section "State Charity" 

- Buy a Brick in Honor of “Dad” Land at the Masonic Care Community
The Masonic Care Community is building an amazing Horticultural Center and there is an opportunity to purchase bricks: 

https://www.fundraisingbrick.com/online-orders/mcc/

You can take a tour here: https://www.masonichomeny.org/about-us/quality-of-life/greenhouse/

- Donate a Copy of “Hi Dad!” to the local library or if your Masonic Center has a library to them.
https://www.shopdemolay.org/chapter-supplies/books-resources.html

- Host a membership class in honor of “Dad” Land  (If your chapter wants to do this, we’ll reimburse the DI fee!)

- Present a “Dad” Frank Sherman Land certificate to a mason who represents the ideals of our Founder

- Present a gift or certificates to your advisors who continue the vision of “Dad” Land

- Invite a speaker from a Masonic organization he was active in to talk to your group, perhaps someone from your local Shrine, Scottish Rite Valley, or Blue Lodge.

- Present the Shield Talk: Do you know that “Dad” Land designed each and every one of our emblems? He spent a lot of time thinking about the symbolism of it and he was quite proud of it. https://demolay.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/SHIELD-TALK.pdf

But our chapter only has a few guys, what should we do?

What’s great about “Dad” Frank S. Land Day is that you can do it with as few or as many people as you want to.  A group of one can do a certificate. You can partner with another chapter. Together, let’s go honor “Dad” Land!


Finally, let us know what you are doing! We would love to feature some stories and photos of great events! Email us at info@nydemolay.org

Brotherhood Contract - Honoring our Traditions & Our Values

Dear Brothers and Sweethearts:

In my lifetime I have been to hundreds of DeMolay events like conventions, Winterfests, LTCs, LeadCons (get your forms in!),  Sports Weekends, Clue Weekends, you name it.

  Regardless if it was in our Great State of New York or in another jurisdiction they all had something in common. There would be a gathering where an advisor would stand up and go through a whole list of "thou shall nots."   At this point you could probably run through the list of them:



- Don't break curfew
- Don't be late
- Don't go around barefoot
- Don't be in the young ladies' rooms unless you are a young lady
- Don't feed the mogwai after midnight.
- Never get involved in a land war in Asia, it's one of two classic blunders.

Invariably, going through the rules can be tedious, a little long, and frequently negative. It also had the impact of planting bad ideas. If I tell you "Don't think of a pink elephant" what is in your mind? Probably an elephant.

One year I was at KeyMan (8/2/19-8/8/19 Mark your calendars!), and "Dad" Tom Labagh stood up to give the rules and he did something different. Rather than talk about what you should not do, "Dad" Labagh talked about what you should do and tied it back into our values and traditions.

It was a game changer!
Rather than be filled with a bunch of "Nos" and "Don'ts," we elevated the conversation from being negative it was one that was positive and affirming.  It also changed how the DeMolays and young ladies talked, thought and acted. Rather than just being simply what shouldn't you do, it talked about what you should do.  It not only works for KeyMan but works for all of the events they have.  I have overheard a few brothers saying to another "Hey, brotherhood." Or if the basketball game got a little too heated being able to remind ourselves of the brotherhood contract.

The draft policy was sent around to the SEC and the SAC and I want to thank those groups for their helpful and critical feedback. This is the Brotherhood Contract we have developed for DeMolay.  While it is being promulgated today, 10/17/2019, it is a living document that we want your feedback on as DeMolays.

This policy is in effect at all DeMolay functions inside our jurisdiction. We will still have specific event rules, but in each opening session we will reference back to this contract.

If you get a chance take it to your next chapter meeting and discuss it. Have feedback? Send me a note at pbrusoe@NYDeMolay.org

Thank you for all that you do to make DeMolay so awesome!

