Commissioners are district and council volunteer leaders who help Scout units succeed. Commissioners coach and regularly consult with adult leaders of Cub Scout Packs, Boy Scout Troops, Venturing Crews, Explorer Posts and Sea Scout Ships. They help maintain the standards of the BSA through maintaining regular contact with unit leaders, counseling leaders on where to find assistance, noting weaknesses in programs and suggesting remedies to improve. The commissioner is successful when units effectively deliver the ideals of Scouting to their members.

Where to recharter?  Unit and membership renewal.

• Commissioners can refer to the training webinar, FAQs, and User Guide if they need assistance.
  • URL: Internet Charter Renewal 2.0 | Scouting America (scouting.org)

• This is the Internet Recharter 2.0 step by step presentation from the 2021 College of Commissioner Science 
  • Internet Recharter 2.0 Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation

• As commissioners, we share the BSA’s mission: To prepare youth to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.

  OUR VISION

  Every member of the BSA has a great Scouting experience. 

  OUR OBJECTIVES

  1. Supporting unit growth and retention through the journey to excellence.
  2. Contacting units and capturing in commissioner tools their strengths, needs, and a unit service plan that enables continuing improvement.
  3. Linking unit needs to district operating committee and other resources.
  4. Supporting timely unit, district, and council charter renewals.
  5. Supporting unit leaders by collecting and distributing information, enabling program training, and providing networking opportunities.

  OUR GOALS

  1. Enable an increased number of traditional units.
  2. Enable the retention rate of traditional units.
  3. Enable implementation of a unit service plan through collaborative detailed assessments and an increased number of significant unit contacts.

  OUR METHODS

  1. The UPG Methodology
  2. New Member Coordinators
  3. Unit Key 3
  4. The Unit Service Plan
  5. Journey to Excellence
  6. My.Scouting Tools (Including Commissioner Tools)
  7. Continuous Recruiting
  8. Assigning Resources to Greatest Needs

• The retention mission of the commissioner corps is best achieved by providing an adequate number of trained unit commissioners who provide a link to district committee resources in support of a quality unit program.

   

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  Maybe you’d like to be a Commissioner?

  It’s a great Scouting job, and very rewarding. Commissioners in the Greater Tampa Bay Area Council have many years of experience in Scouting, but that’s not a requirement! Even if you are new to Scouting, if you like working with people to promote good Scouting and solve problems, and you are willing to take advantage of the many Commissioner training opportunities put on throughout the year, you may be a great candidate for this area of Scouting service. Just contact Bill Guglielmi acting Director of Field Service, by, e-mail and you will be on your way. The Greater Tampa Bay Area Council Commissioner Corps is currently looking for volunteers at the Unit Commissioner level for all districts.

  Commissioner Qualifications

  • Trained Scouter (or willing to be trained)
  • Meet basic Boy Scouts of America membership requirements
  • Willing to visit and regularly contact Scout units
  • Willing to attend district activities
  • Be pro-district and pro-council
  • Willing to attend monthly commissioner staff meetings
  • Willing to live by the Scout Oath and Law

   

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  Commissioner Tools Updates (Commissioner Tools 2.0)

  Commissioner Tools is available via the my.Scouting.org  portal. Commissioner Tools helps commissioners perform by providing access to information critical to supporting units. Here are a few examples of Commissioner Tools capabilities:

  • Assign commissioners to units.
  • Record contacts. A commissioner is most effective through frequent contact with units to build a friendly and trusting relationship.
  • Roundtable administrations. Plan, record attendance, and monitor effectiveness.
  • Conduct assessments to help a unit improve. In concert with the Unit Service Plan and Journey to Excellence (JTE), the tool provides the ability to record the results and build action plans that may access and incorporate district, council, and other resources beyond the unit.
  • Monitor a unit’s progress. Access unit information.

  Commissioner Tools PowerPoint presentation. Includes speaker notes that could be used for local training. Note: For the sake of completeness and to promote learning through repetition, there intentionally is some overlap between this presentation and the Unit Service Plan presentation.

  Updates to Commissioner ToolsThis is the most recent update information regarding changes and improvements made to commissioner tools.

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   Unit Service Plan

  • Unit Service Plan PowerPoint presentation. Provides a fundamental understanding of the concepts for Commissioner Tools. The Unit Service Plan was developed to help improve unit performance based on unit needs discovered during a Detailed Assessment. Commissioner Tools incorporates both the Detailed Assessment and the Unit Service Plan.
  • Why Do a Unit Service Plan?
  • Why Use Commissioner Tools?

