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ASHA's Board of Directors met at the National Office on October 24 and 25. Following are highlights of the Board's discussions.
President's Opening Remarks
President Sue Hale convened the meeting at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 24. She welcomed the four newly elected Board members, Jaynee A. Handelsman, Vice President for Audiology Practice; Karen I. Kirk, Vice President for Science and Research; Paul R. Rao, President-Elect; and M. Jeanne Wilcox, Vice President for Academic Affairs in Speech- Language Pathology. They will begin their 3-year terms on January 1, 2010. New Board members are invited to participate fully in the discussions of the Board during the October meeting but do not vote.
Executive Director Update
Besides the written summary provided to all Board members, Executive Director Arlene Pietranton updated the Board about a number of items:
- Pre-registration for both audiologists and speech-language pathologists for the ASHA Convention in New Orleans is running ahead of last year. Though we still have a month to go before we will have final attendance numbers, this is very good news given the continued state of the economy.
- Online dues renewals are also running ahead of last year. Renewing online is still the fastest way for members to receive their membership cards.
In-Touch Message from a Member (Related to Professional Development)
President Sue Hale reminded the Board that when an In-Touch member form comes in, it is reviewed and determined if follow up is needed from an individual Board member, Board committee, the full Board, or a member of the staff. A recent form raised two issues that the Board decided to discuss at today's meeting: the discontinuation of the Learn and Earn pilot program and opportunities for members to earn CEUs related to their research initiatives.
ASHA staff members, Ayana Nickerson, Director of Certification, and Ellen Fagan, Director of Continuing Education, reviewed ASHA's Certification Maintenance and Continuing Education programs related to these issues. The Learn and Earn program was developed as a pilot to determine if members would be interested in accessing five particular options for independent study. One of the options in Learn and Earn was to earn ASHA CEUs for learning related to engagement in and publication of research. After the 5-year trial, it was ultimately determined that it was not a good use of members' dues to continue to underwrite that specific program at the expense of other offerings for which there is greater member interest and participation, so the program was discontinued. However, the CE team and the Continuing Education Board did gain insights into ways ASHA could enhance the current independent study program by sharing the templates with ASHA's independent study providers and potentially posting sample independent study plans to the ASHA CE Web site. The Board agreed with this approach and encouraged the CE Team and the CEB to continue to look for ways to enhance the Association's independent study options, especially for researchers.
Lean Process Overview
Peggy Savage, Membership Relations Manager and a Lean facilitator, updated the Board on efforts taking place in the National Office to use Lean to reduce costs and improve various processes. Lean was developed by Toyota in the '50s and is based on a customer-centric definition of value that focuses on eliminating waste. It strives to use the minimum amount of materials, manpower and money to produce what the customer requires at the time he or she needs it.
ASHA first applied the Lean process to the dues invoice process. This process covers everything from the initial communication to members to the receipt of the membership card. As a result of applying Lean to the dues invoice process the average time for receiving a membership card after payment was reduced from 7 days to 3.5 days. Sixteen ASHA staff have been trained as Lean facilitators and are applying Lean to various projects at the National Office in order to eliminate waste, speed up process time, and provide better services to members.
Proposed 2010 Public Policy Agenda
Tom Hallahan, Vice President for Government Relations and Public Policy, Ninevah Murray, Chair of the Government Relations and Public Policy Board (GRPPB), and Jim Potter, Director of Government Relations and Public Policy, presented a draft of the 2010 Public Policy Agenda.
More than 1,300 member comments were received which were used by the GRPPB to formulate the proposed 2010 Public Policy Agenda. The Board engaged in a diligent discussion about the high priority and priority items. The GRPPB will finalize the proposed 2010 Public Policy Agenda and submit it to the Board for review and approval, following which it will be posted to the ASHA Web site.
Professional SLP Continuum Report
At the August meeting, the Board of Directors asked ASHA staff to develop model state legislation and regulations that clearly establish a clinical service continuum for the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology specifying the training, clinical roles, responsibilities, and required supervision for individuals at the bachelor's and associate's educational levels.
