The Silver Beaver Award is the council-level distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America. The Silver Beaver is an award given to those who implement the Scouting program and perform community service through hard work, self-sacrifice, dedication, and many years of service. It is given to those who do not seek it.
We are extremely proud of our 2018 Silver Beaver Award recipients. They are shining examples of Scouting service in our Council!
James Green
Scouting exists because people step forward when there is need. Jim is one of these tireless soles that always keeps his thoughts on ensuring the scouts are having fun; although you might have to remind him where to be and when.
Jim has tried to fill in where needed and make sure youth get a chance to participate. When Old Colony Council’s Day Camp had no physician, he filled in, serving for 5 years. When the camp lost its location, as a member of the recreation board, he secured a location for the camp in Foxborough. When the day camp director suddenly had to leave, Jim agreed to fill in and attended the last National Camp School class 48 hours later.
Recognizing that the Foxborough Charter School had no Scouting programs he spoke to parents about forming units. When parents explained that evening program was difficult, he created a pack, troop, and crew that met as after school programs. Jim Green currently serves as Scoutmaster to Troop 314 and Advisor to Crew 314 at the Foxborough Charter School.
He continues to serve in several positions – Mayflower Council Board member, Council STEM/Nova Chair, Health Officer, and Unit Commissioner. He also serves on the committees for Pack 70 – is the former cubmaster, and member of Troop 7’s committee.
Jim has been the Chair of the Board of Education and the Temple Executive Board at the Temple Beth Emunah in Easton for nearly 2 decades. During that time, he worked with the school director on grants for special needs education resulting in the only special needs religious school on the Massachusetts South Shore. Jim also created an outdoor program that encouraged youth to camp in the summer and pursue studies in the outdoors.
As a Temple Board member, he helped on 3 merger negotiations, construction of a new temple, and recruitment of three religious leaders.
On the Foxborough Recreation Board he is liaison for service projects and forest and trail use. During his tenure Camp Saint Augustine was refurbished to provide an outdoor recreation, meeting space, and day camp facility.
Jim has worked to preserve Foxborough’s forest and conservation lands as part of the Recreation Board, State Forest Trails Committee and Friends of Saint Augustine Board. This resulted in new trails, a hiking map, a digital detailed map, new bridges, restoration of historic sites, clean-up of polluted areas, and a new nature education center. At the recommendation of his town he was selected by the Mass Keystone Project in 2015 for training through U Mass and Harvard University’s Forest Research Center in forest conservation and community relations. He has served as a Keystone Coordinator for 4 years.
Jim attended Wesleyan University where he fell for Chery who has been his wife of 26 years. They have a son, Mitchell who attained the rank of Eagle.
Ian Johnson
Ian is a substantial contributor to Scouting in Westborough, serving as Cubmaster to Pack 100, Committee member for Troop and Pack 100. He has served at the unit level as a Webelos Leader and Assistant Scoutmaster.
Ian has been active on the Knox Trail Executive Board and the Mayflower Executive Board. He has also provided leadership for council activities including the Committee for Merger that resulted in the Mayflower Council. Ian has served on the Investment Committee, Development Committee, and Golf Committee at the Knox Trail and Mayflower Councils.
Ian has been a community leader in Westborough for many years. He participates on the Annual Westborough Good Scout Committee and has served as its chair. He has also served ten years on the Town of Westborough Advisory Finance Committee and has held elected office as a member of the Board of Selectmen in Westborough, since 2011, has served as its Chair, and has also served on other critical Town committees.
He is graduated from Westborough High School in 1985, and in addition to earning an undergraduate degree at Eckerd College in 1989, he received a master’s of science in finance degree from Boston College. He is on the Board of Trustees, the Investment, Finance, Executive & Student Committees and the ad hoc athletics working group for Eckerd College. He and his wife, Maureen, have endowed a Memorial Scholarship at Eckerd College, in memory of his mother, Penelope Ellis.
He is also a member of the executive committee for Rangers on Track and organization that was created to upgrade the outdoor sports facilities at Westborough High School.
Ian has served as a youth soccer coach from 2012 to 2016.
Ian is an Eagle Scout and Vigil Member in the Order of The Arrow and served as a Lodge Chief as a youth.
