Board Records

2025

June 15 Annual General Meeting

Minutes of the Annual Board of Directors Meeting

June 15, 2025, 18:30 ET, 17:30 CT

Geoff Zoeller, Chair

Zach McCauley, EVP

Cindy Van Wyhe, Secretary

Chris Hollaway, Treasurer

Wayne Bruns

John Neitz

Michael Paquette

Mike Romero

Geoff Strayer

Matthew Parker, Chief Legal Officer (Non-voting)

1. Call to Order – Chairperson

The meeting was called to order at 18:35 ET, 17:35 CT

2 .Roll Call – Secretary

Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Michael Paquette, Mike Romero, Geoff Strayer and Geoff Zoeller present, as well as Matthew Parker.

Election of Board members – Chairperson

3. Rank Choice Voting - Link will be sent ‘Live’ at the Meeting

Kerry Kuhn, David Misener, and Colin Lloyd were elected to the Board of Directors by rank choice voting.

4. Final Comments and Thank Yous – Chairperson

Geoff Zoeller thanked the outgoing Board members.

5. Adjourn – Chairperson

Moved by John Neitz, seconded by Chris Hollaway to adjourn the meeting. Meeting was adjourned at 18:45 ET, 17:45 CT.

Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting

June 15, 2025

Members:

Geoff Zoeller, Chair,

Zach McCauley, EVP,

Colin Lloyd, Secretary

Kerry Kuhn, Treasurer

John Neitz

Michael Paquette

Mike Romero

Geoff Strayer

David Misener

Matthew Parker, Chief Legal Officer (Non-voting)

1. Call to Order – Chairperson,

Geoff Zoeller called the meeting to order at 7:01 PM EDT.

2. Roll Call – Chairperson

Geoff Zoeller called the roll, all members present, quorum established. Also present Chris Holloway (Chancellor of the Exchequer), Matthew Parker (Chief Legal Officer)

3. Financial Report – Chancellor of the Exchequer

Chris Holloway reviewed the Accounts that had been sent to all members prior to the meeting. He noted a change of accounting principles that store sponsorships would be considered cost of goods, since they represent advanced purchase rather than store goods for profit. He also noted the ROI for the funds investment was 18.2%. It was mentioned that we should consider price points in the TRMN store to account for inflation. There were no questions or comments
Acceptance of the report moved by Michael Paquette, seconded by Zach McCauley; Passed by general acclamation without dissent or abstention.

4. Committee Reports

1. Steering Committee – Reports emailed
2. Executive Committee – No report received, minutes will be accepted either at next meeting or in actions without meeting.
3. Licensing and Legal Committee – Report emailed
4. Disciplinary Committee – Report emailed
5. Bylaws and Governance Committee – Report emailed
6. Nominating Committee – Report emailed

There were no questions. There was intent declared for taking the process recently used for the board elections from the Nominating Committee to the bylaws committee.
Acceptance of the reports as filed moved by Kerry Kuhn, seconded by Zach McCauley; Passed by general acclamation without dissent or abstention.

5. Old Business

None

6. New Business

a) Election of Board Officers and/or non-voting Directors – Chairperson

1. Executive Vice President.
   Zach McCauley was nominated by David Misener, seconded by Mike Romero. He accepted the nomination, and was unanimously elected by roll call vote.
2. Secretary
   John Neitz was nominated by Geoff Strayer, but with the presence of other candidates he respectfully declined the nomination.
   Colin Lloyd was nominated by Zach McCauley, seconded by Kerry Kuhn. He accepted the nomination, and was unanimously elected by roll call vote.
3. Treasurer.
   • Non-Voting Treasurer: Chris Holloway was nominated by David Misener, seconded by Geoff Strayer, but refused the nomination. No other nominations for non-voting treasurer were received.
   • Voting Treasurer: Kerry Kuhn was nominated by Zach McCauley, seconded by John Neitz, she accepted the nomination and without other nominations was unanimously elected by roll call vote.
4. Chief Legal Officer: Matthew Parker was nominated David Misener, seconded by Kerry Kuhn, Matthew Parker accepted the nomination, and was unanimously elected by roll call vote.

b) Appointment of Committee Chairs – Chairperson

1. Steering Committee - The Chair nominated Geoff Strayer to continue as chair of the Steering Committee
2. Disciplinary Committee - The Chair nominated David Misener to take the chair of the DC
3. Bylaws and Governance Committee - Geoff Zoeller chose to remain as chair for one further year.
   Moved by Mike Romero, seconded by Michael Paquette, there were no questions, and the appointments were approved by unanimous roll call vote.

c) Additional Committee Appointments - Chairperson

The Chair suggested that there be crossover between the Steering Committee and Executive Committee by the chair of each of those serving as a member for the alternate committee.

