[roc-info] OUSA elections

[RWorner LKohn]

Hi ROC,
The electioneering continues...below is a statement that Greg Lennon sent
to the current OUSA BOD.  For those of you who are not aware, you (as an
OUSA member) vote for BOD candidates.  The BOD then elects the President.
Although the vote is not directly for the President, whoever is elected to
the BOD will have an impact.
We requested statements from both Kris Beecroft and Greg Lennon but have
only heard back from Greg.  Kris has been on the BOD for the 2 years.
Prior to that she was active as a member of the Sr. Team ESC.
Let us know if you have any questions andd if you'd like to make any
recommendations regarding how we shold vote at the AGM coming up this
weekend.
L & R

Current and future Board members,

I have decided to run for the position as President of the Orienteering USA
Board of Directors for the next year, and I ask for your vote.

As a member of the Board since 2006 and a VP since 2009, I feel that I have
the best chance of leading OUSA in a positive and inclusive manner, and
most importantly, to achieve the changes that the majority of our members
want.

Let’s acknowledge the facts as we approach our organization’s 50th year.
Despite the constant doom-saying by a minority of voices over all the years
I have served on the Board, the sky is not falling. There have always been
differences of opinion and always will be, but the truth is that at least
based on what I know, in general, our organization has more clubs, more
types of teams, more athletes, more revenue, more affiliated companies,
more sponsors, and more activity nationally and internationally than ever
before in our history.

Can we do better? Absolutely. While local (club) starts are no longer
dropping the way they did before we hired an Executive Director (7.7%
decline 2006-2009, vs 7.3% increase 2010-2015), national meet starts are
down somewhat and so is OUSA membership, unfortunately almost exactly in
line with what is happening to paid memberships in many organizations in
the internet age. Personally, I believe a very high priority should be on
reversing the increase in the median age of our core US orienteers.

It’s easy to speak about the “need for growth” or the “need for marketing”.
Both have their place, but as a person who has spent countless hours
working with clubs, including buying social media ads and working through
land manager (access) issues of all sorts, I ask you: would your club and
local park be pleased or upset if your next local event attracted twice the
number you and your volunteers were expecting? I have reached out to many
clubs over the last few years, and one thing I’ve learned is that many
clubs are actually not interested in growth just for growth’s sake. Smart
clubs want smart growth, balancing their goals with their constraints.
Mostly, they want to offer a quality orienteering experience to their
members and to the public.

Those of you who know my history also know that through donations of time
and resources, I have been instrumental in bringing about positive changes
to both the Quantico Orienteering Club and OUSA. Over my time as
co-President (with Kathleen) of QOC, the club experienced by far the
largest increase in starts, members, revenue and assets compared to any
other QOC President. On the OUSA Board, I have been a (or the) key
contributor to numerous initiatives, including the use of LiDAR for
mapping, the monthly eNewsletter, the online membership database,
discounted club purchases of equipment, and the creation of a new Team, the
MTBO Team. Over a two year period, I also led the systematic search and
ultimately hiring of a full-time, paid Executive Director, for the first
time in OUSA’s history.

I know this is controversial, for different reasons depending on who you
ask, but I see no reason to shy away from it. I believe organizations like
ours run best when dedicated, knowledgeable volunteers are complemented by
equally dedicated, professional staff or the equivalent through the hiring
of agencies or other companies that can provide needed services. This does
not just apply to administrative or executive staff; this applies to team
coaches, software developers and school outreach programs. Assuming we can
afford it, I believe OUSA should hire professionals to help us achieve our
goals.

I also feel that experience on the Board is a useful prerequisite to
serving on the Executive Committee, and being on the Executive Committee
and having a list of significant accomplishments as a Board and Executive
Committee member, especially if they involve forging consensus between
different constituencies over an extended period of time, is a reasonable
prerequisite to becoming an OUSA President.

My PhD advisor taught me that decisions are inevitably tied to what you
know at the time they are made. To put it bluntly, what we will judge in
the near future as right for the long-term health of OUSA in 2017 and
beyond is not going to be the same as what we judged right for 2007. My
goal is to look forward and lead us to smart decisions that are forged
through thoughtful analysis as a group and based on our member’s wishes and
needs, whether or not our consensus is to allocate our resources in very
different ways from past allocations.

We are also in an age where we don’t need to assume we know what people
want - we can ask. As President, I will use web-based surveys of our
constituencies to get direct feedback on their priorities. We will not be
able to please everyone, but we will be able to do polling on a regular
basis to see if our actions are in line with our member’s priorities,
especially as they shift over time.

As for the upcoming Board member election, I urge you and any clubs you are
affiliated with to consider each candidate on his or her own merits, views
and experience, in light of what you feel is best for you, your club(s),
and your national organization. I believe orienteers are intelligent people
who act quite independently in their lives, and if you agree, you will
consider the candidates on an individual basis as well.

As President I will work with all Board members to integrate their ideas
into the plans that will shape the coming years for OUSA and its clubs. I
respect the contributions of those who have got us to where we are, and I
respect those who are willing to contribute in the future.

Greg Lennon
OUSA, VP/Clubs
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