In the light of the 4th Candle,

"Dad" Brusoe




NEW YORK DEMOLAY BROTHERHOOD CONTRACT

All DeMolays agree to conduct themselves according to these basic ground rules:


First – The physical and mental/emotional safety of our brothers is paramount and must be protected by all. We carefully consider how to conduct any activity to minimize physical risk. No horseplay. No name-calling or bullying. No unnecessary risks. No physical violence.

Shared Values – We believe that the Seven Cardinal Virtues of DeMolay are the building blocks of adulthood, and to be treated like adults we need to act appropriately and take responsibility for our choices.


Positive Mental Attitude – DeMolays agree to support and encourage one another by practicing “valuing behaviors” like active listening, giving encouragement and support with positive reinforcement. We value individuals as well as the group, and treat everyone with respect, kindness, courtesy and caring. Tolerance is a primary teaching of DeMolay, and we celebrate our differences, rather than divide over them.


Learn From Each Other – Each DeMolay has the right to respectfully express his opinions, desires, and needs. Giving and receiving honest and constructive feedback is the beginning to finding one’s true self, and helping each other grow in our skills and relationships.


Open to New Ideas – Nobody “knows it all.” DeMolays and Advisors are still learning about the Order, about leadership, about people, about themselves. Be open to new ideas and understanding a different perspective on what you think you already know. When you stop learning, you stop living.


Achieve – Moving forward in life means setting goals, and working hard to reach them. But, you can’t step all over those around you to get where you want to go. Serving others and helping your brothers to reach their goals will take you further along the path toward accomplishing your own objectives!


The Fidelity Pledge
I promise that I will try to live by the DeMolay Virtues in all that I think, say and do, and will expect the same effort from my brothers and Advisors. When I fail to do so, I will take responsibility for my decisions, make appropriate amends, if possible, accept the consequences of my actions, and be as forgiving of my brothers as they are tolerant of me.





DRAFT Sent to SAC 10/9/2019
DRAFT sent to SEC 10/92019
Adopted 10/17/2019

Code of Conduct as a DeMolay Advisor:

Dear Brothers, ladies, "Moms" and "Dads":

Since our founding in 1919, the core of being a DeMolay advisor has been the same: one generation mentoring the next generation. While times fashion and other things have changed, that core principle has not.

 In the coming weeks and months we hope to be adding more and more adult volunteers.  In an attempt to distill the question "what qualities do you look for in advisors?" As a team, we sat down to think about what are the best qualities of a DeMolay adult volunteer? How do we capture and distill them.? The result is the Code of Conduct for DeMolay Advisors.  If you think something is missing or unclear, let us know, you can shoot me an email at pbrusoe@nydemolay.org 

This was sent to both the SEC and the SAC for their review and input and I greatly appreciate the feed back they gave.

Yours for a Stronger New York DeMolay,
- "Dad" Brusoe


Code of Conduct as a DeMolay Advisor:

1. My primary goal in serving as a DeMolay Advisor is to help develop all of the youth I have been entrusted to mentor.

2. In the spirit of the third candle, I will treat every young man and young lady in our organization and our sister organizations with courtesy and respect.

3. I will treat my fellow advisors, adults, and parents with professional courtesy and respect, remaining silent if I cannot speak a good word for them.

4. If a dispute arises with a fellow advisor, I will work to resolve the issue before escalating the issue.

5. I will be a living example of DeMolay values and virtues inspiring the young people in our organization by my daily actions, thoughts, and deeds.

6. I will model the behavior we expect from our youth by following the rules and guidelines of an event including dress code.

7. I will follow the rules, regulations and edicts of DeMolay International and New York DeMolay.

8. I will report violations of DeMolay policies to the appropriate people.

9. I will conduct my public life, including social media, in a manner consistent with DeMolay.

10. I will protect, to the best of my ability, all personal identification information of our youth members/prospects and adult volunteers. 

11. If any personal matters arise (civil, criminal, etc.) that could be viewed negatively by the public in relation to DeMolay International or NY DeMolay, I will immediately bring it to the attention of the NY DeMolay Personal Representative / EO. 