1. Executive Committee - add Geoff Strayer to the Executive Committee
2. Steering Committee - add Zach McCauley to the Steering Committee
3. Disciplinary Committee - the following names were put forward for appointment.
   • Nathan Camarda
   • Tom Guertin
   • Brad Lee
   • Brian “Ug” Lee
   • Ross Prosser
   • Kathy Rau
4. Bylaws and Governance Committee -
   • Andrew Reist (HoC)
   • David Westover (HoL)
   • John Neitz
   • Michael Paquette

No problems or concerns were expressed.
The nominating committee was not addressed, and will be appointed later this year following review of the policies and process by the governance committee. Acceptance of c - 1 to 4 appointments was moved by David Misener, seconded by Zach McCauley and the committees were appointed by unanimous roll call vote.

d) Acknowledgment of the following actions that were taken between meetings:

1. Approval of March 2, 2025 Board of Directors Meeting Minutes on March 22, 2025.
2. Approval of May 4, 2025 Special Meeting Minutes on May 23, 2025.
3. Approval of May 18, 2025 Special Meeting Minutes on May 28, 2025.

Motion to file the Acknowledgment and approval of the actions moved by Zach McCauley, seconded by Kerry Kuhn, and approved by general acclamation, with no dissension or abstentions.

e) Approval of 6th Space Lord - EVP

Zach McCauley reported on the search for the next 6th Space Lord. There were three candidates, and Bruce Crews was unanimously selected by the Executive Committee. Motion to accept the recommendation by Mike Romero, seconded by David Misener, unanimously approved by roll call vote.

f) Approval of BuPlan’s 2027 MantiCon Proposal

Proposal Document

There was general affirmation of the proposal by multiple members of the board. The motion to accept the proposal was moved by Kerry Kuhn, seconded by Mike Romero, unanimously approved by roll call vote.

The initial idea of starting a non-profit to run Manticon was presented to the board. This would not be a continuation of the previous for-profit company. This first will be run past the Legal and Licensing Committee.

7) Schedule Next Meeting –

September 7th at 3:30pm central / 4:30pm Eastern / 9:30pm GST.

8) Adjourn – Chairperson

The chairperson sought a motion to adjourn, moved by Zach McCauley, seconded by David Misener, and approved by general acclamation, and the meeting was closed at approx 2025-06-15 at 7:30pm.

Video Record (YouTube)

2025-05 Financial records

May 18 Special Meeting of Board of Directors

Minutes of the Special Meeting of Board of Directors

May 18, 2025, 19:30 ET, 18:30 CT

Geoff Zoeller, Chair

Zach McCauley, EVP

Cindy Van Wyhe, Secretary

Chris Hollaway, Treasurer

Wayne Bruns

John Neitz

Michael Paquette

Mike Romero

Geoff Strayer

Matthew Parker, Non-voting Director – Chief Legal Officer

1. Call to Order – Chairperson

The meeting was called to order at 19:31 ET, 18:31 CT by the Chair, Geoff Zoeller

2. Roll Call – Secretary

Geoff Zoeller, Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Michal Paquette, Mike Romero and Matthew Parker were present. Geoff Strayer was absent

3. Special Meeting Action Item

a. A Code of Conduct disciplinary recommendation forwarded to the Board by the Disciplinary Committee, pursuant to PD-BOD-3400 - 8.d

Moved by Zach McCauley to go into Executive Session, seconded by Mike Romero. Approved by acclamation.

4. Executive Session (The Board will meet in closed session)

There was discussion about the topic under consideration to allow for a decision.

5. Public Action on the Special Meeting Action Items may be taken.

It was moved by Zach McCauley and seconded Mike Romero by to exit Executive session.

It was moved by Cindy Van Wyhe and seconded by Zach McCauley to allow the President and the Chief Legal Officer to handle the matter referred to the Board by the Disciplinary Committee with private counseling.

Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Michal Paquette, Mike Romero voted aye. Geoff Zoeller did not vote. Motion carries.

6. Adjourn – Chairperson

Moved by Wayne Bruns, seconded by Michael Paquette to end the meeting.

