East Coast Region Provides For the Future

About the East Coast Region Board Meeting March 5-6, 2005

Mike Abrams (Chairman of the Board, East Coast Region)
mike7thdan@nyc.rr.com

Yamada Sensei convened a meeting in New York the weekend March 5-6 with selected senior students from the East Coast Region (ECR). The purpose of the meeting was to provide for the future of the ECR (and ultimately the USAF because the ECR is the biggest region and effectively carrying that organization) by establishing a structure with appropriate staffing, skills and systems that will preserve the style and values of the organization. Yamada Sensei wants to preserve what he calls "the 4 Fs"- freedom, fairness, flexibility and friendliness.

We discussed, revised and finalized a draft set of Operating Guidelines with six Articles (Name and Offices, Board of Governors, Officers and Agents, Committees, Indemnification, and Miscellaneous Ð e.g., Fiscal Year and Audit). The Board of Governors of the ECR adopted the Operating Guidelines on March 6, 2005. The following additional resolutions were adopted.

1. The number of members of the Board shall be set at 13 and the terms shall be staggered to provide continuity. Initially three members shall serve one, two or three year terms; and four members including the Chairman shall serve a four-year term. As each term expires the successor or those members shall serve a term of four years:

2. The following were elected to hold the office indicated:

3. A Technical Committee was established, consisting initially of 7 members. The Technical Committee's duties shall include, for example, establishing testing qualifications and awarding rank consistent with and as described in the international regulations of Hombu; conducting seminars, including black belt and instructor seminars; and developing instructional materials, handbooks, etc. The President appointed the following to be members: Yoshimitsu Yamada, Seiichi Sugano, Clyde Takeguchi, Harvey Konigsberg, Claude Berthiaume, Peter Bernath, Donavan Waite.

4. The Chairman of the Technical Committee is Yoshimitsu Yamada.

5. An Honorary Committee was established consisting of senior instructors or members of the ECR who have made significant contributions to the growth and promulgation of Aikido. Members of the Honorary Committee may not be members of the Board of Governors or the Technical Committee. The President appointed the following to serve as a member of the Honorary Committee: Eddie Hagihara, Sidney Spencer, Rick Stickles, Paul Keelan, John Yaglowski, Linda Vecchio, Paul Buchanan, Luqman Abdul Hakeem, Nelson Andujar, Peter Tamagni, Bernie Mulligan, Ann Buchanan, Ariff Mehter, Dennis Meno, Rodney Grantham.

6. A Nominating Committee was established for proposing persons for election as members of the Board of Governors at the next annual meeting of the Board or in the event of vacancies. The following were appointed to serve as a member of the Nominating Committee: Yoshimitsu Yamada, Harvey Konigsberg, Susan Wolk.

The meeting closed after establishing a series of next steps:

The Board of Governors and Committees welcome input from ECR Dojos.