The Longhouse Council, BSA will hold its 2016 Boypower Dinner on May 4th, 2016. The Boypower Dinner is Central New York’s premier fundraising event benefiting the youth of the Longhouse Council, Boy Scouts of America.

2016 Keynote Speaker – Jared Ogden

Jared Ogden is an Eagle Scout Former Navy SEAL and the founder and CEO of the Phoenix Patriot Foundation, an organization dedicated to Assisting combat wounded warriors to transition to a life of service.

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and was originally commissioned as a Surface Warfare Officer. He was accepted into Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL (BUD/S) program and after completion was assigned to SEAL Team One. His platoon was deployed to Afghanistan and his decorations include the Combat Action Ribbon, Bronze Star with “V” for Valor and multiple joint awards.

Ogden’s motto is “The reward is in the act” and post-Navy has dedicated himself to sharing his experiences and those of his teammates with civic and community groups. During one such presentation he was discovered by National Geographic and was selected for his next adventure.

Jared Ogden was selected to represent the Department of Defense on National Geographic Channel’s “ULTIMATE SURVIVAL ALASKA” for both seasons two and three. A fan favorite, Jared and his 3-man military team battled three other teams hiking, rafting, climbing and avoiding Brown bears through a series of challenges across hundreds of miles of Alaska’s remote and harsh wilderness.

2016 Distinguished Citizen – Robert M. Simpson

Robert Simpson serves as president of the CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity (CenterState CEO).  CenterState CEO is a regional business leadership organization, chamber of commerce, and economic development strategist, based in Syracuse, NY, representing 2,000 members of all sizes.  In 2011, Mr. Simpson was appointed by the Governor to serve as co-chair of the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council (CNY REDC), a commission responsible for coordination economic development for Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties. He has also actively engaged the Brookings Institution to with the region to develop a Metropolitan Business Plan and a Metropolitan Export Initiative – the region’s most sophisticated planning efforts to date. Prior to joining CenterState CEO, Mr. Simpson worked for defenders of Wildlife, in Washington, DC; served as policy director for the State Environmental Resource Center, in Madison Wisconsin, and served as assistant legislative director for the Office of John D. Rockefeller, IV, in the United States Senate. Mr. Simpson is a native Central New Yorker who graduated from Colgate University in 1997. He earned is master’s degree in Public Administration form the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

2016 Boypower Special Guest-Michael Surbaugh 

Michael Surbaugh is the 13th Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America.

Scouting was a central component of Mike’s life from early on. He was born in Charleston, West Virginia, the son of a steel plant manager.

As Mike worked toward his Eagle Scout rank in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he had a brush with his future career. The Pittsburgh Council’s Scout executive met with all Eagle Scout candidates to discuss the value of leadership. Mike’s goal was to be a corporate attorney, but the Scout executive recognized Mike’s enthusiasm for Scouting and told him that one day he could be sitting in the Scout executive’s chair.

After graduating from Salem College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in youth agency administration, Mike chose Scouting for his career.

Mike served as a district executive in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1984, and then served as a senior district executive and program director in Syracuse, New York. He then became director of field services, director of development, field director, and development director in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Mike’s real aspiration was to run a BSA high-adventure base. But rather than hold out for such a role, he served as the Scout executive in both Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Appleton, Wisconsin.

In 2007, he was asked to interview as the Scout executive in Pittsburgh. He accepted the position at the behest of his wife, Lisa, who reminded him of the prophetic words from that council’s Scout executive years earlier when Mike became an Eagle Scout.

From Pittsburgh, Mike was promoted to BSA group director at the National Service Center in 2014, a position he held until being named Chief Scout Executive in 2015.

Mike is an Eagle Scout and an Order of the Arrow Vigil Honor member, and has completed Wood Badge. He also is proud to have served as camp director and a member of summer camp staffs for 12 years.

2016 Boypower Chairman -David Schneckenburger

David Schneckenburger is the President of Thompson & Johnson Equipment Company, a material handling and compact construction equipment dealer. Thompson & Johnson represents top industry manufacturers including Toyota and Crown forklift trucks and Bobcat compact construction equipment, in a service area that encompasses primarily Upstate New York, Seneca Falls and east. Prior to going to work for Thompson & Johnson in 1981, he worked for Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation as a Sales Representative.

Mr. Schneckenburger is the past Board of Trustees President of both the Museum of Science & Technology (MOST) and Dewitt Community Church and continues to serve on both Boards. Previously he was the President of the Rotary Club of Dewitt and remains an active member, and was the Committee Chair for the Syracuse East Region of Young Life.  Mr. Schneckenburger is active with Centerstate CEO, serving as a Board member and as a member of the Audit and Membership committees, and has and continues to serve on Thompson & Johnson suppliers’ Dealer Councils.

Mr. Schneckenburger met his future wife, Candee, at Westminster College.  There he received his BS in Mathematics (magna cum laude) and served his fraternity, Alpha Sigma Phi, as president.  Married in 1979, Mr. Schneckenburger and his wife live in Manlius and have a daughter, a son, and four grandchildren.