Meeting ended at 18:10 ET, 19:10 CT

May 4 Scheduled Meeting of Board of Directors

Minutes of the Scheduled Meeting of the Board of Directors

May 4, 2025, 18:30 ET, 17:30 CT

Geoff Zoeller, Chair

Zach McCauley, EVP

Cindy Van Wyhe, Secretary

Chris Hollaway, Treasurer

Wayne Bruns

John Neitz

Michael Paquette

Mike Romero

Geoff Strayer

Matthew Parker, Non-voting Director – Chief Legal Officer

1. Call to Order – Chairperson

Meeting was called to order at 18:30 ET, 17:30 CT by Geoff Zoeller.

2. Roll Call – Secretary

Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Mike Romero, Geoff Strayer, Geoff Zoeller were present. Michael Paquette was absent.

3. Special Meeting Action Items:

a. Approval of new 5th Space Lord - Nathan Camarda

Moved by Zach McCauley, seconded by Mike Romero to approve the new Fifth Space Lord. Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Mike Romero, Geoff Strayer voted aye. Geoff Zoeller did not vote.

b. Approval of Licensing Agreement with Worlds of Weber and BuNine

Moved by Geoff Strayer, seconded by Mike Romero to approve the licensing agreement. Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Mike Romero, Geoff Strayer voted aye. Geoff Zoeller did not vote.

c. Bylaw amendment - Article III.3.b

Moved by John Neitz ,seconded by Zach McCauley to approve the amendment. Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Mike Romero, Geoff Strayer, Geoff Zoeller voted aye.

d. Policy edits:

i. Update to PD-BOD-3100 Executive Committee – #7

ii. Update to PD-BOD-4100 Youth Policy – #20.a

iii. Update to PD-BOD-4000 Membership Policy – Endnote

Moved by Mike Romero, seconded by Zach McCauley to adopt all three policy edits. Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Mike Romero, Geoff Strayer voted aye. Geoff Zoeller did not vote.

4. Adjourn – Chairperson

Geoff Strayer moved to adjourn the meeting, approved by acclamation.

March 2nd Scheduled Meeting of Board of Directors

Minutes of the Scheduled Meeting of the Board of Directors

March 2, 2025, 18:30 ET, 17:30 CT

Geoff Zoeller, Chair

Zach McCauley, EVP

Cindy Van Wyhe, Secretary

Chris Hollaway, Treasurer

Wayne Bruns

John Neitz

Michael Paquette

Mike Romero

Geoff Strayer

Matthew Parker, Non-voting Director – Chief Legal Officer

1. Call to Order – Chairperson

The chair called the meeting to order at 18:31 ET, 17:31 CT

2. Roll Call – Secretary

Geoff Zoeller, Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Michael Paquette, Geoff Strayer and Matthew Parker were present. Mike Romero was not present.

3. Financial Report – Treasurer

Chirs Hollaway went over the financial reports that had been sent out prior to the meeting. The Fidelity Fund that the Board chose to invest in has netted us almost $230 in the last year, or a 23% rate of return. Chris Hollaway suggests putting another $1000 of our free capital into the fund. Geoff Zoeller asked that information be shared to allow the Board to consider adding more funds. Moved by Geoff Strayer, seconded by Zach McCauley to accept the report. Approved by acclamation.

4. Committee Reports

a. Steering Committee – Emailed to the Board of Directors, draft minutes.

Chris Hollaway asked if the changes to the OQE and GACM would be announced. Geoff Strayer indicated that there would be an announcement. Geoff Strayer said the advice and consent vote on the Civilian Deputy has closed.

b. Executive Committee – Emailed to the Board of Directors, draft minutes.

Zach McCauley said there would be action coming to replace the Fifth Space Lord as the current person wishes to retire from the position in May.

c. Licensing and Legal Committee – Emailed to the Board of Directors

d. Disciplinary Committee – Emailed to the Board of Directors

e. Bylaws and Governance Committee – Emailed to the Board of Directors

Moved by Michale Paquette, seconded by Chris Hollaway to accept 4 c, d, and e. Approved by acclamation. As shown above, 4 a and b are drafts. They will be acted upon once their committees approve them.

5. Old Business

6. New Business

a. Acknowledgment of the following actions that were taken between meetings:

i. Approval of December 1, 2024 Board of Director Minutes on December 8, 2024.

ii. Approval of the new 2nd Space Lord on December 29, 2024.

iii. Approval of the new Marshal of the Corps on February 21, 2025.