  Commissioner Resources and Manuals

Commissioner Assessment Forms

Pack Detailed Assessment Blank Form       Team Detailed Assessment Blank Form

Crew Detailed Assessment Blank Form          Team Detailed Assessment Blank Form

Ship Detailed Assessment Blank Form

Unit Assessment Forms

Pack Assessment Blank Form  | Troop Assessment Blank Form  |Crew Assessment Blank Form |Ship Assessment Blank Form |Team Assessment Blank Form

 Pack Detailed Assessment Blank Form       Team Detailed Assessment Blank Form Crew Detailed Assessment Blank Form          Team Detailed Assessment Blank Form Ship Detailed Assessment Blank Form

The purpose of the College of Commissioner Science is to provide supplemental training for all functions in the council and district related to commissioner service. It is recognized that commissioners are key to the continued health and growth of the units in the council.

BACHELOR OF COMMISSIONER SCIENCE DEGREE

Credit for a Bachelor of Commissioner Science Degree will be granted by this College if the participant Commissioner completes the following:

PREREQUISITES:

• Has up-to-date Youth Protection Training
• Has current BSA Youth Protection Training Certificate
• Completion of “Commissioner Basic Training”

MASTERS OF COMMISSIONER SCIENCE DEGREE

Credit for a Masters of Commissioner Science Degree will be granted by this College if the participant Commissioner completes the following:

PREREQUISITES:

• Current registration as a Commissioner
• Current BSA Youth Protection Training Certificate
• Has earned the Arrowhead Honor.
• Have received a Bachelor of Commissioner Science Degree or a Bachelor of Roundtable Degree, or has been awarded the Commissioner’s Key.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

DOCTOR OF COMMISSIONER SCIENCE DEGREE

Note: Earning the Doctor of Commissioner Science Degree does not qualify you to receive the Doctorate of Commissioner Service Knot Award.

PREREQUISITES:

• Current registration as a Commissioner
• Current BSA Youth Protection Training Certificate
• Completion of Master’s Degree.
• Have been awarded the Commissioner’s Key.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

• Completion of 10 additional courses of instruction (total of 24) at least five of the courses at the Doctorate or Continuing Education program level. Courses

  may not have previously been counted toward other college degrees.

THESIS OR PROJECT:

• It is recommended that the topic of a project or thesis be directly related to unit service. There may be specific circumstances under which a topic related to another area of Scouting would be appropriate. Local councils have the authority to approve topics related to another area of Scouting when selecting one directly related to unit service isn’t appropriate or practical. The council commissioner or designee may authorize an alternate topic. This can be on any topic related to Commissioner Service.

DOCTORATE OF COMMISSIONER SCIENCE SERVICE KNOT AWARD

Credit for a Doctor of Commissioner Science Degree will be granted by this College if the participant Commissioner fulfills the following:

PREREQUISITES:

• Current registration as a Commissioner
• Current BSA Youth Protection Training Certificate
• Completion of Doctoral Degree in Commissioner Science

TENURE:

• Recruit or assist in recruiting at least three new commissioners during tenure as a commissioner.

FINAL APPROVAL:

• Approval of council or assigned assistant council commissioner.

BSA SUGGESTED STATEMENT OF COURSE WORK RECIPROCITY

“The College of Commissioner Science accepts a Commissioner’s course work from any Boy Scouts of America College of Commissioner Science provided that an official transcript is made available.”

The College of Commissioner Science will credit courses from another council to be applied towards a College of Commissioner Science Degree if prior approval has been obtained from the current Dean of the College of Commissioner Science.

Classes taken at a University of Scouting that are not listed in the BSA National Curriculum (http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/commissioners/training.aspx) will not be accepted for credit. The College will also honor Commissioner courses taken at the Philmont Training Center. (Please submit a transcript to the College of Commissioner Science Registrar.)

DEGREE RECOGNITION

The College of Commissioner Science will continue to recognize degrees earned from other Boy Scouts of America College of Commissioner Science and Philmont Training Center College of Commissioner Science degrees provided that an official transcript is made available.

AWARD RECOGNITION

The College of Commissioner Science will honor all Commissioner Arrowhead, Commissioner Key, Distinguished Commissioner, and the Commissioner Award of Excellence in Unit Service, and the Doctor of Commissioner Science Awards.

COLLEGE STAFF

Greater Tampa Bay Area Council President – Benson Porter

Council Commissioner – Matthew Cordani, G. T. B. A. C.

Dean of the College – Dr. G. S. Torres, G. T. B. A. C.

Dean of Bachelors – Javier Fuentes, Ft. Brooke District.

Dean of Masters – Tim Bobo, Suncoast District.

