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The Board of Directors (BOD) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) met October 25–26, 2008, at the ASHA National Office. Following are highlights of the Board's discussions and actions taken during the meeting.
President's Opening Remarks
President Gottfred welcomed the newly elected Board members who will take office in 2009: Tommie L. Robinson, Jr., President-Elect, Nancy Alarcon, Chair, Speech-Language Pathology Advisory Council; Robert Augustine, Vice President for Finance; Allan Diefendorf, Vice President for Standards and Ethics in Audiology; Thomas Hallahan, Vice President for Governmental Affairs and Public Policy; Julie Noel, Vice President for Professional Practice in Speech-Language Pathology; Colleen O'Rourke, Vice President for Academic Affairs in Audiology; and George Purvis, Chair, Audiology Advisory Council. She thanked them for agreeing to serve the Association and said that the Board looked forward to their contributions as it makes decisions on behalf of ASHA members. She also welcomed the current members of the Board and thanked President-Elect Sue Hale for planning and conducting a successful BOD retreat and orientation.
Executive Director Update
Executive Director Arlene Pietranton provided the following highlights:
- As of October 24, there were 9,800 preregistrations for the ASHA Convention in Chicago. This is similar to the preregistrations for our largest conventions held in Boston.
- ASHA's new National Office building has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the Gold level. LEED certification is a program of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Certification at the Gold level recognizes environmental friendliness in key areas such as sustainability, water efficiency, energy usage, and materials and resources. ASHA is the first, and so far, only, nonprofit in Maryland that has merited Gold-level certification. Going green enables ASHA to serve members better because we can realize operational cost savings while being environmentally responsible and good stewards of our community. ASHA received a plaque commemorating the certification from the USGBC.
- ASHA was named by the Gazette of Politics and Business as one of the Top 10 businesses in Maryland at its "Exceptional 53 Awards" program. Businesses were recognized for, among other factors, their employment satisfaction, community service, and innovation.
ASHA Property Update
- Leasing update: The McCarty Wilson law firm, which leased approximately half of the fifth floor of the ASHA National Office, has occupied their leased space. Negotiations are underway with another association to lease the rest of the space. These leases provide additional non-dues revenue for the Association.
- 10801 Rockville Pike: Centex, the national home builder that was to buy the Rockville Pike property, withdrew from its contract with ASHA. By virtue of its withdrawal, Centex forfeited to ASHA a $4 million deposit as well as studies and engineering drawings of the Rockville Pike property that are valued at nearly $1 million. The site plan for the ASHA property has been approved by Montgomery County and can be used by another property developer to build on the property without having to go through the lengthy and costly approval process. There is active interest in the property from a number of qualified buyers and ASHA representatives are in the process of reviewing these offers.
ASHA Budget
- 2008 Budget Report: The Board reviewed the third quarter budget report. Trends indicate that ASHA will have a positive bottom line for 2008.
- Proposed 2009 Budget: The Board reviewed the proposed 2009 ASHA budget as submitted by the Financial Planning Board. The 2009 budget reflects an expected tight budget year due to the current U.S. economy. The 2009 budget was balanced through careful cost-reduction efforts and revenue-enhancement programs, and without impacting current member services or benefits. Following an in-depth review and discussion of the proposed budget, the Board approved the 2009 ASHA budget.
- Investment Update: The Financial Planning Board (FPB) met with ASHA's investment advisor to begin review of ASHA's investments and its investment managers. To maximize results on ASHA's investments, the investment advisor has recommended that ASHA change some of its investment managers and that assets be transferred to these new investment managers.
2009 Public Policy Agenda
The ASHA Government Relations and Public Policy Board (GRPPB) presented its annual public policy agenda that prioritizes the advocacy activities of the Association. Issue objectives were identified by ASHA members, committees, and staff. Over 1,000 comments were received and reviewed for the 2009 agenda. The issue objectives are intended to address the major public policy concerns of audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists. Each issue objective for the year is assigned to one of four priority levels based on (a) its importance to the Association's members and/or those they serve, (b) level of resources required to make progress, and (c) its immediacy and likelihood that meaningful action will occur. Issues that reach the highest priority require immediate federal or state legislative or regulatory attention and require major resources on the Association's part.
For 2009, the GRPPB recommended that the following be given the highest priority:
- Promote state/federal financial aid policies and research funding opportunities while collaborating with state agencies/CSD programs to support recruitment and retention of (a) master's and doctoral students and (b) clinicians in educational and health care settings.
- Promote the autonomy of audiologists through direct patient access and comprehensive coverage of audiology services for Medicare beneficiaries.
- Support increased funding of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 and the following outcomes: (a) establishment of effective service delivery and manageable workloads to maximize student outcomes, (b) participation in early intervening activities using the Response-to-Intervention model (Part B) and increased access to appropriate early intervention services (Part C), (c) increased professional development through dissemination of information about research-based practices in speech-language pathology and audiology.
