"Shin Splints"
A Blog by Doug Logan

Come Together

Friday, October 31, 2008

I have no innate insight into whether it takes a village to raise a child, but over the last several weeks I have seen first hand that it takes cooperation and vision for a diverse NGB like USATF to come together and set a course for a better future.

Today, we hope that future begins to take shape.

As I mentioned in my last blog, USA Track & Field's Board of Directors has approved several proposed changes to USATF Bylaws aimed at restructuring how we govern ourselves and how we do business. These proposed changes are the results of countless hours and days of analyzing ourselves as an organization and working together to come up with a blueprint that will put USATF in the best possible position moving forward.

We now must act, with purpose, as a unified organization. Between this moment and the Opening General Session of USATFs Annual Meeting in Reno on December 3, USATFs volunteer leadership and committee chairs will be reaching out to our members to hear your thoughts about the proposed restructuring and to explain how we arrived at the plan below. Without membership joining forces with their elected representatives, this important restructuring cannot go forward.

We simply must become a more efficient and effective organization. It is the belief of our Board that this is the right plan, at the right time, to better govern ourselves.

The proposed changes in their entirety are linked at the conclusion of this blog. I also want to point out some key points most vital to our day-to-day functioning that likely will be of greatest interest to most groups:

BOARD/COMMITTEE RESTRUCTURINGM

* The USATF Board will be reduced in size from 32 to 15 members. Included in those 15 seats are USATF's elected president; a seat each for USATF's High Performance, Long Distance Running, General Competition, Youth, Coaches and Officials groups; three seats for athletes; three "independent" seats; one seat for "5E" organizations (groups such as the NCAA an others); and one seat for USATFs IAAF representative. This reduction in size is in line with current practices in the nonprofit world of smaller, more nimble and efficient Boards. Under the proposal, the new Board would be in place on or before December 31, 2008.

* The Board will elect its own Chair. If the USATF President is not elected as Chair, the President will be named Vice Chair. This gives the Board the authority to elect its own leader while ensuring the continuation of a popularly elected President to represent the interests of USATF's volunteer sector. The President will preside over the Annual Meeting and approximately 320 committees, leading a Volunteer Leadership Group in addition to sitting on the Board.

* Each of USATF's constituent groups with a seat on the Board will provide the Board with three names as potential candidates for their respective Board seat. A Nominating Committee, which also will select and/or recruit the Independent Board Members, will choose the Board members from among the three names listed for each Board seats. This process will ensure the overall diversity, gender equity and competence of the Board.

* Committees will continue to select their own Chairs, with the Board providing final approval of all Chair positions.

* In accordance with a Board directive established over the summer, a Youth Division is being created. This will put additional focus on a program that is so important to developing our elite teams and also to improving youth fitness nationwide.

ADMINISTRATIVE/NATIONAL OFFICE CHANGES

* USATF's High Performance Plan (HPP), as developed by the High Performance Committee, will be implemented by a USATF staff person accountable to the CEO. Having a full-time employee responsible for and accountable to the programs most critical for our elite development is the best way to ensure our competitive success. It also will ensure more efficient and streamlined implementation of the HPP.

*National Team Staffs will be submitted by the relevant selection committees to the CEO, who following a review will forward to the Board for approval. Once approved, the staff will be accountable to the CEO. This ensures an oversight system to provide the most effective staffing possible of our national teams, bringing a level of accountability not previously in place. The result should be an even higher level of service to athletes.

*The Board will continue to approve USATFs annual budget. As the business executive of the organization, the CEO will be responsible for all financial disbursements. This ensures checks and balances, sound fiscal policy and cost control.

In addition to the changes above, I will be instituting a restructuring of our National Office to be announced later this year, to accomplish the same goals of responsibility, accountability and efficiency.

I have spelled out the desired end game, but the process for how we get there is pivotal. On the afternoon of December 3 in Reno, USATFs Board of Directors, members, committee chairs and athlete leaders will host a series of meetings to discuss and get feedback on the proposed changes. Shortly after the Opening General Session begins at 7 p.m., the restructuring plan will formally be presented to membership for discussion and vote. A 67 percent approval vote is needed to pass the changes.

Together, we can take USATF into the next phase of success. Approving these proposed Bylaw changes is the first step. Come together, right now.

***

To read the proposed Bylaw amendments, which affect Article 7 (Delegates and Their Selection To Committees); Article 9 (Voting); Article 10 (Officers and Their Duties); Article and 11 (Board of Directors), Article 12 (National Office); Article 13 (Committees), Article 14 (High Performance Division) and Article 15 (Long Distance Running Division), click on the following PDF http://www.usatf.org/about/governance/2008/proposed/proposedbylawchanges.pdf

To read the current, existing USATF Bylaws, visit http://www.usatf.org/about/governance/2008/

To view the complete schedule for the 2008 USATF Annual Meeting, visit www.usatf.org/events/2008/AnnualMeetings/schedule.asp

 

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Doug Logan is the CEO of USA Track & Field (USATF), the national governing body for track and field, long distance running, and race walking. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the organization has more than 90,000 members throughout the country.