Meet the Candidates: Jacob Beers for State Master Councilor

Convention is just around the corner, so lets take a few minutes to meet the candidates for Elected State Office. Members will get the chance to elect their officers during the Business Session the Saturday morning of Convention. They were all asked to provide a biography and an answer to the three questions below.

If by some strange circumstance we haven’t met yet, my name is Jake Beers and I am hoping to serve as the 83rd State Master Councilor of Pennsylvania DeMolay. I joined Elizabethtown Chapter on July 10, 2011. In 2014, I became Master Councilor with the goal of revitalizing and re-energizing my Chapter. Since then, I have worked with all of the Master Councilors that have come through my Chapter, serving as Scribe for two-and-a-half years and Treasurer for the last six months. I was appointed State Treasurer in August of 2014 and have since served as State Junior Councilor and Deputy State Master Councilor. As State Junior Councilor, I worked to create new Patton Campus weekends that would excite members and allow Pennsylvania DeMolay to grow in ways not yet seen. As Deputy State Master Councilor, it has been my duty to help the corps in whatever way needed, whether it was in planning events, advising, or anything else. In my time as a DeMolay, I have earned the Representative DeMolay Award, Elizabethtown DeMolay of the Year twice, Scribe’s Efficiency Certificate, and the Degree of Chevalier.

This year, I graduated from Lower Dauphin High School in Hummelstown as a member of the National Honor Society, French National Honor Society, and History Honor Society. I was involved in Lower Dauphin’s music program as first-chair euphonium in Concert Band and Low Brass Section Leader, both in my junior and senior years. In the fall, I will be attending West Chester University seeking a degree in Mathematics with a concentration in Statistics. I am an avid football and NASCAR fan, as well as a sports fan in general. My favorite football team is the Jacksonville Jaguars and my favorite driver is Kevin Harvick. In the future, I would like to work as a Sports Statistician.

What are your goals if elected to serve as an Elected State Officer?

If elected State Master Councilor, I want to achieve three main goals. First, I want to encourage members to take charge of their Chapters and their Order as a whole. In my time as an Elected State Officer, I have seen Pennsylvania DeMolay shift in demographics towards a younger base of members. A fixture of my term will be encouraging these new members to take some leadership role in their Chapters - be it a Councilor role, Committee Chairman, or anything else - and their State. Second, I want to improve Chapter-to-State communication. This year, Chapters will have greater ability for communication with their Elected State Officers and Executive Officer’s Staff than ever before. More information on how this will be achieved will be announced at Convention. Third, I want to spread DeMolay to more people than ever before this year. For PA DeMolay to grow in members, influence, and recognition, we must introduce more people to the Order. Chapters and members alike will be encouraged to visit lodges, other Chapters, other Masonic Youth Organizations, and areas within their communities in the name of spreading DeMolay.

Who are your DeMolay influences and how have they inspired you?

I have always looked at “Dad” Dave Berry as my mentor and inspiration throughout my DeMolay career. So often, he does a large portion of the work for PA DeMolay or is very instrumental in various facets of the Order. Rarely, though, does he receive or ask for credit, putting DeMolay ahead of himself. I also look to the PSMCs throughout my DeMolay career, especially those I have worked with, and take from each of them their best qualities and attempt to emulate those qualities.

What is your greatest DeMolay experience or accomplishment?

My greatest DeMolay accomplishment was receiving the Degree of Chevalier last November. At face value, the Chevalier would obviously be my greatest accomplishment, but my reasoning goes far beyond this. The Chevalier is given to reward those who have worked to better their Chapter, with only their Chapter in mind. I felt so honored to be rewarded by my Chapter, knowing that they appreciated what I had done to aid the Chapter in my time as a DeMolay. I hope that I can continue to be worthy of this honor in my time as State Master Councilor and the years to follow.