Dean of Doctoral – J. Ronayne, Miccosukee

Registrar – Bob Huff, Pathfinder

Assistant Registrar – Matt Cordani, G. T. B. A. C.

2025 GREATER TAMPA BAY AREA COUNCIL COLLEGE OF COMMISSIONER SCIENCE

Dr. G. S. Torres, Program Director

15 November 2025

GREATER TAMPA BAY AREA COUNCIL OFFICE 

TIME

1900 – 1950   11/14/2025 Friday night elective course DCS 509 Legacy of Servant Leadership

2000 – 2050   11/14/2025 Friday night Cracker Barrel

0700 – 0800   11/15/2025 Breakfast for Friday night campers.

11/15/2025  0830         College of Commissioner Science Official Start

0800 – 850  Coffee, Introduction for ALL Colleges With Council Commissioner, Matthew Cordani

                   BACHELORS-Javier Fuentes, Dean     MASTERS-Tim Bobo, Dean      DOCTORATE-Jim Ronayne, Dean  

0900 – 0950   BCS 101                                        MCS 302                                            DCS 501

                         Core Concepts Unit Service      Support Unit/Member Renewal       Selecting a Project /Thesis Topic

                          xxxxxx                                          xxxxxx                                                Dr. Eric Renker

1000 – 1050    BCS 102                                      MCS 305                                             DCS 503

                          Unit/Member Renew Process   Resolve Critical Unit Issues             Developing Your Project/Thesis

                           xxxxxx                                          xxxxxx                                               xxxxxx

1100 – 1150    BCS 111                                        MCS 312                                             DCS 506

                         Comm. & S.A.F.E. Scouting        Recruiting 21^st Century Volunteer   Coaching Commissioners

                          xxxxxx                                           xxxxxx                                                xxxxxx

1200 – 1300   LUNCH with Council Service Territory Commissioner Bill Gilliland & Council Commissioner Matt Cordani

1300 – 1350    BCS 119                                        MCS 315                                             DCS 507

                          Building Relationships               Unit Service in Rural Community     Be a Project/Thesis Advisor

                          xxxxxx                                            xxxxxx                                                 xxxxxx

1400 – 1450   BCS 125                                         MCS 350                                              DCS 519

                         Commissioner Culture               Unit/RT Commis Work Together        Turning Relations into Partnership

                          xxxxxx                                           xxxxxx                                                   Dr. Eric Renker

1500 – 1550   BCS 152                                         MCS 354                                               DCS 551

                         Planning/Impl/Promote RT         Scouts BSA RT Breakout                    Roundtable Today

                         xxxxxx                                            xxxxxx                                                  xxxxxx

1600 – 1650   CED-701                                         CED-701                                                 CED-701

                         Combat Comm. Stress/Burnout  Combat Comm. Stress/Burnout       Combat Commiss. Stress

                         Xxxxxx                                           xxxxxx                                                      xxxxxx

1700 – 1720     GRADUATION – Bachelors, Masters Colleges and Doctoral Colleges

 

 

 

 Greater Tampa Bay Area Council Commissioner Corps

Council Commissioner

• Matthew Cordani

Assistant Council Commissioners

• Matt Kamat                              District Support
• Bill Haggard                             Administration
• Dr. Eric Renker                        Special Projects
• Dr. G. S. Torres                       Continuing Education
• Jim Ronayne                           Special Needs Scouting
• Christopher Perry                    Roundtable Commissioner
• Tom McMullen                         Sea Scouts, Venturing, OA

District Commissioners and Executives

Eastern Service Area

Timucua

District Chair – Michael French

District Commissioner – Frank Brown

District Director – Catherine Eisenhart-Mora 

Withlacoochee

District Chair – Judge Stephen Toner

District Commissioner – John Coble

District Executive – Emily Thomas

Thunderbird

District Chair – Hary Nair

District Commissioner – Jose Rivera

District Executive – Victoria Moran

Lake Region

District Chair – Vacant

District Commissioner – Elissa Motter

District Executive  – Victoria Moran

 

Western Service Area

Skyway

District Chair – John Tredo

District Commissioner – Brad Luther

District Executive – James Hebbel

Miccosukee

District Chair – Travis Norton

District Commissioner – Vacant

Area Director – Kyle Molldene

Suncoast

District Chair – Warren Wenner

District Commissioner – Javier Fuentes

District Executive – Lincoln Allen

Central Service Area

Fort Brooke

District Chair – Vacant

District Commissioner – Don Olivier

Area Director – Jeremy Twachtman

Pathfinder

District Chair – Rachelle Bedke

District Commissioner – Dr. G. S. Torres

District Professional – Kyle Christmas