GOVERNANCE Vision statement: Continued from Page 31 *
Summary of Recommended New Structure Te Members Assembly will have a far more
active role in organizing volunteers and com- mittees to work with and advise the staff to carry out the essential operational tasks of serving the needs of our member clubs and conducting championships. It will also change to include 20% athlete representatives, a legal requirement under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act. Te annual Members Meeting will include opportunities to communicate with the staff and directors about the needs of the clubs, to volunteer to serve on important committees, and to participate in clinics about the nuts and bolts of curling. Tis will be both a celebration of the year just completed and a time to get organized for the year ahead. Te Board of Directors will be the policy set-
ting body for curling, but will relinquish day to day operational decisions to the Members and Staff. We will be Board governed, but staff man- aged. Te Board will focus on strategic planning, setting overall policy, budget review, evaluation and tenure of the CEO, and fund raising. Its fo- cus will be national and long term. It will also include a minimum of 20% athlete voting repre- sentation Te Staff will have clear authority for mak-
ing day to day decisions to carry out the policies set by the Board. Te CEO will be responsible for staffing decisions and office operations. Te Staff will work closely with the Members Assem- bly to select operational committees, and will direct those committees to help accomplish the USCA’s operational goals. It will submit a pro- posed budget to the board of directors. Te Staff will have a high degree of autonomy in direct- ing the high performance program. Te path to success in curling at the world level lies in hir- ing an HP director and coaches who know how to identify and train our most talented athletes, and giving that Staff the authority to carry out their program, consulting with others, but being ultimately accountable for the execution and the results. Our new structure will satisfy the require-
ments of the Ted Stevens Olympic and Ama- teur Sports Act, comply with USOC By-Laws, and move us significantly in the direction of the USOC Guidelines for Good Governance. (Copy available on the USCA website). Te Members Association and Members Assembly
In the past, our Members Association has met once a year in conjunction with the Spring Di-
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rectors’ meeting, with one representative from each region. Typically they have carried out only perfunctory duties like admitting new member clubs. Occasionally they have had a role in by- laws amendments. Te new Members Assembly will become a significant actor in the organi- zation and an important conduit between the USCA and the member Clubs and Regions. Te operational committees that are currently
organized by the Board of Directors (e.g. Cham- pionships and Member Services) will migrate to the Members Assembly. Committee members will be drawn from the Members Assembly and general membership, no longer primarily from the Board of Directors. Committee chairs and other committee members will be under the direction of and work with a designated staff member or the CEO. Te CEO will review our current committee structure with the goal of creating a more effective and streamlined com- mittee structure. Te CEO will have authority to create or eliminate committees to best meet the operational needs of the organization. For voting purposes, a club may choose to
send its own representative, or leave the voting power in the hands of its state or regional repre- sentative. A club will need to provide notice to the USCA and to its regional body of its intent to vote on behalf of its members, which notice shall be effective for the next Members Assembly only. Voting power is based on number of curlers represented, whether by a club or regional repre- sentative. In addition, athletes will have twenty percent of the voting power at the Members As- sembly as to any by-law amendment affecting governance, and on any matter affecting expen- diture of funds not previously approved by the Board of Directors. Te Members Assembly would retain primary
responsibility and authority over by-laws chang- es. Te Members Assembly would not be a policy setting body. (Te GTF has not yet reached con- sensus on whether the Board of Directors should also be able to pass amendments to the by-laws, as allowed under our current by-laws, but we do agree that the final say on by-laws amendments rests with the Members Assembly) Te Members Assembly’s primary function would be to assist and advise the staff in carrying out the policies set by the Board of Directors, and to serve as a conduit between the grass roots curlers and the staff and directors of the organization. We envision the Members’ Assembly as a dy-
namic event to which all curlers are invited. Even for those who are not voting, the meeting should be enjoyable and informative. For a curler who would like to get more involved, this would be
an excellent opportunity to learn about USCA operations and to volunteer for a committee. Te process of joining a committee will be more transparent. We anticipate that major commit- tees, such as Member Services and Champion- ships, will have chairs, who will work closely with the designated staff person to select com- mittee members from among those who have expressed an interest in serving. Committee meetings occurring during the assembly will be open to observation by any curler. Te staff and committee chairs will help direct volunteers to an area of need in which the volunteers are inter- ested. To give everyone a chance to participate, we anticipate moving the Assembly around the country each year. Additional benefits for those who attend may include any of the following: - clinics and discussion about building and re-
taining membership for established clubs; - presentations about optimizing arena ice,
and advancing to the next level of dedicated ice; - developing community support for curling; - training sessions for coaches, ice makers, in-
structors, and officials; - a celebration of curling, capturing the high-
lights of the past year, with appearances by Na- tional team athletes; - award presentations recognizing outstand-
ing contributions to the sport; - presentations by and a chance for dialogue
with the leaders of USA Curling about the direc- tion of the sport and the organization; - depending on the location and facilities,
it could include a high-level competitive event which showcases the sport or a concurrent bon- spiel.
Te Board of Directors Te Directors will be similar to a private sec-
tor corporate Board of Directors in that its focus will be big picture/long term and policy oriented. It will likely meet four times per year. Its major tasks will be to consider and approve or reject the budget proposed by the staff, to enhance the or- ganization’s fund raising, to set measurable per- formance goal and review the performance of the CEO, to set policies, to review and approve the strategic plan, and to advise the CEO on major business decisions. Ideally, directors should be oriented to the national interests of the organi- zation, have good business/financial skills, and be strategic thinkers. Tose who have studied effective organizations have found that a board of directors functions best when its role is policy setting and oversight, rather than directing day to day operations. Te Board is still the govern- ing body of the organization, but operational decisions should be made by the staff within the
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