By Owen Clapp
A new day starts, the sun comes up and there are a ton of tasks begging for attention. We all go through this same daily cycle. The difference for Southern Region Chief Alex Leach is that he is tasked with serving a whole region of Arrowmen and making sure that program is on track at the national, region, section, lodge and even chapter levels.
Alex is a member of Egwa Tawa Dee Lodge in Section SR-9. He was inducted in 2008 and became a Brotherhood member the next year. He kept the Vigil Honor in 2011. Along with his current position, Alex has held many other positions in the OA and BSA that include senior patrol leader, chapter chief, lodge chief and section chief.
Outside of Scouting, Alex attends Georgia Regents University in Augusta, Georgia. He is active at his university and is working to recharter a local chapter of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. He also works hard as a junior core member in his hometown church’s Life Teen Youth program.
Some of his hobbies of include flag football, ultimate frisbee, volleyball, softball and soccer, as well as playing the piano and trumpet. Though often wrapped up in his Scouting duties, schoolwork or any of his other activities, he consistently makes time to be with his family and friends, play with his dogs, go to the gym and play video games. Alex is an “do-things-when-I-can” kind of guy, but he knows that it all comes down to prioritization and planning in the end.
As with every other national officer, Alex keeps busy with his role by spending time with the different lodges and section, planning events such as NLS, and of course attending NOAC. “Each area has a story,” he said, “I really enjoy getting to meet the young Arrowmen who benefit from the OA.”
For Alex, the national planning meeting and the national annual meeting were life changing experiences. Though the national planning meeting in Dallas was “chaotic and exhausting” for him, he enjoyed it and embraced the “true test” that it was to be there. Seeing the OA’s national program being planned is a once-in-a-lifetime sort of experience, he said.
Alex has grown a lot since he joined Scouting. “I learned how to interact and learn from other individuals” he said, noting the lesson can apply to both his Scouting and life journeys. He credits his home chapter adviser, Mr. Barnwell as the most influential person to him. “He asked me to run for chapter office at my first chapter meeting,” Alex stated, “he helped me to discover myself as a leader.”
Alex is optimistic about the Order’s bright future ahead. His advice for the future leaders of the Order is to realize the roller coaster that they are getting on, and to remember that there is a great deal of commitment that is put into such a position. “It’s an experience like no other,” he said.
For more updates throughout the year on Alex’s experiences, be sure to follow him on Twitter: @OASouthChief.
Discover more about the Southern Region at http://southern.oa-bsa.org.