May 2010 Issue   
 HOME


Late Night Musings from the Chair

Articles

• NBS Fall Meeting & 2011 Conference
• State Fair for Techies
Costume Resources for Educational Projects
USITT 50th Anniversary
Stage Mgmt: Resources for the Next Step 


Production Casebooks

• Tool Testing with a Purpose
• SECOA Theatrical Chain Tested

Sponsors

  • SECOA
  • Schuler Shook
  • Contributing, Sustaining & Organizational Members

Section Notices

  • Annual Fall Meeting
• Scholarships
  • More!


National News

 

Employment

• Theatre Technician/ Costumer
• Technical Director

Who's Minding the Store?

 

Resources & Info

  • Member Renewal Form
  • Mission & Information

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NationalNews

National Bylaw Changes

by Jill Maurer, Director Elect

As many of you may know, recently the management of the Institute at the national level has been undergoing some refinements. I sat in on several Board meetings during the conference in Kansas City to observe how the Board works and all the important decisions being made during this transition period.
If you receive the monthly Sightlines newsletter, you have already seen that the Institute moved quickly on the Board’s first action which was to hire David Grindle as the new Executive Director. The Executive Director position will be focused on the day-to-day operational duties of the Institute leaving the volunteers to focus on the Institute’s main objectives of serving the membership. David has served the Institute for many years and you can read more about him at http://ww4.usitt.org/sightlines/v50/n05/stories/AroundTheInstitute.html.
The other large agenda item was changing the Institute’s bylaws. Now, I am sure reading bylaws is at the top of everyone’s must-do activity list, but the by-laws are the foundation of the organization. I’m sure that everyone can understand that without a solid foundation, an organization much like a house, will have problems for years into the future. So, how did these changes benefit the members you may ask?
1.         The new bylaws contain language allowing the Board to hire an Executive Director and defines the position as a non-voting member of the Board of Directors. The Executive Director will attend the Board meetings to update the Board on progress of the organization and answer questions about the organization’s management.
2.         The President’s term of office has changed. The new bylaws state that the membership would elect a President who would serve the Institute as the President Elect for one year, sit as President for three years and then serve one additional year as Immediate Past President. The current term of office only had the elected person as President for two years and Immediate Past President for two years. This change allows a President more time to develop and complete larger and longer agenda items.
3.         The Vice Presidents’ term of office has changed as well. Vice Presidents will also now be elected on a three year cycle instead of a two year cycle. This change puts all Vice Presidents on the same election cycle as the Directors at Large again allowing more time to complete projects.
4.         The Director at Large title has been changed to simply Director.
5.         The Institute had been organized with both a Board of Directors and an Executive Committee. The Executive Committee was an additional layer of management of the organization and consisted of the elected officers of the Institute (President, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice Presidents, President Elect and Immediate Past President). The elected officers will now serve as Directors and sit on the Board of Directors which will be the only governing body of the Institute. This streamlines the governance of the organization.
6.         Other housekeeping changes were: defining the required committees to keep the organization legally functioning, and providing indemnification for the Directors and Officers of the Institute. Finally, the policies and procedures of the Institute were pulled out of the bylaws which reduces the bylaw changes that need to be made every time a procedure needs to be adapted.
It is important to note that the bylaw changes went into effect as soon as the motion was passed. However, any position already elected under the previous terms remains the same. For instance, Joe Aldridge who will be taking over the President’s office in July will sit for two years and be Immediate Past President for two years. Any future elections will reflect the new terms of office.
These bylaw changes are certainly a step towards the governance model which current President Carl Lefko had been working towards. Additional work is continuing behind the scenes on committee policies and procedures. More on that work to come in next month’s newsletter.
 For more information, please contact any of the Board of Directors. Contact information for Directors is listed on the USITT website. Remember Directors serve YOU the members.


USITT National Conference 2011
March 9-12

CharlotteCharlotte, North Carolina

Be prepared for fun and excitement at the 2011 Annual Conference & Stage Expo.

Come for the information, find out What's Next!