November/December 2007 President's Report

By USATT President, Sheri Soderberg Pittman

This will be my final President’s report. In fact, this will be USATT’s final President’s report. After many months of contemplating governance reform, as proposed by the United States Olympic Committee, USATT has adopted new bylaws. One of the new provisions specifies that there will be only one officer: a Chairman of the Board. The title USATT President will no longer exist. I am confident that the next Chair (a function that I also have as USATT President) will continue to provide you with updates, much as I have done in what I have dubbed “the association primer series.”

As I reported in the last issue of the magazine, Board communication had reached an impasse. Therefore, there was only one major agenda item for the Board’s meeting at the U.S. Open: governance reform. Accordingly, last July the Board set a time line for Board dissolution and simultaneously set a time line for election/appointment of a new Board.
I am happy to report that USATT has accomplished the goal of governance reform. This Board will have its last day on December 16. On December 17, either newly-elected Board members will take office or else USATT’s new Nominating Committee will act as the interim Board until the new Board is seated. As this magazine goes to print, the USOC has not yet named their selection of four members to the new Nominating Committee. A fifth member will be a former national team member selected by the three current elite athletes on the USATT Board.
Ashu Jain, who chaired USATT’s Governance Reform Committee, has summarized the process USATT utilized to come up with governance reform. His report also conveys key facts that members should know about how the association will be moving forward. I suggest that anyone interested in serving on the new Board visit www.usatt.org in order to learn about the applicable election/appointment process. USATT is especially looking for independent directors.

At the recommendation of the USOC, USATT’s Nominating Committee will take on the vetting process and in many cases, will either be directly appointing Board members, or, in the case of At-Large Board members, will be selecting the nominees to appear on the ballot. There will be no more “petitioning” a candidate onto the ballot. In other words, potential candidates must go through the Nominating Committee’s screening process. Because this is so important, I want to reiterate: all individuals who are interested in serving should check for details and updates posted at www.usatt.org
The USOC has stepped up in an unprecedented way helping USATT achieve governance reform. First, as I alluded to above, the USOC will be naming four of the five members on this transitional Nominating Committee. Second, the USOC offered USATT an interim “Executive Director on loan” until the new Board selects a permanent chief executive officer. Finally, the USOC spent dozens of hours assisting us in the adoption of our governance reform.

On behalf of the Board, I want to express our gratitude to the USOC. There is no other organization in the United States that is more interested in seeing USATT move beyond decades of dysfunction. With the 2008 Olympics just over a handful of months away, and in anticipation that table tennis will be the highlighted sport in Beijing, the USOC saw it as imperative that USATT not only adopt governance reform, but also stabilize our Board and operations.

Mike Cavanaugh, the former Executive Director of USA Team Handball, agreed to serve as USATT’s interim Executive Director. He started with us on September 24. Thank you, Mike, you’ve done a wonderful job! I’d also like to thank Chris Vadala, Rachel Nakamura, and Eric Parthen. There have been several other USOC staff members who have assisted in analyzing USATT’s draft bylaws, in reviewing and auditing USATT’s financials and other business practices, and in commenting on USATT’s Board activity.

As I’ve said many times, the ultimate goal that we all share is to see USATT succeed on all levels. It will be a great pleasure to witness a surge in USATT’s growth and development as all of the reforms are activated. I believe that it must have been difficult for some of the Board members to adopt the governance reform because we also adopted a provision that prevents current and recent Board members from serving again on the USATT Board for a period of time. So I want to thank the Board for putting aside personal desires and ambitions for the good of USATT’s future. Thank you for your service to USATT. I’d also like to thank USATT’s staff for their dedication and diligence during several months of difficulties. Even though my style as President has been to work primarily with the Executive Director, I nonetheless have had many opportunities to observe the staff in action. I consider myself fortunate to have gotten to know all of you!

There are several committee chairs, committee members, coaches, officials, volunteers, independent contractors and sponsoring companies who have supported the association selflessly. I thank all of you. Your behind-the-scenes contributions have vastly improved USATT’s ability to serve our members and to expand USATT’s operational capacities.
The International Table Tennis Federation has shown a strong interest in USATT. I especially thank ITTF President Adham Sharara. We both came into our respective presidencies in 1999. I have been fortunate not only to have worked with you but also to have become your friend. It is fitting that the current USATT Board will be wrapping up our tenure during the ITTF’s World Junior Championships that USATT is hosting. Thanks to the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee for your collaboration. I especially single out Anne Cribbs and Dennis Davis. Without your leadership, this event would not have come to the United States.

The Chinese Table Tennis Association has maintained ties of friendship with USATT dating back to Ping Pong Diplomacy in 1971. Leading the delegations that celebrated the 35th Anniversary of Ping Pong Diplomacy in 2006 and the 2000 Millennium Friendship Tour were two of the highlights of my presidency.
There are several representatives of other national table tennis associations who befriended me and taught me so much. I hope to see USATT interact with your associations on a greater level in the years to come.

I want to thank my family and friends for your support during my 8.5 years as USATT President. I grew up in a family that played table tennis. Thanks to Charlie Disney and Don Larson, I spent most of my youth at a great table tennis club. My brothers and I, along with many friends, had an amazing time together during my childhood. It’s hard to believe it, but I’ve already been a member of USATT for 35 years! Thank you to my husband who took on extra responsibilities so that I could serve in this volunteer position. Finally, my son Charlie, now 10, has been amazingly cooperative, supportive, and interested in watching me dedicate myself to our sport. You’re a real inspiration, Charlie!

I have enjoyed being your President. It has been an honor and a privilege. I worked hard and did my best. I will continue to be involved in the sport of table tennis in ways other than governance. In many aspects, USATT is better now than ever. But there is more to be done. The future leaders will have better tools to carry out USATT’s mission to achieve sustained competitive excellence. The new Board will inherit an organization in a solid financial position. The new structure assures USATT of having a more qualified and unified Board with a strong Chief Executive Officer working together in a Board-managed, staff-driven organization.