On behalf of the USHBA/USHBF BOD, we would like to express our appreciation for the significant contributions that Jacob Waddell has made to the growth of the organization and look forward to working with him going forward.
Continuity of leadership and communication with members of the organization are critical. Please mark your calendars for a Members Only Meeting on Wednesday September 14th, 2022 (7pm ET) during which we will discuss the transition, our recent success with IRC building code approval and communicate a vision for Q4/2022 and 2023.
2022 started with a new board of directors consisting of 7 directors that were elected and installed in January 2022.Jacob Waddell has served as acting Executive Director since the beginning of the year when the BOD asked him to continue serving in his role for at least 6 months.
We passed our 3rd year as an organization. As we look at future plans for the USHBA/USHBF, a few board members are stepping down from their elected positions to pursue opportunities. At the same time we are making changes to better meet the needs of our members by focusing on regional growth and services.
BOD has decided on the following changes:
- Jacob Waddell announced his plans to conclude his service as acting Executive Director effective September 16, 2022. The BOD appreciates the service he has provided. We plan to continue mutual collaborations for the benefit of our members.
- To better serve the needs of members, we are restoring classic organization positions, including: President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer.
- The following positions are being vacated based on anticipated resignations: Director of Marketing, Director of Communications and Director of Regional Leadership (end of year). These directors are assisting with the transition and are committed to the long term success of the organization as they focus on their local farming and community commitments.
- The following positions are effectively vacant due to a lack of BOD meeting attendance/participation: Director of Fundraising, Director of Education. These are difficult decisions to make, however there is a great opportunity to accelerate fundraising efforts and education training programs.
- The balance of board members are: Director of Regional Leaders, Director of Supply Chain and Director of Certifications
- To improve member services, we are reorganizing activities into a regional delivery model and will share more details during our members only meeting in September.
- To navigate through this transition phase and to provide governance based on the availability of the active board members, the BOD has voted to appoint Ryan Doherty as Vice-President and Henry Gage Jr as President.
Best Regards,
Board of Directors – USHBA/USHBF