The Executive Board (EB) consists of sixteen members – four officers (president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer), nine regional directors (one from each region), and three at-large directors (one from each council – administrative, technical, and activities). Officers, regional directors, and at-large directors serve three-year terms, to begin the first day of every third year. Elections for officers, regional directors, and at-large directors are held every third year as follows:
- Regional director in even-numbered regions, president and treasurer: 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021, 2024, etc.
- Regional director in odd-numbered regions, vice president and secretary: 2013, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2025, etc.
- At-large directors: 2011, 2014, 2017, 2020, 2023, 2026, etc.
The information below serves as a guide and does not necessarily include all duties and activities associated with serving on the USDF EB.
EB – General Duties
- Attend all EB meetings and teleconferences, and participate in electronic correspondence and voting (reimbursement for travel-related expenses to in-person meetings is provided per the policy outlined in the USDF Policies and Procedures document).
- Approve EB meeting minutes drafted by the secretary.
- Review budgets and expenditures in order to ensure sound fiscal management of USDF assets and the continued financial solvency of USDF.
- Review and approve proposals submitted to the EB, particularly those that request significant actions such as major expenditures, major changes in programs/events, and major changes to membership services.
- Forward appropriate proposals (including those from councils and committees) to the Board of Governors (BOG) as prescribed in the USDF Bylaws.
- Establish committees and oversee on an ongoing basis both councils and committees that support the mission of USDF.
- Approve committee chair appointments.
- Bianually review each committee’s mission, goals, objectives, accomplishments, and actions.
- Develop and implement an EB policy on councils and committees, and biannually review programs for compliance with this policy.
- Provide ongoing support to the Executive Director.
- Review reports submitted by the Management Committee.
- Elect two EB members to serve on the USDF Bylaws Committee.
- Approve contracts over the amount of $7500.
- Approve the appointment of sponsor representatives to committees for which the respective sponsor has previously or is currently providing sponsorship.
- Oversee the general management of USDF affairs and business.
EB – Member Guidelines
- Must be a USDF Participating Member (PM) in good standing.
- Must represent the interests of the BOG on the USDF EB.
- Must make decisions to enhance USDF’s mission and for the benefit of the membership as a whole.
- Must arrive at meetings prepared, having read supporting material, and ready to engage in thoughtful discussion.
- Must encourage and respect the input of all EB members.
- Must promote EB unity and confidence.
- Must inform the EB if there is an issue that presents a conflict of interest, and not participate in discussion where the conflict of interest occurs.
- Must recognize the president is the official spokesperson for the EB.
- Must maintain confidentiality of sensitive EB information, as determined by a majority of the EB or as directed by the president.
- Must enhance USDF’s public image.
- Must encourage membership in USDF.
- Must identify members with leadership ability as future EB members or council and committee chairs.
- Must complete Safe Sport Training provided by the US Center for Safe Sport annually.
President
- The president is the chief executive officer of USDF and serves as the official spokesperson for the EB.
- May call meetings of the EB and BOG, and preside over those meetings.
- Report the activities and general progress of USDF to the EB and BOG.
- Review and approve the agendas for EB and BOG meetings prior to distribution.
- Review EB meeting minutes before being posted on the USDF website.
- Comply with USDF’s Transparency Policy to ensure that openness and transparency in the decision-making process are followed.
- Approve formal proposals to outside organizations.
- Establish standing, temporary, ad hoc, implementation, or other committees, including subcommittees, commissions, task forces, and working groups, and appoint a chairperson for each committee, subject to the approval of the EB. Upon appointment, the president must describe the responsibilities of these groups.
- Appoint all committee chairs, subject to approval from the EB.
- Serve as a member of the USDF Investment Working Group.
- Sign off on contracts over $7500 that have been approved.
- Appoint or employ the Executive Director with the approval of the EB and have the authority to contract with the Executive Director.
- Appoint ad-hoc committees to review new and revised programs and projects approved by either the EB or BOG in order to determine an appropriate implementation plan. Ad-hoc committees appointed by the president must be approved by the EB.
- Appoint EB members to serve as official liaisons between USDF and other organizations.
- Appoint a replacement of an EB regional director or officer in the event of resignation or death.
- Vote only when a vote is tied.
- Other duties may be assigned by the BOG.
Treasurer
- Prepare the annual budget of the USDF upon consultation with the Executive Director.
- Present to the EB, prior to the BOG meeting and to the BOG at the annual convention, the budget report, which shall include the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, and a written comparison of the current year’s budget with the previous year’s budget, including current fiscal year projected revenue and expenses as compared with previous year’s projected revenue and expenses and actual revenue and expenses.
