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USHPA: Governance proposal 2018

A proposal from the Strategic Planning Committee for changes to USHPA's governance structure.

Proposing a new structure for USHPA's governance

Link to USHPA Sign In Required

By James Bradley

The Strategic Planning Committee has been examining how the USHPA structure is working.

Now things are different. As USHPA moves to communicate better and to be transparent in its operations, committee proposals must be posted to the membership for comment at least 30 days before they are voted on. Anyone can point out a flaw in reasoning or suggest a better idea. The board, too, can weigh in. After the comment period, the committee has a chance to incorporate the feedback into its proposal before presenting it to the board.

Another problem with the current structure became apparent during the insurance crisis. There was no way for the 26-member board to manage the fast-moving situation. . . . . .

With these challenges in mind, last fall the board asked my committee, the Strategic Planning Committee, to develop a proposal for a 7-member board of directors, with a transition plan for how to make the change.

Please send your concerns and ideas. I will personally read every comment and we will consider all suggestions.

USHPA governance proposal PDF

Now is your chance to volunteer for committee work and/or provide feedback on this Proposal.

Any discussion on the topic?

P.S Added:

For those who are faithful members of the USHPA. Be nice!

The ramifications are?

[Bob Kuczewski]

With these challenges in mind, last fall the board asked my committee, the Strategic Planning Committee, to develop a proposal for a 7-member board of directors

Hmmm... The USHPA Board is shrinking while the US Hawks Board is growing!

Who's brave enough to post this announcement?

                                                                                                                                                                          

Attention Laid Off USHPA Directors

While USHPA is Firing ...
The US Hawks is Hiring !

Benefits:

   - Convenient On-line Discussions
   - No boring 3-day meetings
   - Forbes Free Forum
   - Twice the Pay

Required Qualifications:

   - Honesty
   - Fairness
   - Commitment to Hang Gliding

Apply today at ushawks.org

                                                                                                                                                                          

[Bob Kuczewski]

In all seriousness, the report highlights a lot of USHPA's failings and makes some good recommendations.

For example, in two places it states:

     "USHPA meetings are run following Robert’s Rules of Order."

Gee, don't I remember some Regional Director proposing something called "The Accountability Amendment" back in 2009?

[Article VIII, Section 13.] Conduct of Meetings:

All meetings (including Board of Director Meetings, Committee Meetings, General Membership Meetings, and others) shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order, Revised unless otherwise provided for in these By-Laws or listed specifically below:

(a) In accordance with one of the practices discussed in Robert's Rules of Order Revised, a Roll Call vote (Yeas and Nays) shall be taken if requested by any Director. The names and votes of all Directors during any such Roll Call vote shall be included in the minutes of the meeting for distribution to the general membership.

It seems that Director actually proposed that exact amendment in the Fall of 2009 and the Spring of 2010, but not a single USHPA Board member would offer a second. Hmmm...  

And don't I also recall a Regional Director who wanted to attend the Executive Committee conference calls between the Board meetings? Didn't he get a nasty rebuke from USHPA for daring such a thing?   

And isn't there a former Regional DIrector who started a national hang gliding association (maybe even 2 of them?) with open on-line voting and direct involvement of the membership?   

Gosh, it's really great to be vindicated ... while in exile!!  

[wingspan33]

The U$hPa can't be eliminating those 26 Directorship positions, but they're going to create "a 7-member board of directors"? What happens to the 19 other Regional Directors?

It used to be that all RDs were board members. The "Executive Committee" was the group responsible for instant decision making - as I recall.

So what the "F" are they doing? Creating 19 person majority second class RD positions? What do these new 2nd class RDs do? Curious minds want to know!

Also, are the 1st tier RD's going to be elected to that position? By all RDs, or the membership as a whole?

And as Bob mentions above, looks like the U$hPa is morphing into a slightly different more modern organization. I could generally care less since I'm not a member and they've still got those collapsible canopy occupants as members.

But they do say that imitation is a form of flattery. Golly, the U$hPa just made me blush.

[Bob Kuczewski]

... they do say that imitation is a form of flattery. Golly, the U$hPa just made me blush.

Every member of the US Hawks (especially the Board Members ) deserves to blush with a degree of pride.

We are building something here that USHPA is strugglinging (poorly) to imitate.

But they never will because their hearts are not in the right place. We're here for the pure love of hang gliding. No matter how U$HPA tries to fake it, their efforts always stink of insincerity.

[Rick Masters]

James Bradley: http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2014/jul/19/criticism-paragliding-safety-criticized/

[Bob Kuczewski]

James Bradley: http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2014/jul/19/criticism-paragliding-safety-criticized/

From July 19, 2014:

FREE FLYING -- I've received a sharp response to my previous post regarding paragliding safety prompted by the death of David Norwood, a highly-regarded flyer who crashed to his death at Chelan Butte on Wednesday.

Like all tragedies, the incident is causing some flyers to step back and re-evaluate. The discussion can only be healthy.

But my previous post, in which I simply printed the personal perspective of Rick Masters of Owens Valley, California, was not well received by some paragliders.

Masters contends that when choosing to fly paragliders or hang-gliders, one is a safer choice in iffy weather because of the frame that helps prevent canopy collapse.

Masters suggests that frank discussions are hindered on chat rooms because paragliding sites often are controlled by people in the industry who don't want too much frank talk.

But James Bradley of New York, the U.S. moderator on the worldwide online forum paraglidingforum.com, sharply disagrees.  Here's his message:

Your acceptance of Rick Masters as an authority on paragliding, apparently without taking the time to learn anything about him, or talk to any people who are actually involved with the sport--we are all concerned about safety--is pretty disappointing.

I am one of a handful of US pilots who race on the Paragliding World Cup circuit. I am also the only US moderator on the worldwide online forum paraglidingforum.com (a volunteer position). Rick Masters was allowed to join there and post like anyone else. We learned that he is on an enduring anti-paragliding crusade. Like a religious zealot, he is not interested in facts or discussion unless they support his rigidly defined position. He behaved badly for some time on the forum and then we banned him, as we have a handful of other people over time.

Maybe James Bradley could explain why I was banned. I am (and was) an H4/P4 pilot. I was challenging some of the false information on their forum ... and "poof" ... I was banned.

In case anyone is missing the connection ... is this the same "James Bradley" who published the draft memo that started this topic?