MINUTES of Tele-Conferences

Board of Directors Meeting

March 18, 2002

The following 10 Board members were present for some or all of the March 18 Tele-Conference: Sheri Pittman (SP), Jiing Wang (JW), Tong Lee (TL), Tim Boggan (TB), George Brathwaite (GB), Robert Mayer (RM), Barney D. Reed (BR), Dennis Taylor (DT), Jimmy McClure (JM), Todd Sweeris (TS). Absent: Hank McCoullum (HM), Li Ai (LA), Tawny Banh (TAWNY). Steve Smith, Ashley Jordaan [sic] and Bruce Leikoff, lawyers from Holme, Roberts and Owen, USATT’s legal counsel, also participated.

ITEM 1. Over the period of several months, the USATT Executive Director had participated in negotiations regarding a proposed move from our present Colorado Springs office building to a new building without informing the Board.

MOTION I. Moved that Executive Director Dwight Johnson be terminated under the terms recommended by our legal counsel.

Proposed by Sheri Pittman; seconded by Tim Boggan.

PASSED: 7-0-0 (SP, TL, TB, RM, BR, DT, JM).

ITEM 2. Ray B. Essick has offered to serve as executive director. He had previously served a 20-year tenure as Executive Director of USA Swimming, where he became highly respected within the USOC family.

MOTION  II. Moved that Ray B. Essick be named USATT Executive Director as of Mar. 19, 2002.

Proposed by Sheri Pittman; seconded by Tim Boggan.

PASSED: 8-0-1.

In Favor: SP, JW, TL, TB, GB, RM, DT, JM.

Abstained: TS.

ITEM 3. The Resolution the executive director had negotiated without consulting us lacked flexibility. The USOC is offering USATT and four other NGBs an ownership interest in a new building because it will be cheaper for the USOC to buy a new building than to continue year after year to pay the rent on the current building (to be vacated by June 30). Our legal counsel presented us with the positives and negatives of the agreement presented to us. A discussion followed as to what might be done to address our legal counsel’s concerns.  

MOTION III. Moved that, since the deadline for our decision has been extended to Mar. 22, Ray discuss with Steve Smith, Bruce Leikoff, Chris Vadala, Tom Berg, and anyone else capable of providing input, this multi-sport USOC real estate venture in the hope that they might be able to help us find some negotiating room. [Ray will then report back to the Board in another tele-conference on Thursday, Mar. 21.]

Proposed by Sheri Pittman; seconded by George Brathwaite.

PASSED: 10-0-0. 

Respectfully submitted.

USATT Secretary,

Tim Boggan