Dear Mr. Pinto,
It is my pleasure to offer this letter of reference for Joseph Andreo of Connecticut Yankee Council for the position of Scout Executive of Housatonic Council.
I have known Joe since he first joined Connecticut Yankee Council in 2014. I have had the opportunity to work closely with Joe in my various roles including Council FOS Chair, Council Youth Protection Advocate, Council Wood Badge Coordinator, and Chancellor of our University of Scouting. I have also worked closely with Joe in my various roles on the Council Executive Board including my previous position as Vice President of Membership and my current position as Vice President of Program.
In every role that I have undertaken, Joe has been a caring and effective mentor, coach, and friend.
I know Joe to be a hands-on leader, with the ability to simultaneously focus on mission success and on his people, volunteer and professional alike. Developing sustained youth membership growth has been a challenge (true for most Councils today). Joe has been an important partner in building our membership. One specific success in which Joe’s role was invaluable was welcoming girls into our Scout’s BSA program. In number of girls brought into Scouts BSA in the first year, our Council was first in Area 2, fifth in the Northeast Region, and 35th in the country.
On March 6, 2019, our Council President asked me to form an Enterprise Risk Management Committee to address the challenges that we faced with the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, a situation confronted by every Council in the country. I brought Joe onto my Committee on Day 1 because I knew I could count on him to be both strategic and tactical, through truly uncharted territory. Joe became my Staff Adviser and was crucial to the success of the Committee and of our Council. We ended 2020 in a strong financial and membership position. Our membership growth and financial position has continued to be strong because of Joe’s leadership.
I have had the opportunity to again work closely with Joe in my role as Vice President of Program for the past 2 ½ years. You probably know that Camp Sequassen is exceptionally well regarded in the Northeast, providing successful (and financially sustainable) programs 12 months a year. A key reason for our Camp’s success has been Joe’s guidance and leadership. His oversight extends through all aspects of highly effective programs throughout our Council.
We consistently run a series of financially productive annual community fundraisers. We also organize several Scouting events each year in many of the communities we serve. Because of Joe’s vital leadership, Connecticut Yankee Council is known to be an important and dependable community resource. In turn, our Council can depend upon the financial and volunteer support of the leadership of our communities.
Since 2021, I have also served as the Territory Training Coordinator for CST 11, and more recently CST 13, which has given me the opportunity to closely observe several Scout Executives throughout the Northeast. Joe is clearly among the top tier of all professional Scouters I have worked with.
If I had to sum up Joe’s accomplishments within our Council, I would say: Joe makes a difference. He makes a difference in the lives of the many Scouts and Scouters in the 37 communities we serve. And isn’t that what Scouting is all about?
I commend the Selection Committee to give sincere consideration to Joe Andreo as the next Scout Executive of Housatonic Council.
Yours in Scouting,
Jay Lubin