Randy VanDalsen, Vice-President, The Buske Group

Randy VanDalsen has one of the longest and most successful records of PEG Access experience and leadership. He has been directly involved in the myriad of issues faced by PEG Access operations on the local, regional and national levels. With over 20 years of hands-on management experience in the PEG Access field, VanDalsen brings a unique perspective to such issues as organizational start-up concerns, facility design, policy formation, staff and volunteer development, outreach and promotion, etc.

As a co-owner of The Buske Group since 1991, he has had extensive experience in the preparation of focus group, telephone, and online survey research materials; analysis of the responses to such surveys; conducting performance evaluations of community media centers; and the preparation of detailed written reports of findings and recommendations.

Prior to joining The Buske Group, VanDalsen was hired in 1985 as the initial Executive Director of Access Sacramento, now widely recognized as one of the nation's leading Public Access operations. During his six-and-a-half years there, Access Sacramento and its programming received 45 nominations as finalists and 23 First Place awards in national and regional competitions, including the prestigious "Overall Excellence in Public Access" award from the Hometown Video Festival in 1989 and 1991, and the first "Overall Commitment to Local Cable Programming" award from the Western Access Video Excellence awards competition in 1991.

Before his employment with Access Sacramento, VanDalsen gained a valuable national perspective on the staff of the NFLCP (now the Alliance for Community Media) as Director of Membership Services and Finance from 1983 - 1985. He served as a member of the NFLCP's original By-Laws Committee in 1978, a member of the NFLCP Board of Directors for three years, Treasurer for one year, Central States Regional Coordinator for one year, a member of the ACM West Region Board of Director for three years, and the West Region's Chief Financial Officer since 2003. He has been a speaker at many NFLCP/ACM National Conventions to date and at conferences of six different NFLCP/ACM regions.

VanDalsen began his career in the PEG Access field in 1972 in East Lansing, Michigan as the founder of "The Video Workshop," a community organization of volunteers who provided video production training and playback of programming on the Public Access channel of the new cable TV system in East Lansing.  He was hired to fill new cable production staff positions with Michigan State University in 1973 and United Cable Television of Mid-Michigan in 1974. VanDalsen was promoted to Public Access Coordinator in East Lansing by United Cable in 1975, and developed that operation to one of national recognition. East Lansing was selected as the site of the NFLCP National Convention in 1980, and its Public Access facility received the NFLCP's first "Community Communication Award" in 1982.  In 1980, VanDalsen was promoted by United Cable to become its Corporate Director of Community Programming, until he resigned from that position in 1983.

 VanDalsen received a B.A. degree in Television and Radio in 1974 from  Michigan State University (and received the department’s “Outstanding Student Award” that year) and received an M.A. degree in Telecommunication from Michigan State University in 1980. 

In 2005, VanDalsen received the Brian Wilson Memorial Award for Outstanding PEG Mentorship from the Western Region of the Alliance for Community Media. 

In 2009, he was honored as the recipient of the Dirk Koning-George Stoney Award for Humanistic Communication from the Alliance for Community Media.