TETA Board of Directors
Immediate Past President
past.president@tetetx.com
Information is a good thing, and I’m truly delighted that the membership of TETA is becoming more informed about the workings of the organization. I thought that in my last few Texas Theatre Notes columns, I’d spend time focusing on the structure of the organization, the thoughts behind that structure, and potential changes in the structure.
Presently TETA has two sections: K-12 and CU, which have similarly structured committees which conduct the meetings and business of the section, facilitate the concerns and projects of the section, and assist in developing programming for that section. The members of the K-12 Committee and the CU Committee are elected by that section to represent that section, and the Chair of each committee serves as one of the Vice Presidents on the Board of Directors.
As the number of retired members of our organization has grown, there has been discussion by the Board of Directors and members of both sections about the creation of a new section for those retired members. It’s relatively clear that a retired member of the K-12 section no longer needs to attend programming related to class activities and curriculum any more than a retired member of the CU section needs to attend programming related to assessment of the core curriculum. It’s clear to many of us that since the number of retired members is nearly as large as the K-12 section, there is a need for those members to have their own section which more appropriately reflects their needs and gives them a stronger voice in our organization.
To create a new retired section, there will need to be a change in the by-laws of our organization. Basically, we would need to add a description of the section, as well as a defined structure of the committee that will lead that section. The leadership of the retired section should be structured similarly to the K-12 and CU sections and elected by that section. It also follows that the chair of section should sit on the Board of Directors as a Vice President. In the next few months, you can expect to see information about the initial formation of the new section; we will soon be presenting you with a proposed by-laws change to that effect. If the membership approves the creation of this new section at our next Annual Business Meeting at TheatreFest 2015, that section would be able to meet and elect its leadership, who could then begin the exciting process of addressing the needs of those members.
As Immediate Past President, one of my primary responsibilities is to work with the membership and the Board of Directors in considering and creating potential revisions to the by-laws and the TETA Manual of Operations which appropriately reflect the changing needs and workings of our organization. We are truly a dynamic organization, and our documents must reflect our growth, diversity, and change. If you have ideas, concerns or questions about the structure of our organization or its documents, please e-mail me at past.president@tetatx.com. As always, I’d love to hear from you!