Ian is a Senior Vice President – Alternative Investments at Fidelity Investments. He and his wife Maureen, who have recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, live in his hometown of Westborough and are raising a son, Liam, who is a Scout with Troop 100.
He has provided wise and thoughtful leadership to the Council through his roles as a Board Member, Member of the Merger Study Committee, Chair of the Budget Committee, and most recently as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee.
Michael Josti
Michael understands Scouting, indeed, learning from his grandfather, father, and mother. Mike is a third-generation scout and his son Troy is the fourth generation. His scouting career started 39 years ago as a Wolf Cub in Pack 146 Shrewsbury and he hasn’t stopped since. Mike earned the Arrow of Light in 1981 and became an Eagle Scout in 1986.
He served as Lodge Chief to the Pachachaug Lodge and later Section Chief. He is a Vigil member of the OA. Mike served on staff for JLT-Greenbar Training and two Woodbadge courses. He attended NE-1-156 and is a member of the Fox Patrol.
Anyone who knows Mike, knows how much time that he invests in this program. His commitment to Scouting is driven by one real desire, providing a quality program for the youth. He is not in it for the fame and glory. He is a true scouter. It is because of that level of dedication to Scouting, his family, and his job as a State Trooper, there is little time for anything else.
He is a graduate of University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and earned a BA in Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice and is currently working on his master’s degree. He served as director at a YMCA Camp in Chesterfield, Virginia.
Returning to MA to work at Eastern Mountain Sports as a shift supervisor and inventory specialist. He was recruited to the Nimat District Committee as the Activities Chairman and he and his wife Christine started Explorer Post 5 in Worcester, MA.
He was asked to join the constituent services staff of the 2nd Worcester, MA District State Senator and Minority Whip and later interviewed with the MA Executive Office of Public Safety and accepted a position as the Juvenile Justice Compliance Monitor focusing on compliance with federal and state detention statutes and regulations.
Mike was accepted to the 75th Recruit Training Troop of the Massachusetts State Police in June of 2000. Graduated as a Trooper in December 2000. He worked as a uniformed patrol member at both the Foxboro and Revere Barracks before working at State Police General Headquarters in the Research and Development Section. He competed for one-of-27, part-time/on-call slots on the Special Operations-Underwater Recovery Team in the summer of 2002 and became the Team’s equipment officer shortly afterwards. certified Emergency Response Dive Instructor for the Dive Team and is a founding member of the North-East State Police Dive Team Commanders’ Coalition. In the summer of 2018, the State Police assigned him to the new Division of Homeland Security and Preparedness as they again stood up an incident management assistance team.
He works with aquatics staff and he willing dons his Trooper uniform to address camp staff about being safe and not doing stupid things when they are on nights out at both Camp Resolute and Camp Squanto.
As his son Troy became older, he became a Cubmaster of Pack 66 and later the Scoutmaster of Troops 44 and 192 in Norwell and is currently registered as a committee member with Sea Scout Ship 323. He has served as a Cubmaster, Assistant Scoutmaster, Scoutmaster, Post Advisor, and in several district committee positions including Roundtable Commissioner.
Michael and his wife Christine are raising two children, Hope and Troy who is an Eagle Scout.
Michael Rotar
Michael Rotar has a life-long legacy with Scouting. During the Great Depression, Mike’s father was forced to withdraw from Cub Scouts because his family could not afford to pay his dues. His father com mitted that he would provide his family with the opportunity to participate in Scouting. As a result, Mike joined Cub Scouts at age 8 and stayed involved in Scouting until he turned 18. At age 12 he became one of the youngest in the U.S. to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. Mike also enjoyed earning merit
badges and earned 75 and three silver Eagle palms before timing out. He attended the 1985 National Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia which included surviving the approaching Hurricane Bob, hearing the Beach Boys and waiting all day in line for a bag from a new company called Apple.
As an adult, Mike has a rich history of serving in various leadership roles in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In California, he served as an Assistant Scoutmaster and Scoutmaster in multiple troops chartered by the Church. Mike also served as the congregation’s Young Men President from 2005 to 2009 working side-by-side with youth and was instrumental in helping many young men attain the rank of Eagle Scout. In his spare time, he coordinated Scouting for Food (2005-2008) and helped organize countless overnighters.