Sent to SAC 10/9/2019
Sent to SEC 10/9/2019
Adopted 10/17/2019

Zero Tolerance Policy

Dear Brothers, Ladies, "Moms" and "Dads":

One of the most important duties that we have as adult volunteers is to ensure that we are providing safe environment for our youth.  Our ritual speaks of keepi
ng our bodies pure form uncleanness. In looking at the best practices used by other jurisdictions, we will be adopting a zero tolerance policy on behavior that has no place in DeMolay.

I would note that this zero tolerance applies not only to things that physically hurt our bodies - vaping or alcohol etc - but also things that can hurt the mental and emotional such as bullying or verbal abuse.

This policy was sent to the State Executive Committee and the State Advisory Council and they have had time to review and provide feedback.  I greatly appreciate all of their positive contributions.

During this collaboration several advisors asked about how do we define bullying?  Others pointed out that our Great State has laws on the books about that.  Simply saying  "we know it when we see it." Is not good enough. I have asked Past State Master Councilor "Dad" Justin Cook to head up a working group to better spell out in a policy a working document around bullying and an implementation plan.

We have not had an issue with any of the prohibited items in New York DeMolay, but good fences make good neighbors.

Yours for a Stronger New York DeMolay,
"Dad" Brusoe


New York DeMolay enforces a Zero Tolerance Policy with regard to the use of alcohol, illegal drugs, weapons, illegal tobacco use including vaping, hazing, bullying, or any physical, verbal, sexual, or emotional abuse of any kind at any DeMolay function. This policy applies to both Active DeMolays and adult volunteers. Violations of risk management, youth protection, or prohibited substance policies will result in disciplinary measures up to and including suspension or expulsion consistent with the Rules and Regulations of DeMolay International.


Sent to SEC 10/8/2019
Sent to SAC 10/9/2019
Adopted as policy 10/17/2019

Hello New York DeMolay!

As many of you may have seen from the Ambassador, I have been asked by Grand Master "Dad" John Whitaker  to assume the role of Personal Representative for our Great State of New York.

I am so excited to work with an amazing group of talented DeMolay leaders,  the young ladies involved with our program, our committed adult mentors and advisors,  our alumni and our great New York Masonic Family.

I know there are probably a lot of questions, and we will be reaching out to every chapter soon. In an effort to answer some of the most frequently asked ones we have this quick FAQ. In the coming days, weeks and months we will be unveiling some new ideas, some projects, and ways we can make New York DeMolay even better.

Our state motto, Excelsior, says it best: Ever upward!

Yours for a Stronger New York DeMolay!

"Dad" Brusoe

1) What is a Personal Representative of the Grand Master?

Under DeMolay’s governance structure, the Supreme Council of DeMolay International is our governing authority. Outside of their sessions, that authority is vested in the Grand Master of DeMolay, currently “Dad” John Whitaker of Tennessee. Grand Master Whitaker has the ability to appoint DeMolay advisors to operate and supervise DeMolay in the various jurisdictions. These advisors take two forms, Personal Representatives and Executive Officers. Executive Officers are members of the Supreme Council by virtue of their office while Personal Representatives are not.

Simply put, Grand Master Whitaker has charged me with growing New York DeMolay and

empowering our young men, young ladies, and advisors to be the best they can be.

2) So what should we be doing?

Keep being the amazing DeMolays and advisors you are now. Please register for LeadCon, to be held in Utica in November.  State Master Councilor Altman and “Dad” Schneider have put together an awesome program!

If you’re an adult, complete your change no change form. The annual deadline is November 30.

If you know of a young man who would benefit from DeMolay, or an adult who would be a great mentor, ask them to get involved! I was really excited to see Ridge Council welcome a new brother just a few days ago!

I will be taking time over the next several days to reach out to chapters, staff members, alumni and others. I ask that you be a little patient as we work through this.

3) What is your goal in this role?

Our goal as a jurisdiction is to provide a program where young men feel empowered to run activities and programs that embrace the DeMolay values while being fun and enjoyable to the youth of today. Youth are challenged to grow their skill sets through the mentorship and support of caring adult mentors.

