On March 7, the IAFC board of directors unanimously approved a motion to affirm the association’s current organizational structure as a federation of separately incorporated divisions, with sections as components of the IAFC.
Further, the board identified several governance and structure issues to be addressed in greater detail near-term. These issues included size and composition of the board of directors. Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr, president and chair of the board, created a working group to study the issue. She appointed First Vice President John Sinclair and Second Vice President Tom Jenkins to lead the group.
The board also directed Treasurer Richard Carrizzo and staff to examine the treasurer position and develop recommendations for how changes of the criteria, qualifications and selection process of the treasurer position may better serve the membership.
In affirming the current legal autonomy of the eight regional divisions, the board decided to formally ask the leadership of each division to consider ways to better position themselves to meet the needs of their members and develop strategies to strengthen their partnership, operations and communications with the IAFC. This area of focus would include partnership agreements with the IAFC. Great Lakes Board Representative Nyle Zikmund will lead this effort.
In regard to sections, President Kerr established a working group to undergo similar considerations of how sections could better position themselves to serve their members and IAFC membership. This group will be led by EMS Section Board Representative Norris Croom.
The board discussed these IAFC governance and structure issues in great depth March 6-8, in Reno, Nev., under the guidance of a professional facilitator experienced in association, government and corporate governance and structure.
This governance and structure review process began during the IAFC board of directors meeting on August 24, 2015, in Atlanta, Ga., following a detailed membership presentation. The report contained several recommendations on strategies to increase membership. A motion was approved to move forward with the recommendations.
Later in the same meeting, further board member discussion ensued. Chief Bill Metcalf (then immediate past president) and Chief Keith Bryant (then president) shared feedback they had received from various members while they traveled to division and state chiefs meetings. After much discussion during the Atlanta board meeting, a motion was approved unanimously, directing staff to prepare a report to research the feasibility of holding a summit to examine the organizational components and structure of the IAFC and develop recommendations.
The three days of meetings in Reno were held to consider whether a summit or another method to examine IAFC governance and structure was necessary and what such a method would look like if embarked upon. After a great deal of work and discussion by board members, the board decided against a formal governance summit. Instead, the board identified specific areas of focus and decided to ask divisions and sections to carefully consider those areas of focus and report back to the board with recommendations by December 1, 2016.
~ IAFC Board of Directors, March 7, 2016