Courtesy: USA Diving
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Diving announced that, as part of its dedication to good governance practices, its board of directors adopted amended and restated bylaws effective March 15, 2020. The bylaws were completely rewritten to bring USA Diving up to date with best practices in nonprofit governance, with assistance and feedback from various stakeholders throughout the USA Diving community.
“I am pleased to see these new bylaws go into effect,” said Lee Michaud, president of USA Diving. “As we look toward the future, it’s imperative that our bylaws are such that will help propel us forward and continue to grow the sport of diving in the U.S. The hard work that was done to set the organization up for future success was no small feat, and we are grateful to all who gave their time, energy and expertise to this project.”
Among the notable changes is the composition of the board, which will consist of 15 directors, with eight being unaffiliated. Three directors will be athletes; two directors will be coaches; one director will be an at-large member; and one director will be elected by the allied organizations. All board officers (the chair, vice chair, secretary, and treasurer) must be unaffiliated directors. Additionally, the treasurer must be a certified public accountant or have equivalent experience. In order to facilitate smooth transitions among directors, the board will have staggered terms.
Additionally, new committees were created, including the SafeSport Committee, the Nominating and Elections Committee, the Coaches Advisory Committee, and the Allied Organizations Committee. Each committee will draft a charter that is consistent with the new bylaws and outlines its responsibilities, members, elections and other operational information. The board will approve each committee’s charter.
The board will now be responsible for approving the organization’s technical rules, with the Committee for Competitive Excellence serving in an advisory role for rules-related matters.
Key USA Diving policies, including the Code of Conduct, are no longer part of the bylaws. Instead, they will exist in separate policy documents, which are easier to access and update. These policies will continue in full force and effect until USA Diving launches updated policies. USA Diving will also have specific conflict of interest and whistleblower policies, among others.
The board has authority over all governance functions, with the committees advising the board while the president and staff manage the day-to-day operations of the corporation.
The new bylaws require the organization to immediately begin transitioning to the new governance structure. While completing the transition will take time, it has begun without delay. In the meantime, USA Diving is updating existing policies to ensure alignment with the new bylaws. If there is a conflict between the new bylaws and the policies, the new bylaws control.
To view the bylaws, visit: https://www.teamusa.
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