As I was getting ready to step into this role four years ago, I promised myself one thing: ACE isn’t “one person’s club.” Every decision, easy or not, needed to serve the membership as a whole, not any individual, including me.
I came in determined to build real collaboration among the people I was serving. What I didn’t expect was discovering that ACE wasn’t quite in the place I thought it was. I had to pause and reassess where we were starting from.
Out of that came a set of goals that I kept on the very first page of my planner, so I’d see them first thing every single day.
- Develop collaboration among volunteers
- Document responsibilities and processes
- Compile the responsibilities and processes in our first standard operating procedures (SOPs) visible to all members
- Relocate ACE’s coaster car collection to the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives
- Begin digitizing the archives
- Implement archival software to share our digitized archives online
- Increase visibility of ACE’s mission of preservation
- Improve member satisfaction — feeling welcome, feeling heard, having basic needs met
- Create a volunteer committee to manage ACE documentation and fundraising
- Strengthen partnerships and relationships
Looking back now, it’s bittersweet. So many of you shared these goals and worked hard to move them forward, and I’m proud that we brought most of them to life in one way or another.
I continue to focus on small, meaningful wins that move each goal forward. Here is where we currently stand, in my opinion:
- Volunteer collaboration — Communication and cross‑team understanding have noticeably improved across several areas of the organization. This shift is helping volunteers work together more effectively.
- Documenting responsibilities and processes — The Infrastructure and Documentation Committee remains diligent in building and refining our standard operating procedures. Steady progress continues.
- Publishing a member‑visible SOP — Version 1 of the SOP is available for all members, and Version 2 is currently in development.
- Relocating ACE’s coaster car collection — The first truckload of cars has been successfully transported to the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives. Many more shipments will follow, but the process is underway.
- Digitizing the archives — A small group of volunteers has begun digitizing photos, slides and VHS tapes. A comprehensive plan for full archival digitization still needs to be developed.
- Implementing archival software — Unfortunately, this goal appears further away now than it did four years ago. Additional evaluation and planning will be required to determine a viable path forward.
- Increasing visibility of preservation — Preservation efforts are more visible today than they were four years ago, and fundraising initiatives are being promoted more frequently and with greater clarity.
- Improving member satisfaction — The results of survey data have been challenging to interpret, but my instincts, and the tone of member interactions, suggest improvement in members feeling welcome, heard and supported.
- Committee development for documentation and fundraising — The Documentation Committee is established and working diligently. The Fundraising Committee is currently paused for several reasons, but its future structure can be revisited.
- Strengthening partnerships and relationships — ACE’s relationships across the industry have strengthened significantly. Conversations with professionals and new opportunities emerging throughout the organization clearly reflect this positive shift.
What I didn’t expect was how much I would change. Serving as your president stretched me, challenged me and taught me things I didn’t always want to learn, but I can see now that I’m a better version of myself because of it.
ACE has been a cornerstone of my life since I joined in 2000. I never planned to volunteer, let alone become president, but I’m grateful for every person who encouraged me, challenged me and supported me along the way. Would I do it again? Absolutely — faster than I’d jump into an empty ERT seat.
I’m genuinely excited to pass the mantle of responsibility and simply enjoy ACE again. The same love that inspired me to serve now fuels my desire to play, laugh and ride. I’ll always be here for the Executive Committee whenever I’m needed, but when I’m not, you’ll find me re‑riding, smiling and soaking in the joy that brought us all here. I’m looking forward to settling into projects that strengthen our infrastructure and support ACE’s long‑term stability.
Thank you for giving me challenges that shaped me. Now I challenge you: celebrate how far ACE has come, stay engaged and continue to use your voice to make this organization truly yours. And I leave you with one request — please share your story. Has ACE given you what you hoped for when you joined?
See you in the queue!
— Elizabeth Ringas, ACE President
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