By Jeannie Blasberg
On Tuesday evening, June 19, 2007, a quorum of the 33 current US Squash members of the Board of Directors voted unanimously to adopt restated By-laws and to elect the new Board of Directors for the Association. The Special Meeting of the Members held two nights later on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, was a fitting date for this event, which represented the culmination of an exhaustive, two-year process.
Our Association was incorporated in 1957 in New York City, putting in place By-laws which fit the time and current state of the organization. Though they had undergone revisions and amendments from time to time, a full review had never occurred and was overdue given the current professionalism of the Association
Undertaking major change can be complicated and is certainly a sensitive process, requiring the input and concurrence of many people. Board Secretary, Peter Lasusa, raised his hand to take on this daunting task in the spring of 2005, creating the Governance Task Force of Carey Anderson, David Barrett, Eric Fast, and Blair Sadler. Anderson and Fast had both emphasized the importance of a thorough look into revising our governance, along with long-time advocates Will Carlin and Michael Rothenberg, among others. Their work included extensive research into the structure of other not-for-profit membership organizations, and other national sports governing bodies. The Task Force held a series of conference calls as well as soliciting member and local association input. Phil Brandes, an avid squash player at the University Club of New York, and partner at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, acted as our legal counsel on the redraft of the By-laws. We cannot thank Phil, Peter, and the members of the Governance Task Force enough for the time and thoughtfulness they dedicated to this project.
This has been a season of change for US Squash: a new name, a new headquarters, and a new governance structure. The new governance is widely viewed as a major leap forward in modernizing our management structure and increasing the accountability, transparency and effectiveness of the organization.
Primary among the governance changes is the reduced size of the Board, from over 30 to 10 (including two Athlete Representatives elected by the Athletes’ Advisory Council). Meeting at least four times per year and serving four year terms, Board members will now focus on strategy, fundraising, and oversight of a CEO employing a strong professional staff. New Directors will be nominated to fill vacancies each year by the Nominating and Governance Committee and will ultimately be approved by the membership. The Board of Directors elected as of July 1, 2007 consists of: Libby Welch (CT, 2008); 2 Athlete Representatives (2008/2009); Tom Poor (MA, 2009); Jeannie Blasberg, Chair (MA, 2009); Eric Fast (CT, 2010); Peter Lasusa (NY, 2010); Blair Sadler (CA, 2011); Jim Marver (CA, 2011) and Steve Bieneman (CA, 2011).
Whereas the Board has been reduced in numbers, it will be supported by the work of various committees, councils and task forces. There will be four Standing Committees, each operating under a documented Committee Charter: Finance, Audit & Compensation; Nominating & Governance; Investments; and the Board of Review (which reviews and adjudicates in situations of conflict of interest). Beyond the Standing Committees, committees and councils will conduct the important work of our many constituencies including: Doubles, Women, Hardball Singles, Rules and Referees, Rankings, Hall of Fame and Museum, Local Association, Teaching Professionals and Coaches, and Junior Parents.
Whether or not you read the new By-laws, know who’s on the Board or care which committees the Association has in place and how often they meet, we are confident that we now have the basic foundation for an organization that will impact how you experience the Association and our ability to accomplish our mission to promote, develop and increase participation in squash throughout the United States.