The Board accepted the 2009 Public Policy Agenda. Following final approval by the GRPPB, a copy of the full agenda may be accessed on the ASHA Web site.
Update on State Outreach and U.S. Territories
- State Speech-Language-Hearing Association (SSLHA) Outreach Program: The Board received an update on the initiative to facilitate improved communication and collaboration between ASHA and state speech-language-hearing associations (SSLHAs). Staff from the National Office State Advocacy team serve as liaisons to the states. They serve as the primary point of contact for state leaders on legislative/regulatory and SSLHA management issues, and they provide on-site support, resources, and guidance for the state association. To date, they have met with leaders of 43 states and the District of Columbia. A variety of legislative, regulatory, and state association administrative and management issues have been discussed. ASHA and other pertinent resources have been disseminated, on-site support and guidance have been provided, and consultation with other staff has been established, as needed. The Board reviewed a progress report on the 14 elements of the outreach program. Information about the outreach program can be found on the ASHA Web site.
- U.S. Territories: The Vice President for Governmental and Social Policy established a Coordinating Committee on U.S. Territories to discuss and make recommendation about issues of concern related to ASHA and the U.S. Territories. Issues discussed included personnel shortages and recruitment and retention, professional isolation, representation in ASHA governance, timeliness of professional development, difficulty in accessing ASHA benefits, and general lack of awareness in ASHA about territory issues. The Committee will be recommending further actions to deal with the identified issues.
Convention Marketing
The Board discussed ways to plan and market the ASHA Convention to ensure that it meets the needs of Convention registrants. The Board recommended that staff continue to identify effective ways to plan and market the Convention to various segments of the ASHA membership.
Communication Sciences and Disorders Clinical Trials Research Group (CSDRG)
The Executive Policy Board of the CSDRG submitted a report of progress on its work enabling clinical trials and its progress toward establishing itself as a separately incorporated entity effective January 1, 2009. The report indicated that CSDRG is moving forward on incorporating as a 501(c)(3) organization within the timeline to which it previously committed. The Board accepted the CSDRG report.
Coalition With the Department of Professional Employees of the AFL-CIO
The Department of Professional Employees of the AFL-CIO established a Joint Planning Committee (JPC) to investigate how professional associations and unions could work together. ASHA participated as a member of the JPC. The JPC developed a statement on "Strengthening Professionalism in the Public Interest: Defining Common Ground on Professional Integrity." The JPC asked that organizations participating in the JPC endorse the statement. The Board reviewed the statement and voted not to endorse it, since it was agreed that existing documents within our professional arena more effectively address this topic. The Board also voted that ASHA would not participate in the Joint Working Group, since other initiatives and coalitions ASHA participates in are better focused on the needs of our members and professions.
ASHA Committee and Board Structure
When ASHA's governance structure and process was changed in 2007, ASHA's committee and board structure was not addressed. In order to do so, the BOD established a Subcommittee on ASHA Committee and Board Structure charged to prepare a proposal for the review of the Association's current committee and board structure and associated processes and the relationship of BOD members to ASHA's committees and boards. The Subcommittee submitted an interim report recommending that an Ad Hoc Committee on Committee and Board Structure Review be established and charged to conduct a review and evaluation of ASHA's current committee and board structure and processes and develop recommendations for enhancing them. The Subcommittee invited input and feedback from the BOD prior to submitting a resolution to the Board.
ASHA Articles of Incorporation
The Board discussed a motion to revise the ASHA Articles of Incorporation by eliminating the Section on Indemnification. Based on a recent insurance risk audit, it was determined that the indemnification section in the ASHA Bylaws was duplicative of the section in the Articles. Both ASHA's insurance broker and legal counsel indicated that including an indemnification section in the ASHA Bylaws was sufficient and that a duplicative section did not need to be included in the Articles. The Board approved a motion to eliminate the indemnification section from the ASHA Articles of Incorporation.
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
The Board was asked to review the need to have the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology included in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to expedite access for speech-language pathologists and audiologists in seeking jobs in North America. When the original NAFTA agreement was developed, the decision was made that audiology and speech-language pathology would not be included. The key issue is the variation in the level of educational preparation across the NAFTA countries (Canada, the United States, and Mexico). The Board asked staff to obtain additional information related to reconsidering the need to include speech-language pathology and audiology in NAFTA.
CAPCSD-ASHA Board Meeting at Convention
Representatives of the Boards of the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPSCD) and ASHA meet each year at the CAPSCD annual meeting in the spring and at the ASHA Convention to discuss issues of mutual interest. The Board discussed agenda items for ASHA representatives to suggest to CAPSCD for inclusion at the upcoming meeting.
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