4) Will there be changes? What will they look like? 

As with any organization, a change in leadership means there will be changes in how we do things.
I do not believe in change for change’s sake, but will be done with an eye towards our goal of improving the experience of young men. Simply put, we’re going to do more of what is working, and less of what is not working.  When changes are made, you will be notified and given a rationale.

5) What’s your DeMolay background?

I was asked to join DeMolay by my friend Patrick Filiberto and it was a life changing  decision. On December 27, 1997 I joined St. Andrew’s Chapter during a joint degree with Mohawk Valley Chapter. End of the year degrees do work!

2001 DeMolay Congress

Later working with my chapter, we would go on to earn the Past Master Councilor’s Meritorious Service Award for that term. After serving as Master Councilor, I was elected to serve as Hudson Valley Division Councilor (a portion of present day Rivers Region and, at that time, a portion of the northern part of Metro), Deputy State Master Councilor and State Master Councilor from 2001-2002. In 2003, I was elected International Master Councilor in Buffalo, NY. As International Master Councilor, I was able to see a number of great programs and activities being run across the country. I still maintain a lot of their friendships and see a lot of great ideas we can bring into New York.

My adult experience in DeMolay is varied.  I have served in a variety of different roles on the chapter level ranging from special projects advisor, scribe advisor, chapter advisor. On the jurisdictional level I was a Deputy Executive Officer for many years and most recently an advisor to the convention committee. I have held other jobs along the way, including serving as a Deputy Congress Advisor for DeMolay International, a staff member for the Ohio DeMolay Leaders of Excellence  conference, KeyMan conference, a staff presenter at Garden State LTC, and have chaired MATOC for the past 7 years. In each of these I worked with the local Masonic organizations and the Grand Lodge. Our success as an organization is predicated on strong working Masonic relationships.

What has all of this experience taught me? DeMolay works best when youth leaders, both our DeMolays and our young ladies, are empowered to make positive decisions and supported by caring and engaged adult mentors.

6) What’s your favorite preceptor?

It varies from day to day, thankfully there are seven days of the week and seven preceptors. In general I would say Comradeship. The unique brotherhood we experience in DeMolay is what sets our organization apart from other youth serving organizations.

7) What’s your educational and professional background?

I graduated from Amsterdam High School (Go Rams!), graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in European History and American Political Science from the University at Albany, State University of New York (Go Danes!), a Master’s Degree in Political Science from the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at Albany (Go Danes X2!) and a PhD in political science from American University (Go Eagles!).  I have taken special programs around statistics, education, and social science education.

I currently work for a New York based technology company as a Campaign Finance and Lobbying Data Analyst. Previous to that I worked at a non-profit research institute, as a professor and as a graduate assistant.

8) What’s your favorite piece of ritual?

That’s a tough question. I generally say the DeMolay Degree 4th section because of how important that paragraph is for how we live our lives as DeMolays. My favorite public ceremony is the Flower Talk.  Overall, I love all of it and each of it speaks to me.

9) What’s your least favorite piece of ritual?

Any ritual that is read!
If I had to give an answer I think the Ceremony of Visitation (If you had to go google what that is, great!) It just seems superfluous.

10) How would you describe your leadership philosophy

I am a positive thinker who really loves Steven Covey and his 7 habits, plus his eighth! I also really enjoy David Allen the Art of Getting Things Done and Andy Cope the Art of Being Brilliant. Couple that with a quantitative data bent, and a fierce commitment to openness and transparency and you get my leadership style. If you are familiar with Myers Briggs, I am an INTJ bordering on an ENTJ.

You are going to hear some key phrases from me:
“How does this benefit the youth?”
“What do the youth want?”
“How can I help?”
“Why?”
“Are we being a PIOP or a NIOP?”
“The fierce and sudden urgency of now.”
“Make it work.”
“If you can't measure it, you can't manage it and you can't fix it.”