Moved by Zach McCauley, seconded by Geoff Strayer to acknowledge these actions. Passed by acclamation.

b. Rescind Policy PD-BOD-3000 (10 Mar 2024 - Ongoing Meetings), as this was superseded by Policy PD-BOD-3001 (01 Dec 2024 - Action Without Meeting).

This was an oversight. The old policy should have been rescinded at the time the new PD was passed. Moved by Zach McCauley, seconded by Geoff Strayer to rescind PD-BOD-3000. Policies are simple majority.

Cindy Van Wyhe asked about the process for keeping a record of the rescinded PD. Wiki will have a Rescinded section for any rescinded documents.

Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Michael Paquette and Geoff Strayer voted aye. Geoff Zoeller chose not to vote. Motion carries

c. Amendment to PD-BOD-3001 - 2.iv.

Small change to allow the vote to close once all members have voted, rather than leaving it open for a full week.

Moved by Chris Hollaway, seconded by John Neitz to approve the change.

Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Michael Paquette and Geoff Strayer voted aye. Geoff Zoeller chose not to vote. Motion carries

d. Discussion on the 2025 process for nominating three board positions - Geoff Zoeller

The Bylaws state that the President nominates Board members. Geoff Zoeller was uncomfortable with that. He would like to have a nominating committee. Since the Bylaws have not been updated to show that, he will nominate whoever the committee recommends.

e. Appointment of Chair and Members of 2025 Nominating Committee:

i. John Neitz, Chair

ii. Michael Paquette, Vice Chair

iii. Geoff Strayer, Secretary

Moved by Zach McCauley, seconded by Geoff Strayer to approve the appointments.

Chris Hollaway asked if the process would be similar, where there would be an announcement to the membership and do interviews. Cindy Van Wyhe asked if there would be shared information about the candidates, such as the questionnaire used last year. Geoff Zoeller stated that the committee would be doing an announcement to the whole membership and that information on candidates would be shared with the board.

Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Michael Paquette and Geoff Strayer voted aye. Geoff Zoeller abstained. Motion carried.

f. Ranked Choice Voting Simulation - Geoff Zoeller

i. Matt Parker & Dave Westover will be observing the back end as the Board members do the simulation to ensure that the engine is operating correctly.

ii. The Board members used a voting form to do a sample vote. The people being voted on are Honorverse characters. A few questions on the process were answered.

iii. The back end of the form was then shared so the Board could see how the vote is processed.

iv. Chris Hollaway asked about how this meets the Bylaw requirements of having a majority per Article three, paragraph three b. It appears that this wasn’t changed when c was changed to talk about rank choice voting. The Board will work to correct this section of the Bylaws prior to the June meeting.

v. Matthew Parker is comfortable with this process after the Bylaw issue is cleaned up.

vi. Some were uncomfortable with people who were ranked the worst by the majority being elected. Geoff Zoeller reminded everyone that the Board had amended the bylaws to go with a Ranked Choice Voting scheme and that the results are based on who earned the highest ranked voted

7. Schedule Annual and Next Regular Meeting – June 15 at 18:30 ET, 17:30 CT

8. Executive Session – Appeal from Disciplinary Action (Closed to the Public)

a. Executive session started at 19:13 ET, 18:13 CT

b. Discussed the appeal and reasons for the appeal.

c. Move by Geoff Strayer, seconded by Zach McCauley to end Executive session at 19: 18 ET, 18:18 ET

d. Passed by acclamation.

9. Action may be taken based upon Executive Session discussions.

Moved by Michael Paquette, seconded by Zach McCauley to deny the appeal and uphold the removal of Phillip Textor from TRMN.

Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Michael Paquette, Geoff Strayer and Geoff Zoeller voted aye. Motion carries

The Chief Legal Officer will reach out regarding the denial of the appeal.

10. Adjourn – Chairperson

Moved by John Neitz, seconded by Michael Paquette to adjourn the meeting.

Passed by acclamation.

Meeting was adjourned at 18:22

2024 Financial Report

2024 Q4 Financial Report

Video Recording of the meeting

2024

December 1st Scheduled Meeting of Board of Directors

Minutes of the Scheduled Meeting of the Board of Directors

December 1, 2024, 19:30 ET, 18:30 CT

Geoff Zoeller, Chair

Zach McCauley, EVP

Cindy Van Wyhe, Secretary

Chris Hollaway, Treasurer

Wayne Bruns

John Neitz

Michael Paquette

Mike Romero

Geoff Strayer

Matthew Parker, advisory role – Chief Legal Officer

1. Call to Order – Chairperson

a. The chair called the meeting to order at 19:32 ET, 18:32 CT

2. Roll Call – Secretary

a. The secretary called the roll. All the members were present.

