Somehow, Vincent Pan '95-'96 knows the name of every bundled-up child in Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA)'s Mission Hill after-school program, of which he is a co-director.

Despite zipped coats and plenty of frenzied spinning on puddle-ice, he calls after one kid here, another there, gathering them up so they can tromp off to their afternoon activities.

And they all know him, too. "Yeeah!" says Leah L. Young, a fourteen-year-old who's been with the Mission Hill program since she was 10, on hearing that Pan will soon be PBHA's new president. "I think he should be president... he's a good person--he's friendly and he's cool."

Apparently, members of PBHA's cabinet agreed with her evaluation. Wednesday night, they chose Pan to lead the campus' largest student organization.

But Pan comes to the presidency at a difficult time in the organization's history, as PBHA faces a possible restructuring at the hands of Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles.

Knowles has just approved the hiring of a new dean and a faculty committee to oversee public service, and some service officials have protested against plans that they say could result in PBHA staff cuts.

Pan is confident he can answer these challenges, however.

"I was elected because people believed, and I believed, that together we could get things done," he says.

The Election

PBHA members say Pan is a low-key and effective leader. Even during Wednesday night's elections, he kept his calm, friendly demeanor, students say.

"He was wearing a jacket and tie, but had taken his jacket off and was wearing a colorful yellow shirt," says Harhie C. Han '97, "He was formal, but not that formal."

Pan was relaxed, despite the circumstances, she says.

"[His] whole approach was like, 'I'm just a friendly guy', and it was really effective," Han says. "It was the little things--he was holding a pack of fluorescent note cards, not some leather organizer."

The aftermath of the election promises to be smooth as well, according to others who ran for Pan's new position.

New PBHA vice-president Eric D. Dawson '96 and treasurer Andrew J. Ehrlich '96 say they have always worked closely with him.

In fact, the night before the elections, Pan and Dawson sat down together and decided the direction they want PBHA to go, Dawson says.