It’s been great to see all the interest in last week’s announcement of PASS Summit 2013 in Charlotte, NC. The community response has been highly positive overall, with a few comments around Charlotte’s flight availability, nightlife, and access to Microsoft.

A couple of PASS Board members have blogged about the decision-making process the Board went through and their own thought processes in selecting Charlotte to host the 2013 Summit:

• Sweet Charlotte! - Thomas LaRock
•  PASS Summit 2013 – Hello Charlotte! - Mark Ginnebaugh

Here’s what others in the community are saying:

• A Change of Scenery for the PASS Summit - Aaron Bertrand
• Airlines that Fly to Charlotte – via @DBAWayne on twitter
• Charlotte Area Attractions – via @kbriankelley on twitter
• PASS Summit 2013 Location: Charlotte, NC! - Brent Ozar
• The 2013 PASS Summit in Charlotte - Good Call! - Greg Gonzalez
• Things to Keep in Mind for PASS 2013, Charlotte NC – Jeff Smith

And here are a few tweets we’ve collected over the past week to give you a taste of the conversations going on:

• @SQLSoldier: North Carolina is a beautiful area!! Weather is great in Oct. too!! Hoping I can get approval to attend the #sqlPASS Summit in 2013!! 
• @mark_sqlcat: #sqlpass Summit 2013 in Charlotte...SQL Dev and SQL CSS will be there. SQL Clinic travels... #sqlserver #sqlcat 
• @kbriankelley: Charlotte is a short drive from Myrtle Beach, SC. Make it a vacation: bring your spouse and hit the beach before/after #sqlpass 2013 Summit. 
• @awsaxton Nice that #sqlpass is in Charlotte. Will have a MS Support Site right there to help staff the #sqlclinic room.
• @SQLSoldier: #SQLNASCAR RT @jlangdon: @SQLSoldier #sqlpass Might be able to catch a race since NASCAR runs at Charlotte Motor Speedway in mid-October. 
• @shannonlowder: @SQLBalls Oh yeah. That time of the year they usually have Carrowinds decorated for Halloween too. Fun stuff! #sqlpass

Thanks for all your feedback! And continue to watch Twitter for more about PASS Summit 2013 and PASS Summit 2011, Oct. 11-14 in Seattle – just remember to use the #sqlpass hashtag.
 

The PASS HQ team is thrilled to announce the addition of two new team members to its core staff.
 
Karla Landrum—already well-known as a PASS volunteer extraordinaire— will join as our newest member starting on July 1. Karla’s passion and enthusiasm for the SQL Server community and PASS is unmatched. An active PASS Regional Mentor for the US Heartland region, Karla has been the lead organizer for 4 PASS SQLSaturdays, and she has volunteered at more than 15 other PASS-related events. Based in Orlando, FL, her role with PASS will focus on the community, managing the PASS Chapter and Regional Mentor programs along with the full roster of SQLSaturday events. Karla brings a true community insider’s perspective to the role, and we look forward to having her onboard. Karla, in her own words, is all set to “work hard, have fun, smile, and achieve success!”
 
Jumping into the new role of PASS Senior Executive Administrative Assistant during the recent Orlando, FL, PASS Board meetings, Michelle Nalliah has already proven herself to be indispensable. Based in Vancouver, BC, and working out of the PASS offices, Michelle manages all administrative duties and governance-related tasks for the PASS Board of Directors and HQ. She also assists the finance and operations teams where required. Michelle has 7 years of administrative experience and comes to us most recently from the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. We are delighted to have her as part of the team and have no doubt her organizational skills will be a great asset to PASS and the community.
 
Karla and Michelle are joining a strong team of individuals who work tirelessly behind the scenes to help PASS and its members to connect, share, and learn. And starting next month, you can learn more about each PASS HQ member through a new “PASS Staff” highlight feature in the PASS Connector newsletter.
 
In the meantime, please extend a warm welcome to Karla and Michelle and feel free to drop me a line with any questions or comments.