On January 31, 2019, the new NAUI Board of Directors held its first meeting of the year. The Board welcomed newly elected member Geertje Wessels (NAUI 54145) and re-elected member Danny Grizzard (NAUI 3550). Also in attendance were current members Michael Feld (NAUI 50134), Cheryl Thacker (NAUI 23525), Barry Moore (NAUI 6790), David Ochs (NAUI 15918), Gary Kulisek (NAUI 11023), Simon Yu (NAUI 11146), and Lonnie Sharp (NAUI 18314).

The Board elected its officers as follows:

• Chairman: Danny Grizzard
• Vice Chairman: Michael Feld
• Secretary: Cheryl Thacker
• Treasurer: Barry Moore

The Board also welcomed its new International Advisors:

• Africa: Hanalie Burger (NAUI 49570)
• Middle East: Faisal M Al-Dubayan (NAUI 47175)
• Brazil: Marcos Jose G. Molina (NAUI 45523)
• Europe: Vedran Dorusic (NAUI 33934)
• Asia: Kok-Yew Wong (NAUI 18820)

The Board made the following appointments to the NAUI Services Group (NSG) Board of Directors:

• Michael Feld was re-appointed as NAUI Board representative to the NAUI Services Group (NSG) Board for a one-year term.
• Michael Timmins (NAUI 49856) was appointed to a three-year term. Michael has significant experience in finance, both domestic and international and will help NSG navigate through issues related to international growth.

The committee chairs appointed by the chairman for 2019 are:

• • Training: Lonnie Sharp
  • Planning: Michael Feld
  • Awards: Cheryl Thacker
  • Elections: Jeff Heim (NAUI 10880)
  • Finance: Barry Moore
  • Bylaws & Board Procedures: Doug Stracener (NAUI 36288)
  • Membership: Hanalie Burger

The board meeting included a review of the following areas:

Governance and Parliamentary Procedure Presentations – The board was given a primer on governance as it relates to NAUI Worldwide and our wholly owned subsidiary, NAUI Services Group (NSG), and on promoting a healthy and productive workplace environment. The board was also given a thorough review of parliamentary procedure in order to aid in running efficient and expeditious board meetings.

Headquarters Report – The board was given a thorough overview of progress made at headquarters since the change in leadership by NSG CEO/NAUI Executive Director Rick Lorimor. The BOD congratulated Rick on solidifying agreements for NSG to repay NAUI loans for translations, improving NAUI’s finances, streamlining operations, providing transparency, overseeing fixes to issues related to NAUI CORE, and establishing a positive and productive atmosphere with HQ staff.

Finance – A thorough overview of the finances of both NAUI and NSG were presented to the board by NSG’s Chief Financial Officer, Todd Bray. Keeping NAUI on the path to financial health is key to ensuring NAUI can build into the future and plan for any new initiatives for 2019 and beyond.

Technology – NSG’s Chief Information Officer, Chris Greco, reviewed the status of NAUI technology platforms and plans for 2019, including enhancements to NAUI CORE and mobile app 2.0. A key goal is getting the worldwide service centers up and running on CORE to provide the most advanced and consistent services to members and divers and streamline business processes.

Board Member Travel – The BOD approved adjustments and clarifications to board member travel policies to standardize reporting format, streamline the travel review process, and reduce costs, including those associated with staff time processing. The BOD approved a discretionary allotment of $1,500 per board member designed to encourage board member engagement with membership, especially targeted to increase NAUI visibility and promotion at regional events and venues.

International Advisor Travel – In the interest of supporting and increasing participation of our international NAUI community in BOD decisions, the BOD agreed to support travel expenses for two international advisors to the January and DEMA Show event BOD meetings.

WDHOF Scholarship Donation – The BOD approved an annual donation of $1,250 to the Women Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF) for an annual scholarship supporting emerging dive leadership candidates.

Lifetime Membership – The board was briefed by International Advisor Hanalie Burger on committee deliberations regarding reinstalling the “Lifetime Membership” category with the goal of having a recommendation to the BOD within the first quarter with the potential rollout at DEMA Show, pending BOD approval.

Marketing – The new Marketing and Communications Director, Tim Williams, briefed the board on plans to enhance NAUI’s market presence and branding. Booth design revisions for DEMA Show and associated educational and promotional items are all in the works to give NAUI a noticeable presence at trade shows and other endeavors that make NAUI stand out.