3. Financial Report – Treasurer

a. The treasurer went over the financial reports supplied to the board prior to the meeting. Michael Paquette moved to accept the reports. Zach McCauley seconded the motion. Approved by acclamation.

4. Committee Reports

a. Steering Committee – Report emailed by chair to the Board.

b. Executive Committee – Report emailed by chair to the Board.

c. Licensing and Legal Committee – No report received.

d. Disciplinary Committee – Report sent with agenda.

e. Bylaws and Governance Committee – Report sent with agenda.

i. Chris Hollaway asked if the leadership changes on the Steering Committee were planned changes. Geoff Strayer said that all were planned changes.

ii. Chris Hollaway commented on his belief that the Steering Committee September minutes are incomplete due to the lack of names on award nominees. Discussion about not wanting to publish that people were nominated and didn’t receive those awards. Geoff Strayer pointed out that the names are on the agenda, for the committee to know who is being voted upon. Michael Paquette commented that he doesn’t feel the Board needs to know who is nominated, since the Board is not involved in determining awards.

iii. Chris Hollaway commented that it would be nice if citations were included on the award posts by the Steering Committee. Geoff Strayer said that citations have come and gone over time, but he plans to suggest that for the next round of awards.

iv. Moved by Geoff Strayer to accept the reports, seconded by Mike Romero.

v. Approved by acclamation.

5. Old Business

a. Composition of committee and subcommittee membership, quorum of the Board in a committee or subcommittee research – Matthew Parker

i. Matthew Parker said that some of the concerns brought to him are being assuaged by the changes being made. Matthew also said there couldn’t accidentally be a Board meeting as it must be called in a specific manner. A committee meeting doesn’t meet the specific requirements of calling a Board meeting.

b. Audit proposal – Chris Hollaway

i. Chris Hollaway asked that this item be closed. Neither the old Board nor the current Board is pushing for an audit. Geoff Zoeller suggested discussing it in the Licensing and Legal Committee moving forward.

c. Vote on minutes of the September meeting

i. Zach McCauley moved, and Mike Romero seconded that the September minutes be considered.

ii. Chris Hollaway commented that he did not see any of the changes that he had mentioned regarding content and completeness.

iii. Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Michael Paquette, and Mike Romero voted aye. Chris Hollaway voted nay. Geoff Strayer and Geoff Zoeller abstained.

6. New Business

a. Acknowledgment of the following actions that were taken between meetings:

i. Revision to Membership Policy 6.b "Financial Documentations” of September 22, 2024

ii. Waiver for use of charity at WindyCon of November 3, 2024

1. Moved by Mike Romero, seconded by Zach McCauley to acknowledge the things that were done as an Action Without Meeting.

2. Approved by acclamation.

b. Recommendation for the Executive Committee to discuss usage of TRMN funds – Zach McCauley

i. Discussion about how the organization might use the funds we have to support the organization. One thought was to provide convention boxes for each Fleet. Another idea was the Sphinx Forestry Commission ribbons.

ii. Looking for information from the Bureaus and Branches as to what they are paying for, that should be TRMN expenses.

iii. John Neitz suggested that BuPlan would be a perfect place to have the convention boxes planned and proposed. Chris agreed to send the information he has to the Executive Vice President.

c. Ratify the Steering Committee vote on new Branch Heads – Geoff Strayer

i. The Steering Committee selected Samuel Dietzmann to head the IAN, Mike Romero to head the RMN and Garret Bitker to head the Civilians starting in January.

ii. Moved by Chris Hollaway and seconded by Zach McCauley to ratify these selections.

iii. Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Michael Paquette, Mike Romero, Geoff Strayer and Geoff Zoeller voted aye.

d. Proposed new Fourth Space Lord – Zach McCauley

i. After a search for a new Fourth Space Lord, there were three applicants. The person chosen at the end of the process was David Westover.

ii. Moved by Geoff Strayer, seconded by Michael Paquette to ratify the selection.

iii. Zach McCauley, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Michael Paquette, Mike Romero and Geoff Strayer voted aye. Cindy Van Wyhe and Geoff Zoeller abstained.

