Forwarded for Dave Patton, with pleasure. 73, Dave K1ZZ I would like to announce that we have hired Sean Kutzko, KX9X, for the position of ARRL Contest Manager. He will relocate to the Hartford area and begin work at HQ around October 1. I am very pleased to have Sean onboard. He is enthusiastic, bright, and an active contester with a special love for VHF/UHF contesting and operating. His bio follows. 73, Dave, NN1N First licensed in 1982 as KA9NGH, Kutzko developed a taste for contesting after winning the Illinois section in the 1988 ARRL Novice Roundup. Since then, he has been active in both HF and VHF contesting as well as HF DXing and VHF weak-signal communications. A long-standing member of the Society of Midwest Contesters and a strong advocate of mentoring new contesters, Kutzko has won several contest and DX awards, including several Top Ten finishes in the ARRL Sweepstakes SSB contest as a QRP entrant. He has been on two HF contest DXpeditions, including 6Y7M in the 1994 CQ WPX CW contest and V26NA in the 1997 ARRL DX CW Contest. Kutzko also enjoys activating rare grid squares by going on "Grid DXpeditions" in the continental US for the VHF/UHF community. In the late 1990s, Kutzko published a regular column in the National Contest Journal focusing on DX QTHs that were available for hams to rent for contests or DXpeditions. Kutzko holds a B.A. in Communications from The University of Illinois at Springfield and worked as an announcer and jazz host at National Public Radio affiliates in Illinois and Indiana throughout the 1990's. Most recently, he was the Advertising and Marketing Director for Area Diesel Service, a diesel parts company based in Carlinville, Illinois. When he's not involved in amateur radio, Kutzko is an active musician, playing guitar, drums and ethnic percussion and is working on his first solo CD. He enjoys studying music history and has a diverse musical appetite ranging from classic rock, jazz, blues, bluegrass, West African highlife and even classical. He is also a rabid baseball fan and follows the Chicago Cubs religiously.