After moving to Massachusetts in 2009, it didn’t take long before Mike was involved again with Scouting as an Assistant Scoutmaster (2011-2013) with Troop 156 Weston. He served in Troop 156 as an active committee member from 2011- present and it was in this unit that Mike’s son, Brennan, earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 2015. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, Mike began serving in the Boston Stake Young Men’s Presidency in 2013 and served faithfully as President from 2014-2017. With his love of service and helping others, he encouraged Pack/Troop 156 to support Scouting for Food and served from 2011-2017 as the unit coordinator.
In 2012, Mike attended Wood Badge participating in course N1-330-12-2 and officially adopted the buffalo as his critter. Mike later served as staff on Wood Badge course N1-330-14-1 as a Troop Guide and N1-330-16-1 as Assistant Scoutmaster Troop Guides. Mike encouraged many to participate in Wood Badge and share in his love of learning how to more effectively serve and lead others.
In 2015, Mike joined the Knox Trail Council Executive Board on the Development Committee. In 2016, he played a key role in exploring the potential to merge with another council and developing and executing a successful plan to merge with Old Colony Council into the Mayflower Council. He became the first Executive Vice President of Mayflower Council in 2017 and assumed the role of Council President in January 2018.
Michael has worked in the retail industry for 25 years. He moved his family from California to Massachusetts in 2009 when he joined The TJX Companies as Vice President/Divisional Merchandise Manager. Currently Mike is an executive over Planning and Allocation with HomeGoods/Homesense out of the TJX corporate office in Framingham, MA.
He has been married to his wife Elisha for over 20 years. They live in Sudbury with their two children, Brennan (age 18) and Cambria (age 14) who both attend school at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.
David Thomson
Dave has been married to his wife Melissa for 27 years. They raised two daughters, Molly and Madison. Molly is a high school senior and will study culinary arts next fall at Johnson and Wales and Madison is completing her degree in Nursing at UMass Boston. Dave coach both girls’ athletic teams and served as the President of Madison’s USA Swimming swim club for three years.
Moose has continued to give back to the Boy Scout program over the years by serving on the National Camping Schools Staff as an aquatic’s instructor for 29 years working at camp schools throughout the North East Region. Dave proudly worked on the staff at Camp Resolute for 16 years starting in the aquatics area, then as assistant aquatics director, aquatics director, program director, and the last six as Camp Director. Dave even work for the Girl Scouts as an aquatic’s director for four years at Camp Virginia.
Dave currently serves as president of the Camp Resolute Alumni Association, and recently joined the Board of the Mayflower Council as the VP for Membership & Relationships. He serves as the Chair to the council’s Aquatics Sub-Committee and makes himself available at camp opening to help with aquatics staff development. He was also the Regional Aquatics Program contact for councils.
Dave received the Outstanding Eagle Scout Award in 2018, his Eagle Scout in 1982, and received the Order of the Arrow’s Vigil Honor in 1986.
However, being nominated for the Silver Beaver isn’t just about one’s contribution to scouting. Dave is a professional educator and has been shaping the minds of young people since he graduated from Framingham State in 1989. He has been a teacher, a Middle School Principal, Assistant School Superintendent, and now Superintendent of the Norwood School System. Dave was voted Massachusetts Middle School Principal of the year in 2010.
He has served as President of the of the Massachusetts Secondary School Principals Association (2009- 2010, and served as a member of the Executive board of MSSAA for 10 years. He also was elected to serve as a board member for the National Association of Secondary School Principals for four years. He is an active member of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, as well as the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
His commitment to the education of our children is ever present in what he does. Dave has served as an Adjunct Professor at Worcester State teaching methodology and meeting the needs of diverse learners, as well as the American International College teaching courses in Curriculum, Math Instructional Methodology, and Integration of Technology in education. It has been important that he share his perspectives on education with others.
Dave received his Doctorate in education leadership in 2013 and which focused on the new evaluation system used by the commonwealth for its teachers.
David truly exemplifies the exceptional service, personal effort, and unselfish dedication and interest to support his community, youth, and Scouting.