iv. Geoff Zoeller commented that there is currently a search for a Second Space Lord. That recommendation may be considered as an Action Without Meeting to fill the opening prior to March.

e. Change to Membership Policy for Background Checks

i. Geoff Zoeller commented about the need for background checks for people with higher levels of access in Medusa. Zach McCauley worked with the senior staff at the Bureau of Personnel. After discussion, the decision was if a person has access to more than one chapter or if a person has access to more than 25 members’ information they should have a background check.

ii. Moved by Geoff Strayer, seconded by Michael Paquette to accept the proposed change.

iii. Chris Hollaway pointed out the 30-day period to allow people time to get the background checks done. Chris questioned if the 30 day implementation period was sufficient to complete background checks before people lost access and was told that the turnaround time was quick. Chris also asked about the international background checks, and that people do not have access without having passed a check. Chris also asked about the availability/ability for international background checks as that was the actual failure in BuPers with an individual (Mr. Coulombe) being given full access in MEDUSA without completing one. He believes that is when Geoff Zoeller mentioned that it was the reason a vendor was not specified in the policy but that BuPers was going to be more circumspect about granting MEDUSA access without one.

iv. This does not change the checks required by the Youth policy.

v. Approved by acclamation.

f. Governing Document Policy

i. Moved by Geoff Strayer, seconded by Michael Paquette to accept the policy.

ii. John Neitz commented that the Articles of Incorporation have not been seen and are not on the wiki. He’d like to be able to see them.

iii. Cindy Van Wyhe commented that she plans to vote against this policy due to the change to PD numbering to sequential numbering instead of grouping documents by topic, per the current AO. She suggested letting some group do sequential if they want, but don’t require everyone change to sequential numbering. She asked what the benefit of sequential numbering is, what is the gain? There was no answer to that question.

iv. Geoff Zoeller said the sequential numbering would be moving forward, not renumbering existing documents.

v. John Neitz suggested amending the document to say, “all future documents will use this numbering method”. Geoff Zoeller said language could be added to make it effective as of a certain date.

vi. Matthew Parker asked who would be keeping track of what the next available sequential number would be. Geoff Zoeller said the issuing authority would have to catch duplications before they are issued.

vii. Zach McCauley, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Michael Paquette, Mike Romero, and Geoff Strayer voted aye. Cindy Van Wyhe and Chris Hollaway voted nay. Geoff Zoeller abstained.

g. Amendments to Various Policies

i. Geoff Zoeller asked if anyone wanted to segregate anything for a separate vote.

ii. Mike Romero moved; John Neitz seconded to accept the amendments.

iii. Zach McCauley asked about the currently occurring searches for Space Lords. Does he need to use the new process? Geoff Zoeller said searches in process continue with the current process. New searches will follow the new process.

iv. Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Michael Paquette, Mike Romero and Geoff Strayer voted aye. Geoff Zoeller abstained.

h. Amendments to Bylaws

i. Geoff Zoeller asked if anyone wanted to segregate any of the amendments.

ii. John Neitz moved; Zach McCauley seconded to approve the amendments.

iii. Mike Romero asked if the Bylaws would be accessible to the membership. Geoff Zoeller said they are published on the wiki.

iv. Chris Hollaway asked what the effective date would be. Geoff Zoeller said it was effective upon adoption, unless we make provision otherwise.

v. Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Michael Paquette, Mike Romero, Geoff Strayer and Geoff Zoeller voted aye.

i. Bylaws and Governance Committee Policy

i. Zach McCauley moved; John Neitz seconded to accept the policy.

ii. Approved by acclamation.

j. Action Without Meeting Policy

i. John Neitz moved; Geoff Strayer seconded to accept the policy.

ii. Chris Hollaway is leery of the ongoing meeting methodology, in part due to items he feels are stalled in the Steering Committee.

iii. Geoff Zoeller pointed out that this document does not require that committees operate in a specific manner but allows them to use other methods as needed.

iv. Chris Hollaway asked how they had been meeting this way prior to this policy. Geoff Zoeller pointed out that those items were in the specific committee policies and the amendments the Board just passed removed them from the committee Policy Documents to put them all in one Policy Document.

v. Chris Hollaway commented that a standing committee not having minutes doesn’t follow Robert’s Rules. Geoff Zoeller said the Board follows Robert’s Rules unless it adopts rules of its own, such as this Policy.

vi. Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Michael Paquette, Mike Romero and Geoff Strayer voted aye. Chris Hollaway voted nay. Geoff Zoeller abstained.

