The Final Countdown

Gene Dickey
TETA BOD
CFO/Treasurer

An interesting thing occurred at TETA’s annual Business Meeting on Friday, January 27, at TheatreFest 2012. Due to the term limit provisions now in place in TETA’s By-Laws, I was elected to my final term as this organization’s Treasurer and CFO. By the time the gavel closes the Business Meeting on Friday, January 30, 2015, I will have served on TETA’s Board of Directors for twenty five years- a quarter of a century!

Back in 1990, I began keeping notes at the TETA Board Meetings I attended, but over the years, those notes have evolved into more of a journal of the changes, goings-on, and general sociology of the Texas Educational Theatre Association. From my viewpoint, it makes for an interesting read. In tone and attitude, the narrative reminds me of a Dickensian version of “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”. Still, with only two years, ten months, and twenty seven days remaining (not that I’m counting), I wanted to use this issue’s article of “Texas Theatre Notes” to make certain all members are updated on some recent developments of TETA.


First, the Treasurer-Elect (the person who will become the CFO in January, 2015) was also nominated and elected at TheatreFest 2012. Welcome to Rachel Mattox, a person who certainly needs no introduction to any of you! As Rachel and I begin the labyrinth task of transitioning the financial data of TETA from one person to another, I have already been impressed with Rachel’s thoroughness, her insistence on a complete understanding of process, and an approach which is equally considerate of the organization and its members. I encourage each of you to welcome Rachel and share your thoughts and ideas with her.

Next, please make certain that you are aware that TETA’s fiscal year is now January 1 through December 31 (a normal calendar year), rather than the old fiscal year, which ran from September 1 of one year until August 31 of the next (more analogous to a school year). This change has no material impact on any of TETA’s membership and was primarily done to better align TETA with normal accounting periods and report deadlines.

Additionally, in an effort to heighten the level of contribution by TETA’s Board of Directors to its various committees (and committee members), each of the seven Board of Directors was given a “dotted line” responsibility for staying in contact with and acting as a resource for the committees detailed below. Remembering that the Committee Chair is ALWAYS the individual in charge of the various committee, here are the Board of Director committee assignments as detailed in the By-Laws. In each case, the first BOD member listed is the primary liaison with the committee.

AUDIT COMMITTEE
1. President/CEO
2. President Elect
3. Past President

CAPS COMMITTEE
1. VP- CU
2. VP- K-12

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
1. Past President
2. Secretary

CONVENTION COMMITTEE
1. Treasurer/CFO
2. President/CEO
3. President Elect

CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
1. VP- K-12
2. President/CEO

FINANCE COMMITTEE
1. Treasurer/CFO
2. Secretary
3. President Elect

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE
1. Secretary
2. VP- CU

NOMINATING COMMITTEE
1. President Elect
2. Past President

PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
1. Treasurer/CFO
2. President/CEO

TETA-AO (Both Executive and Administrative Committees)
1. VP- CU

Should you have any questions about this, please contact the primary BOD officer referenced above.

Finally, it’s an election year. TETA’s governance prohibits any type of endorsements by anyone affiliated with TETA, so I’ll spare you any personal campaign recommendations from these pages. But, indeed, one of the most valuable freedoms we enjoy in this country is our right to vote and to make our voice heard. There seems to be agreement on all sides that 2012 is a crucial election year, so I hope all of you who will be at least eighteen years old on Election Day will exercise the privilege to cast your vote on Tuesday, November 6.

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