USA Table Tennis
Board Teleconference
July 30, 1999

Friday, July 30, 1999:

The meeting connected at 7:11 p.m. MST by Sheri Pittman.

Present(proxy): George Brathwaite, Jim Butler, Jeff Davis, Diana Gee, Tong Lee, Jimmy McClure, Sheri Pittman, Barney Reed, Dennis Taylor, Bob Tretheway, Jiing Wang, Lily Yip (George Brathwaite), and Acting Executive Director Linda Gleeson

Absent: Khoa Nguyen

  1. Linda Gleeson announced that she would next be employed by USA Boxing.
  2. Sheri Pittman announced that the September meeting would be held in Colorado Springs on September 10-12.
  3. Sheri Pittman announced news from the Pan Am Games. Both the Men’s and Women’s teams won gold medals. This was the first sweep of the teams’ events in the history of the Pan Am Games. With the winning of a gold medal, that USOC marker has been achieved. Bob Fox called in with the announcement that both Gao Jun and David Zhuang won gold medals in their singles events and that Amy Feng had won the silver medal.
  4. Dennis Taylor, Chair of the Executive Director Search Committee, discussed the status of the search process. (The Committee report is appended as Addendum 1.) Discussion followed. Tong Lee read into the record a fax from Ben Nisbet (Addendum 2).

    5. Jiing Wang gave his proxy to Sheri Pittman and disconnected.

    Discussion continued.

    MOTION 1: Move to accept the recommendation of the Executive Director Search Committee.

    Proposed by Barney Reed; Seconded by Tong Lee.

    A lengthy discussion took place. The primary supporting arguments were that only the committee had seen all the candidate materials and attended the interviews, and that as was the case in previous executive director searches, the committee sent one name to the Board for approval. The committee recommended that Ben Nisbet be approved as the new hire for the executive director position.

    The primary opposing argument to the motion was that since the committee had not been unanimous in its selection, the search committee should have forwarded information regarding both candidates to the entire Board. Sheri Pittman stated that she had suggested to committee members who preferred the other finalist candidate to submit what is known as a "minority report" and that they did not exercise their option to do so. The dissenting committee members instead had requested an emergency meeting of the Board, which required a formal notice to the president and 3-day Board notice period, upon receiving the materials for a fax vote on the committee’s recommendations. Past executive directors had been approved through fax votes.

    Sheri Pittman emphasized that a further delay in our decision-making process would force Mr. Nisbet to withdraw as a candidate. The importance of the timeliness of the Board’s decision appeared in the memo accompanying the original fax vote. Sheri Pittman stated that the dissenting committee members had already had a second opportunity to submit a minority report for the Board’s consideration when the emergency teleconference was called. She also requested that Board members who desire to have a teleconference contact her with their request instead of invoking the "emergency teleconference" provision in the by-laws.

    MOTION 2: Move to table Motion 1.

    Proposed by Jim Butler; Seconded by Bob Tretheway.

    Passed: 7-5.

    IN FAVOR: GB, JB, JD, DG, JM, BT, LY

    OPPOSED: TL, SP, BR, DT, JW

    Jeff Davis, Tong Lee, and Barney Reed disconnected.

  5. Jim Butler volunteered to call Ben Nisbet in the morning to encourage him not to withdraw his candidacy. As part of the above discussion, it was agreed that if Mr. Nisbet remains a candidate, George Brathwaite would compile material he wishes the Board to consider before voting at the next teleconference. If Mr. Nisbet withdraws, the search process would begin anew.

At this point, many people disconnected and others disconnected periodically, a quorum was questioned and presumed nonexistent, the roll was not checked, and the remainder of the agenda (Addendum 3), mostly announcements, was addressed, with no votes taken. Finally, everyone hung up without a formal motion for adjournment.

Submitted by Dennis Taylor, Secretary

NOTE: After his discussion with Ben Nisbet, Jim Butler (with four others) invoked the emergency voting procedure specified in the by-laws and Mr. Nisbet was approved as the new hire on a 9-3 fax vote.