7. Schedule Next Meeting – March

a. March 2 at 18:30 pm ET, 17:30 CT

8. Executive Session - Recommendations from Disciplinary Committee & Personnel Matters (Closed to the Public)

a. Moved by Zach McCauley to go into Executive session, seconded by Chris Hollaway to go into Executive Session.

b. Approved by acclamation.

c. Executive session started at 20:54 ET, 19:54 CT

d. The items from the Disciplinary Committee and Personnel Matters were discussed to enable votes on the items.

e. Michael Paquette moved, and Geoff Strayer seconded to go back to public session. Approved by acclamation.

f. Executive session ended at 21:31 ET, 20:31 CT

9. Public Votes on Executive Session topics

a. Phil Textor conviction

i. Moved by Chris Hollaway, seconded by Zach McCauley to exclude Phil Textor from the organization.

ii. Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, John Neitz, Michael Paquette, Mike Romero, Geoff Strayer and Geoff Zoeller voted aye.

iii. Geoff Zoeller asked Matthew Parker to communicate that to the individual and to the Bureau of Personnel

b. Bill Lochen option #6

i. Moved by Wayne Bruns, seconded by Michael Paquette to adopt option #6 from the Disciplinary Committee report.

ii. Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, Michael Paquette, Mike Romero, Geoff Strayer and Geoff Zoeller voted aye. Zach McCauley and John Neitz abstained.

iii. Geoff Zoeller and Matthew Parker will deal with option #6.

10. Adjourn – Chairperson

a. Moved by Micheal Paquette to adjourn the meeting.

b. Approved by acclamation.

c. The meeting was adjourned at 21:35 ET, 20:35 CT

Updated documents are on the wiki here: Board_of_Directors

The recording of the meeting is available here

September 15 Scheduled Meeting of Board of Directors

Minutes of the Scheduled Meeting of the Board of Directors

September 15, 2024, 17:30 ET, 16:30 CT

Geoff Zoeller, Chair

Zach McCauley, EVP

Cindy Van Wyhe, Secretary

Chris Hollaway, Treasurer

Wayne Bruns

John Neitz

Michael Paquette

Mike Romero

Geoff Strayer

Matthew Parker, advisory role – Chief Legal Officer

1. Call to Order – Chairperson

a. The meeting was called to order at 17:35 ET, 16:35 PT by the chair

2. Roll Call – Secretary

a. Wayne Bruns joined at 17:39 ET, 16:39 CT and John Neitz joined at 18:28 ET, 17:28 CT. Matthew Parker was not in attendance. All other board members were at the meeting.

3. Financial Report – Treasurer

a. The treasurer went over the financial reports and some background on the reports.

b. Moved by Chris Hollaway and seconded by Zach McCauley to publish the financial report with the minutes.

c. There was discussion about a proposed change later in the meeting as well as a conflicting policy that will need to be changed to allow publication of this information.

d. Approved by acclamation.

4. Committee Reports

a. Steering Committee – Report sent via email to the Board

i. Moved by Mike Romero, seconded by Michael Paquette to accept the report.

ii. Approved by acclamation.

b. Executive Committee – Report sent via email to the Board

i. Moved by Chris Hollaway, seconded by Geoff Strayer to accept the report.

ii. Approved by acclamation.

c. Licensing and Legal Committee – No report received

i. The committee chair explained that the meeting was two days prior so there wasn’t a report yet, but expect a report for the December meeting.

d. Disciplinary Committee – Report sent via email to the Board

i. Moved by Michael Paquette, seconded by Zach McCauley to accept the report.

ii. Approved by acclamation.

e. Bylaws and Governance Committee – Report sent via email to the Board

i. Moved by Mike Romero, seconded by Geoff Strayer to accept the report.

ii. Approved by acclamation.

5. Old Business

a. Composition of committee and subcommittee membership, quorum of the Board in a committee or subcommittee research – Matthew Parker

i. Tabled as Matthew Parker was not at the meeting

b. Audit proposal – Chris Hollaway

i. Discussion about the idea of having an audit, options for how to perform an audit and who on the Board has audit experience. Geoff Zoeller recommended referring this to the Licensing and Legal Committee for discussion and a recommendation on action.

