We had many people express interest in the open position of Secretary in the USMMA. Good questions were asked and several people said they are interested in serving our Association in the future. We are very pleased with the involvement from our Membership!
We have two very good, qualified candidates and we are looking forward to presenting them to you in our Special Election. Please take the time to read their qualifications and then vote for one. The Special Election Ballot will arrive via Survey Monkey, so please watch for it in the next two days.
Thank you!
Tia Nelson, DVM.
President USMMA
Attached to this email and on the USMMA website are the candidates resumes – Tammy Cruickshank, AB, Canada and Mary Rose Lombardi, MT.
Secretary: The Secretary arranges notifications and logistics for board meetings, reads and takes minutes of the board meetings, and assists with voting for elections. The Secretary puts out the agenda for the board meetings based on the input of the President and board members. The Secretary serves as custodian of all USMMA official records. The Secretary keeps official records of the USMMA current and works with the web master to keep records up to date. (Such records may include minutes, the by-laws, operating rules, breed standards, membership roll names and addresses and e mails.) The Secretary may make the organizations records available to members in accordance with the Association rules. The Secretary should be responsible for publishing an annual calendar of events. The Secretary shall work closely and consult with the President on all documents. It is required that the secretary be proficient in use of computers.
The USMMA Board of Directors unanimously approved the proposed bylaw changes.
Regional Directors
Election Committee
No Term Limits
Discussion was held to answer all of the members’ questions and concerns following the email announcement about the bylaw changes. The result of that work resulted a document further describing the Regional Directors positions and responsibilities. We hope that in creating this regional approach there can be more Marchador events and more opportunities for MM owners to get together locally across the country. That document is included below.
There are pros and cons to the term limits. We would like to have new people on the Board and want to encourage that to happen! We are hopeful that the Election Committee will help find members to fill these positions. The Regional Directors will be a great farm team concept if they want to run for an Officer position since the 2 elections are staggered every two years. However, we also want to reward and respect people who would like to serve. We are a small organization and retired members have time and experience to give. We agreed that if our assumptions are wrong, we can and will change this bylaw back to limit the amount of time one can serve on the Board.
So, we will be holding elections to fill the Regional Director positions as soon as possible. More information about the Regional Director position and what those duties entail are listed in this email. The newly formed Election Committee will get to work identifying members to fill these position. The current Board Members At Large will be given priority if they choose to assume the new role in their region. Please let me know if you are interested!
In 2020, the Northeast and Southeast Regions will be combined, but we are expecting the Northeast region to continue to grow, so that may become a viable region by the 2024 election.
3-7 Regional Directors representing different sections of the U.S. and Canada. The regions are: Pacific, Northwest, Southwest,Midwest, Northeast, Southeast and Canada. The region are selected based on numbers of members and Marchador horses in that area. The states included in each region will be assessed based on number of members and numbers of Marchadors at every election year. Not every regional position needs to be filled if there are no qualified candidates or interest in that region.
To be considered for Regional Director, the individual must be an active FULL member or LIFE member for at least 60 days before the election, and be a USMMA-registered Marchador owner at the time of the election. Each Regional Director must remain an active voting member of the USMMA for the duration of their responsibility.
A term will span 4 years. There are no term limits as long as the individual is willing to volunteer and is deemed capable to fill the position. Each Regional Director must submit their name to the Election Committee to be placed on the ballot and be elected by the members every four years. The first election will be held in 2020.
The USMMA Regional Director elections will be staggered elections with the USMMA Officer elections so that elections are held every 2 years beginning in 2020.
Regional Directors shall be full members of the Board and required to cast their vote on USMMA budgets, bylaw changes and other motions requiring a vote of the board. They are required to attend at least two Board meetings a year. The USMMA President will request resignation of the Regional Board Member should they not make the required meetings.