An internal staff team including members from State Advocacy, SLP Health Care Services, SLP Schools Services, and Multicultural Affairs, reviewed current ASHA policies, as well as state laws and regulations, and provided a report focusing on the preliminary steps to establish a clinical service continuum. The report recommended establishing an ad hoc committee to develop a plan to provide guidance regarding the appropriate use of individuals with bachelor's degrees and non-certified individuals with master's degrees in ways that best protect and serve patients with communication disorders. The Board agreed that this is a good and necessary direction for the Association and that an ad hoc committee should be formed.
2009 Budget Report/2010 Proposed Budget
Bob Augustine, Vice President for Finance, and ASHA's Chief Staff Officer for Operations Chuck Cochran presented a status report of ASHA's current operating budget as of September 30, 2009. Dues revenue is up when compared to 2008, resulting from an increase in the number of members. Non-dues revenue, due to the current economic downturn, is running slightly behind 2008. Operating expenses are above 2008, but below the budgeted targets for 2009. The Board decided at the June meeting to use ASHA's reserves to offset the short-term downturn resulting from the current economy in order to maintain member services.
The Financial Planning Board (FPB) met in September 2009 and reviewed the proposed 2010 budget in detail. The proposed 2010 budget, which returns the Association to a balanced budget in 2010, was presented to the Board with the FPB recommendation that it be approved. For 2010, with the increase in the number of members and the $25 increase in dues, dues revenue is budgeted to be ahead of 2009. We are also anticipating that a recovering economy will result in additional non-dues revenue as well, though we do not expect categories such as investment income to be it to be back to 2007 levels in 2010. After careful consideration and discussion, the Board approved the budget for 2010 as presented.
Property Update
Chief Staff Officer for Operations Chuck Cochran updated the Board regarding the current status of the sale of the 10801 property and the leasing out of the remaining 5th floor space in the National Office building. At the June meeting, the Board authorized moving forward with a proposal with StreetScape. The sales agreement has been signed and ASHA has received an initial deposit of $1.5 million. The sale is expected to close by July 2010. ASHA will receive additional payments as StreetScape develops the property over the next 3 to 5 years.
Chuck also reported that we are in final negotiations with a company to rent about half of the remaining space (7,000 square feet) on the 5th floor of the National Office building. He also reported that interest in the other half of the space has picked up, reflecting an improving local economy.
Leadership Development Program
In August, Maureen Thompson, Director of Association Governance Operations, presented the results of a review of ASHA's current Leadership Development Program (LDP). As a result of this review, and ongoing planning to improve and strengthen ASHA's leadership development efforts, the Board discussed a variety of potential ways to further enhance the program. At the October meeting those discussions continued, led by President Elect Tommie L. Robinson, Vicki Deal-Williams, Chief Staff Officer for Multicultural Affairs, and Maureen Thompson. The BOD provided guidance to staff regarding the desired outcomes and components of ASHA leadership development offerings. A report with detailed recommendations will be submitted for the January 2010 Board meeting.
Detailed Overview of a Strategic Objective
Stan Dublinske, Senior Advisor for Planning, demonstrated for the Board how ASHA's strategic plan, the Strategic Pathway to Excellence, captures the strategic initiatives of the organization and connects to both team and individual objectives of staff at the National Office. He used one of ASHA's strategic objectives, Increase Active Involvement of Members, to show how initiatives that involve clusters, cross-functional teams, and staff's individual objectives contribute to improving the Association's performance against this objective. He also showed how strategic plans developed by ASHA's Special Interest Divisions, committees, and boards are aligned with ASHA's Strategic Pathway to Excellence.
ASHA/NSSLHA Joint Committee Meetings
The ASHA/NSSLHA Joint Committee reported on the progress of their discussions regarding ways that ASHA and NSSLHA might collaborate to better meet the needs of all students, as well as the needs of both organizations. The Board expressed its appreciation and continued support for the collaborative efforts.
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