11)  What’s your Masonic Background?

On my 21st Birthday I went out to dinner with my parents and then went to Empire Chapter’s meeting to present my petition for Freemasonry to “Dad” Bob Walenta for Master’s Lodge #5. Why? Because I saw the outstanding character and spirit of service from my DeMolay Advisors I was initiated, passed and raised in Master’s Lodge #5 of Albany, NY.

Just as we tell our DeMolays, my education came first and was not able to attend as much as I would like in NY because I was at American University in DC. I joined William R. Singleton-Hope-Lebanon Lodge #7 in Washington, DC. Why Singleton? Because they sponsored the local DeMolay Chapter.

I currently serve as their treasurer and community service chair.   I would go on to be a charter member of Eagle Lodge #1893 and eventually served as their Master and served as the Charter Junior Warden of Eireann Lodge #98. I have served in a variety of officer roles in lodges, generally doing what needed to be done.

Beyond Blue Lodge, I am a companion and Past Grand High Priest of Royal Arch, a companion of Cryptic Council, a Sir Knight of the Knights Templar and a companion of the Allied Masonic Degrees.  I belong to the Valley of Schenectady AASR, proud sponsors of St. Andrew’s Chapter, I am a Past Wise Master of Evangelist Chapter of Rose Croix of the Valley of Washington, AASR.  A Noble of the Shrine, a Prophet of the Grotto and a Past and Current Patron of Eastern Star. I currently hold a few directorships and corporate officer positions with the DC versions of the MCC and Brotherhood fund.

12) That sounds like a lot. Will you have time to do this job right?

Yes. We talk to our young men about time management, and the same is true for our adult leaders. Part of my taking this role was dialing back some of my other obligations and shifting some responsibilities. The success of our Jurisdiction is going to rely upon all of us working together. Plus, I don’t sleep much to begin with.

13) I have a suggestion, or an idea, or a concern. 

Great! All are welcome, please shoot me an email at PBrusoe at NYDeMolay.org with NY DeMolay in the subject line.

List of favorites:
Baseball Team: The New York Yankees
Football Team: This will not make anyone happy, but remember my commitment to honesty and transparency? The Eagles
Lacrosse team: The Great Danes of Albany!
Superhero: Batman: Just an everyday guy making the world a better place, Spiderman is a close second place.
Song? Piano Man by Billy Joel of course!
Ice cream? Stewart’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Season? Fall in upstate New York.
Favorite book? The Last of the Really Great Wangdoodles
Favorite film? Once Upon a Crime
Favorite author? John Irving
Book you’re currently reading? The Battle for Spain
Favorite OES Heroine? Esther, she stepped out of her comfort zone to do what was right.
Favorite DeMolay Degree part? As a youth it was Guy of Auvergne, now that I am an adult, I would say Geoffroi de Charney.
Favorite State event? All of them!
Personal hero? My parents.
Favorite Color? Albany Purple and Gold.

Welcome to the New York DeMolay Blog!

Communication is key to how we make DeMolay successful!

In the early days of DeMolay communication was easy! The original nine all lived within a few blocks of one another and could easily talk to one another or pass word through word of mouth. As Mother Chapter grew this became more difficult so new ways of communicating were needed. The development of the Cordon, use of mail, and even telegraph.

In 1925, "Dad" Land and DeMolay used a new fangled invention called "radio" to broadcast a messae on the 6th Anniversairy of the founding of DeMolay. You can read a blog about that from "Dad" Tom Labagh of PA DeMolay: https://demolay.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Centennial-Celebration-Moments-15-final.pdf .

Our communications approach has evolved with the time! I am told that back in the 1970s, State Officers used Citizen Band (CB) Radios to stay in touch with one another.  In the 1990s we used dial up internet to send emails. Now, we use emotiocons and text messages and snapchats.

Regardless of the method, communication has been key.  In the coming days, weeks and months stay tuned to this website as we add content and share important information with you! If you want to share some thoughts let us know by emailing office@NYDeMolay.org