Regional Directors are responsible to encourage participation and cooperation among breeders, owners, trainers and other equine professionals in support of the Mangalarga Marchador and the USMMA goals within their region and to affiliate and coordinate with other local organizations and associations in support of the vision and mission of the USMMA. They are expected to know all of the USMMA members in their region and hold one Marchador or member event at least every 4 years. When a regional event is planned, the Regional Director needs to submit a plan and budget for the event to the USMMA if they are requesting funding for the event.
For 2020, here is one suggested table for the Regions, and based on the #s, also suggest that the Northeast be combined with the Southeast region. *MM horses include those owned by non-USMMA members. *Member numbers are based on all family members, not households.
States
MMs
Members
Pacific
California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada
51
24
Northwest
Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska
The USMMA elections for the Board of Directors is about to begin. Please vote to approve your association board! You will be receiving an electronic ballot via email from BALLOTBIN.com. The election will be open to run from Sunday December 3rd to Sunday December 10th. If you do not receive a ballot in the mail, please contact me, Alessandra Deerinck so we can make sure we have the correct email on file.
(Your email notification may say TEST, but it is the real deal. The notice went out automatically before we had updated the notification message.)
Below is a letter from our President, recapping the USMMA’s year in review.
We are currently at 92 annual or lifetime members. We believe it is the first time we have passed the 90 mark and would like to shoot for over 100 members in 2018!
We have $10,000 in our bank account – holding steady each year. Our annual budget is $6,000 – $8,000 depending on the events and promotions planned for the year. Every year, our operating budget goes to funding the website, registration supplies, mailing and the show subsidy awards for members ($250 each). Additionally, we like to support horse expositions and events in each region with a USMMA booth and materials. Last year, we funded re-creation of our booth show kit with banners and brochures. This “show kit” is available to ship to your next MM event. We missed the mark in 2017 when Equitana Open Air – October 2017, the event to be our annual USMMA event was canceled on short notice. We achieved other goals and survived other losses, replacing 2 board members and naming a new USMMA registrar, Randy Conilogue.
One of my goals as President was to encourage us to work together more as a team and to have fun with our Marchador horses. We all want to succeed – whether it be one owner, one horse, or a breeding barn. Getting press and making news is a good thing for the Marchador breed. Everyone benefits by the name recognition and exposure.
We are in a strong position to continue our path to success. Please vote and participate in your association. It is our volunteers that make good things happen!
We are electing Officers and Board Members for the next 4 years according to the USMMA bylaws. In order to serve, you must own a Mangalarga Marchador and be a current USMMA member as of 9/1/2017. The current Board is eligible to run again in this election.
Up for 4 year terms are:
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Board Member At Large (4)
If you are interested in volunteering for these important positions, please fill out the form by filling out the form below by November 19, 2017.
The Board Members have various tasks, one of which is to be available for a phone/on-line meeting once a month to discuss current projects and member’s ideas or proposals. The Board is responsible for the bylaws of the organization, the registry, the website, the quarterly journal, the website, social media, promotion and fund-raising, an annual event, membership drive, show subsidies, documentation of meeting notes, and the financial filing and reporting. Board Members at Large will choose their area of expertise. Some positions require computer skills, accounting skills and organizational skills. Some duties are carried out by volunteers that are not Board Members so be sure to volunteer if you just want to help occasionally or in a certain area
Thank you for being a member and participating. We will be collecting the candidates and hold a vote from the membership in November.
Please fill out the form on the website to submit your name to volunteer!
USMMA Elections were held in September for a new Board of Directors in 2010. Board Member positions are four years. Many of the existing Board Members returned for another term. The new Board is as follows:
John J. Kelley, Summerwind Marchadors – President
Susann Gabriel, Dreamcatcher Ranch – Vice President
Tresa V. Smith, Lazy T Ranch – Secretary
Eliza Frazer – Treasurer
Bill Kambic – Haras Lucero, Board Member at Large
Lori Silcher – 4 Seasons Marchadores, Board Member at Large
Signa Strom, Yankee River Sport Horses, Board Member at Large
The election was held in September to allow new Board Members to participate in the November 1st Budgeting Meeting.