Last week President Matt Mansfield announced he is resigning, effective Thursday. Several members had questions about what this means for the future of the Society. Here are a few answers…
Q: What does that mean for SND, and where do we go from here?
A: The Society for News Design, the largest and most dynamic journalism organization representing visual journalists, has been around for more than 30 years. With the leadership of our 22 founders in 1979, through 29 presidents and many executive directors, SND has weathered the triumphs and struggles of the industry, and come through even stronger. We will continue in that tradition as we work through this latest challenge.
Q: Matt laid down some pretty ambitious goals in his six months as president. Will they continue?
A: Absolutely. SND continues to be focused on providing members the skills and opportunities to invent their own futures. We continue to provide expert training for both print and digital designers; host networking opportunities from regional meetups to the fall workshop in Buenos Aires; support the academic efforts of students and educators; increase our international outreach; create a roadmap for the future of the media business and recognize our industry’s standard-bearers through our prestigious competitions.
Q: What happens next with the office of president?
A: Our bylaws, which were adopted more than 25 years ago, are not as specific on that point. Nevertheless, here’s what they say:
“It shall be the duty of the Vice President, in the absence or inability of the President to act, to exercise all the powers and discharge all the duties of the President.” (Article VII, Section 4)
So yes, according to our bylaws, in the event of the president leaving office, the vice president, in this case, Bonita Burton, will discharge all the duties of the president for the remainder of the term, which ends on Dec. 31. She will become president on Jan. 1 if she is elected by the membership during the regular fall election
Q: How is a new president elected, and who is in charge of selecting the candidates?
A: The ballot will be distributed at least three weeks before the Sept. 24 workshop in Buenos Aires. Members can vote online, by mail, or onsite at the workshop. According to our bylaws, candidates for elected office are recommended by a nominating committee led by the immediate past president, currently Gayle Grin.
Q: How does the search for a new executive director factor in?
A: Elise Burroughs has had an significant impact on SND, and she leaves big shoes to fill. Elise’s contract runs through Dec. 31, 2009. As you know, the executive director is responsible for both the long-term and day-to-day management of the Society, and this person plays an influential role in charting our long-term strategies. Earlier this year, the president asked the vice president to organize and lead a search committee, and we’ve begun the process of identifying candidates. If the timeline unfolds as planned, the board will have appointed a new executive director in time to ensure a smooth transition before Elise’s contract runs out.
Q: What about the the workshop or any other planned activities?
A: All scheduled events will go forward as planned. Next up: A Region 8 meetup in San Francisco and a Web Design Boot Camp in Las VegasVegas, both scheduled for July 11. The Buenos Aires workshop on Sept. 24 is an impressive lineup of international all-stars, and will feature a keynote address by the renowned Nigel Holmes.
Q: What’s being done between now and the fall election to ensure a smooth transition?
A: The officers are in close communication with each other and the board of directors to identify key steps. An advisory panel of 20 past presidents of SND has been asked to advise and offer their wisdom during the transition. You may have received their first email from founder and former president Richard Curtis earlier this week. The other presidents who are helping out include:
* Phil Ritzenberg
* Richard Curtis
* Marty Petty
* Phil Nesbitt
* Tony Majeri
* Rob Covey
* Nanette Bisher
* Randy Stano
* Deborah Withey
* Jim Jennings
* Neal Pattison
* Ed Kohorst
* Svenake Bostrom
* Lucie Lacava
* Warren Watson
* Susan Mango-Curtis
* Bill Gaspard
* Christine McNeal
* Scott Goldman
* Gayle Grin
Q: What else is being done?
A: Task forces are being formed to focus updating of our bylaws and other key issues, and we’re hoping for high member participation (let us know if you want to be on one of the committees). Task force chairs will report back during a summer summit of the board on July 11 in Orlando. We should have a lot of progress to report before the fall board meeting in Buenos Aires.
Q: How does SND plan to spend its resources to respond to the changing nature of the business?
A: Discussions at SND board meetings and among our members of the society mirror those taking place in newsrooms around the world. Our program chairs are constantly recalibrating our training, our competition focus, our educational efforts to reflect industry shifts.
Q: What is SND doing to communicate with members through this transition? How can members get involved?
A: Check the Update blog for for progress reports on the leadership transition and information about all SND activities. Send thoughts or questions directly to Vice President Bonita Burton bburton@orlandosentinel.com or Treasurer/Secretary Steve Dorsey at stevedorsey@gmail.com
I know this is the tendency of an organization in crisis (Bear Stearns: We’re just fine. No problems here), but this FAQ doesn’t actually answer very much.
The lesson of Tylenol: Deal with your problems. Openly, directly. Do not deal with them in cabal-like fashion.
And frankly, why, if the society is to be future-focused, is the presidential advisory panel made up only of previous presidents? Shouldn’t it be more open than that?
This article provides a lot more information about the current state of SND and its future than anything addressed on the chat today.
http://poynter.org/column.asp?id=101&aid=165284
There was no discussion of moving the headquarters to UNC and whether that related to Elise’s dismissal and Matt’s resignation. That would be a great question to answer.
There was also no discussion of the status of moving the SND headquarters to UNC or somewhere else. Another great question to answer. Why is SND talking about moving its headquarters? What are the benefits of moving somewhere like UNC.
There was a great deal of discussion about changing the bylaws from a lot of different parties and the current vice president. So here’s a question about that: when the bylaws have been basically the same for 25 years, why is it so important now to look at them? It was noted that progress would be checked on July 11, so that’s three weeks away. That would also be the time when you would be coming up with a ballot for this year’s election. It seems odd that after 25 years, there would be such a hurry to look at the bylaws with an election coming up, especially when any change would have to be approved by the SND membership. Why would looking at the bylaws be so important at a time when you are also searching for exec director and you just had your first presidential resignation in the organizations’ history? This is also coming at a time when membership has plummeted and more designers are being forced out of newsrooms every day. Why weren’t the bylaws important to revise two years ago? Why now?
This is, indeed, an unusual organizational format. I understand a little how SND has evolved, and how it’s been allowed to be run rather loosely in the past — it requires a lot of volunteer hours, people in the news business generally don’t have much spare time to participate or even keep track, and mostly people were getting what they wanted — a path to make contacts and advance careers, win awards and add lines to resumes, attend conferences, etc.
Now that the chance of career advancement and the value of contacts is greatly diminished, members are openly questioning the worth of the organization. That is bringing to light the way the organization is structured, which will determine its future direction.
Generally in a professional organization of this nature, board members should be nominated and elected by the membership. The board should then decide on issues of governance, like filling positions such as the executive director and other essential staff. Discussions and votes by the board should take place in formal meetings during which minutes are taken, which should be freely accessible by the general membership. There will, of course, be back room and hallway conversations, but in the end what is discussed and decided has to be formalized in the meeting and in the minutes. And certain issues, especially ones over which the board is deeply divided, should be put to vote by the general membership.
The purpose of this structure is to make the board members accountable to the membership who elected them, and to allow any member to run for a board position, not just those chosen by a select committee. And the purpose of the purpose is so that members feel they have a voice and a stake in the organization.
This type of structure is essential for the success of any organization of dues-paying members. Otherwise, it will lose those members, the dues they pay, and in the end its relevance to their lives.
The draft minutes of the April 19, 2009, board of directors meeting are posted in the members-only area of http://www.snd.org. As is customary, they will be approved at the next board meeting, Sept. 23, 2009, in Buenos Aires.
Also, following Buenos Aires, the next Annual Workshops will be Sept. 23-25, 2010, in Denver and Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2011, in St. Louis. Jun 18, 2009 at 03:53 p.m.