Dark Greetings, all,

Tonight, it is my esteemed honor to bring another fine member into the Elder ranks...

Kaek, I do hereby elevate you to the rank of Dark Side Adept!

I distinctly remember the conversation I had with Kaek on IRC the day he was appointed to P:MAA. I told him that it was a close race between him and Khan, to which he replied that he didn't even expect to get Praetor. Those of us involved in the decision though knew that Kaek had what it takes from the beginning. From his initial appointment over a year and a half ago to this very day, Kaek has remained a steadfast and influential member of this club's leadership. Let us recognize that today.

Kaek is the type of member that I would like to clone and place all over the DB. He is strong-willed. He is proactive. He has great ideas. He does not shy away from responsibility. He does not pull his punches. He does not let things slip away from him. Kaek has so many of the ideal qualities that are needed for MAA. This is a person that tediously works his way through hundreds of requests each week, making sure that each and every medal and promotion is up to the DB's high standards. Since he has taken over, Kaek has, on his own, instituted a set of standards that everyone abides by and agrees to. I do not remember a single complaint about a decision Kaek has made since he took office -- I think that's a first for MAAs throughout the club's history.

Kaek cares about the future of the club; he wants to make sure that he leaves a mark of stability on the office he holds. Currently, Kaek is working with a variety of members to revamp the medal and promotion systems. He is leading a discussion that will someday prove invaluable to our club's continued success. I commend his initiative in that regard. It would be too easy for Kaek to hide behind the buttons and not involve himself elsewhere. He's not that type of person though -- he wants to make things right.

MAA isn't an easy job. It is time-consuming, tedious, and many times, thankless. Kaek does the job without question, though. He is constantly stepping up and taking more responsibility upon himself, too. Much to my pleasure -- Kaek does a lot of things now that I used to do. About a month ago he came to me and said something along the lines of "Jac, I played with the database all day today. I taught myself all of the ins and outs of creating units and positions so I don't have to bother you with that stuff anymore." Music to my ears. He, Goat and I also get together regularly to talk about promotions. Kaek helps me keep track of who needs to get promoted and helps me get the recommendations. I appreciate that.

Most importantly, Kaek holds everyone, including me, to the same standards. It is too tempting and easy to just snap fingers, write a sentence and promote someone. That's how it used to be done. Not under Kaek -- even a GM has to justify his reasons for promotions...and rightly so. Kaek does not let anything get past him that he wouldn't want to take responsibility for...because in the end, that's one thing that he has really changed about the MAA office: he takes an ownership of it and responsibility for everything that goes through it.

I appreciate all that Kaek does. I appreciate his attentiveness to detail. I appreciate his proactive approach to the office. I appreciate his strong-willed character.

Kaek, I appreciate you. Congratulations on your promotion, Dark Adept.

A collection of great recommendations may be found here.

In Darkness,

Lord Jac Cotelin

Grand Master of the Dark Jedi Brotherhood