6. New Business

a. Acknowledgment of the following actions that were taken between meetings:

i. Approval of the Annual Meeting Minutes of June 14, 2024

ii. Approval of the Regular Meeting Minutes of June 14, 2024

iii. Approval of the Special Meeting Minutes of June 27, 2024

iv. Approval of the Steering Committee Recommendation to grant the Republic of Haven Navy full voting status as a branch of TRMN.

1. Moved by Zach McCauley, seconded by Geoff Strayer to ratify the items that have unanimous approval in action without meeting since the last regular meeting.

2. Passed by acclamation.

b. Recommended Bylaws Amendments - Geoff Zoeller

i. No one asked to vote on any of the amendments separately.

ii. It was moved by Mike Romero, seconded by Michael Paquette to accept the eleven amendments.

iii. Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, Michael Paquette, Mike Romero, Geoff Strayer and Geoff Zoeller voted aye. Motion carries.

iv. The language affecting service on committees will not take effect until the new Board year.

c. Motion on Initial Term Status for Directors - Geoff Zoeller

i. Moved by Zach McCauley, seconded by Mike Romero to accept the motion.

ii. Cindy Van Wyhe asked the people whose terms are extended by this motion if they agree to serving more than the one year term that they agreed to.

iii. Zach McCauley, Cindy Van Wyhe, Chris Hollaway, Wayne Bruns, Michael Paquette, Mike Romero, Geoff Strayer and Geoff Zoeller voted aye. Motion carries.

d. Board of Directors’ Officer Policy - Geoff Zoeller

i. Moved by Geoff Strayer, seconded by Mike Romero to accept the policy.

ii. Chris Hollaway raised a concern about Administrative Assistant limitations. After discussion, nothing was changed.

iii. Cindy Van Wyhe again recommended that Secretary 3d should say “draft” copy of the minutes, so that no one later requires an approved copy of the minutes be sent out within two weeks of the meeting. This was accepted as a friendly amendment.

iv. Cindy Van Wyhe asked about, under Treasurer 4c it says the Board will look at the annual budget at the second regular meeting, which is the September meeting. That will take effect with the new Board, as a budget was approved at the June meeting for this year. This may be discussed at the next Licensing and Legal Committee meeting, in conjunction with the audit discussion.

v. Cindy Van Wyhe asked again why the job descriptions are being done as a policy document for all of the positions instead of using the job description documents the rest of the organization uses for each of these positions. This will be discussed in the Director discussion between meetings.

vi. Cindy Van Wyhe brought up, on the record, that if the various committee secretaries are to be sending out draft minutes within two weeks of their meetings, the policy documents for those committees will need to be updated with that requirement as well. The committee chairs were asked to communicate the requirement to their secretaries until we get those changes made.

vii. Passed by acclamation

e. Motion on Steering Committee’s Recommendation for revised TRMN charities

i. Moved by Zach McCauley, seconded by Geoff Strayer to approve the motion.

ii. Cindy Van Wyhe pointed out that the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge was approved by the Board with an effective date of January 1, 2024. The change would be to add the other three charities.

iii. Chris Hollaway had previously asked that changes take effect at the beginning of the calendar year to align with the Grand Alliance Campaign Medal timing, so additional charities would be effective January 1, 2025.

iv. The wiki listing the charities now has links for the charities, so that members can click through.

v. Cindy Van Wyhe suggested that the mentioned wiki shows that they are not in effect until 2025. Geoff Zoeller asked that the post be edited to indicate that.

vi. Chris Hollaway abstained. The remaining Board members voted aye. Motion carries.

f. Social Media Policy – Geoff Strayer

i. Moved by Mike Romero, seconded by Michael Paquette to accept the policy published by the Steering Committee.

ii. Passed by acclamation

iii. Cindy Van Wyhe asked about how we will handle this policy. Previous policies affecting real life have been published as Board Policy Documents, such as the Membership and Youth Policy Documents. Will this also be a Board Policy Document? There was some discussion about real life versus role play. Geoff Zoeller wasn’t comfortable deciding during the meeting, so this will be a Director discussion between meetings. Geoff Zoeller asked the Steering Committee chair to make sure in the future, anything the Steering Committee does that involves real life be sent to the Board as a recommendation, rather than trying to adopt it as a Steering Committee policy.

7. Schedule Next Meeting – December

a. After discussion, the next meeting will be held on December 1, 2024 at 19:30 ET, 18:30 CT

8. Adjourn – Chairperson

a. Moved by Mike Romero to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 18:50 ET, 17:50 CT.

2023

Under Construction