- Serve as a member of the Steering Committee for EB Complaints, the Investment Working Group, and the Management Committee.
Regional Director
- Serves as the official contact person for all matters related to USDF affairs within the designated region.
- Responsible for disseminating information to Group Member Organizations (GMOs) and Participating Members (PMs).
- Represent the interests of the respective region on the EB and act as a liaison between the EB and the region.
- Prepare a report about your region’s activities for the spring EB meeting and the annual convention in the fall.
- Chair your regional meeting(s) held at the annual convention, as well as any regional teleconference meetings you schedule throughout the year.
- Work with the chairs of the Regional Championships, Nominating, and FEI Youth Committees to make regional representative appointments as soon as possible after the convention and no later than the first week of January.
- Establish a Regional Selection Committee to review and evaluate future regional championship host site applications before making a recommendation to the USDF Regional Championship Site Selection Working Group and the EB.
- If possible, represent USDF and the region at your regional championship, participate in awards ceremonies, support sponsors, and help out as appropriate.
- Approve Great American/USDF grant requests for regional championships, as submitted to you from each competition.
- Be aware of the financial status of your region and review monthly statements, which will be provided by the USDF accounting office.
- Submit monthly regional news items for inclusion in USDF eNews (optional).
- Encourage PM Delegate nominations and work with your region’s Nominating Committee representative to solicit nominations.
- Communicate with your region’s GMOs and encourage them to appoint representation for the BOG meeting at the annual convention. Assist in securing proxy appointments as requested.
- Encourage USDF youth and regional GMO volunteer nominations, as well as GMO award nominations, to be submitted to the USDF office.
- Assist in selecting a USDF nominee for the USEF Youth Sportsman’s Award.
- Check with your region’s GMOs periodically to make sure they have sent a list of any new officials and board members to the USDF office after they’ve held their elections.
- Approve Instructor/Trainer Program Workshops to be held in your region.
- Recommend locations for FEI Youth and Youth Outreach Clinics, when applicable.
- Sign applications for L Education Programs being held in your region.
- Sign program and grant applications for the Continuing Education Programs in Dressage Judging being held in your region.
- May appoint members to regional offices (such as treasurer or secretary), but the regional director is responsible for the actions of such appointees.
Nomination Process for Officers and Regional Directors
Nominations for officers and regional directors can be sent to 1) the nominee’s regional representative on the Nominating Committee, 2) the Nominating Committee chair, or 3) the Nominating Committee liaison. Contact information for the regional representatives, chair, and liaison can be found on the Nominating Committee page of the USDF website. Per the USDF Policies and Procedures, consent must be obtained from the potential nominee prior to submitting their name to the Nominating Committee. Any USDF member can nominate an officer or regional director candidate.
The deadline for nominations of officers and regional directors is June 1st. Officer and regional director nominations can also be made from the floor of the BOG meeting.
Following receipt of a nomination for an officer, the Nominating Committee will verify the eligibility of the nominee. The chair of the Nominating Committee will contact the nominee to discuss, in detail, the expectations of being a USDF EB member, the time required, and the specific responsibilities of the position that the nominee is running for. Once confirmation of their intention to run in the election and willingness to serve is established, the nominee is then considered “official.”
Once official, the nominee is listed on the USDF website under Nominations & Elections. The Nominating Committee liaison will email the nominee to request they answer some questions, provide a biography, and supply a photo, which will appear in the September/October issue of USDF Connection and on the USDF website for viewing by the membership.
Each officer candidate (those nominated by June 1 or from the floor of the BOG) is given the opportunity to give a short campaign speech to the membership, approximately five minutes in length, during the first session of the BOG meeting at the Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention. Each officer candidate participating in a contested election, and nominated by June 1, will also get the opportunity to speak for up to five minutes in each regional meeting.
Regional director candidates (nominated by June 1st or who intend to be nominated from the floor of the BOG) are given the opportunity to give a short campaign speech during their respective regional meeting during the Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention.
Voting and Election Process
Voting for EB members takes place on the final day of the annual BOG meeting at the Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention by way of confidential online voting kiosks. All EB positions are elected by the BOG (PM and GM Delegates).
If a nominee is running unopposed for a position, they will be elected by acclamation. Otherwise, election results for each position will be announced on the final day of the BOG meeting at the Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention shortly after voting concludes at the online voting kiosks.
Elected nominees officially start their term on January 1st.
[…] call! On Friday and Saturday, the USDF Board of Governors (BOG) – made up of the elected Executive Board (EB), Participating Member (PM) Delegates, and Group Member (GM) Delegates – met for the BOG […]