Question:
The following message has been posted on the USCF website at www.uschess.org.
NEEDED: USCF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The US Chess Federation seeks an experienced Executive Director who will
direct operations, administer programs, oversee finances, and devise growth
strategies. Credentials should include strong experience in hiring,
training, and supervising staff; fundraising, budgeting, marketing, and
program development. Who know about Executive Director ?
Answer:
- I admit that things have not gone well with the last several
CEOs, but what are we going to do about it? This is an association with
tens of thousands of people in it, and it either (a) needs an association
CEO, which is to say, someone who does the things in the above want ad, or
(b) has to do some experimentation with novel organizational structures in
order to figure out how to be the first association of this size to function
without one. And I'm not voting for (b) at this stage.
I know that the temptation is to say "we're sick of EDs, let's have the
board run everything for a while." I hope to hell we can resist that
temptation. These people who are writing in and saying that the USCF can be
run by a handful of clerks and a part-time board are totally misguided. The
same goes for the idea that we don't need a CFO because Camaratta is on the
board.
The problem we have is that we need a CEO who (a) has a good track record as
an association executive (there are a lot of such people, this isn't the
hard part), AND (b) is willing to move to New Windsor, NY [NO, we are not
going to get someone who lives in NY and is willing to commute there daily,
or at least I would be utterly shocked to hear it], AND (c) is willing to
take a chance on the USCF even after he finds out what happened to our last
4 CEOs and something about our volatile politics and miserable financial
situation, AND (d) ideally knows something about competitive chess. We are
not going to be swamped with resumes, I betcha. If any CEO with a good
resume wants to work for the USCF you have to wonder whether he has a
skeleton in his closet or something. This is why I really wished that
despite everything something could have been patched up with DeFeis. It
might be a long time before we get the right person. But stuff needs to be
done right away.
In fact we might find ourselves having to hire a temporary CEO, using some
kind of executive search firm or executive temporary service, to help us
hold things together until we can get a permanent CEO.
The more I think about all this the more worried I get. I wonder if there
are any delegates, state association execs, etc., who would be willing to
spend a month or two in New Windsor on an emergency basis to fill in, so
that we don't have to literally take the first resume that looks barely
promising?
-I understand that Attila the Hun, is a candidate for cloning. They just
found some of his genetic material in a cave in China. That's about what is
needed now. You know, board members try to screw with the plan, make them
eat a finger (their own digit, mind you hold the mayo). Barbarians inside
the gate, not at it.
Seriously, without a financial stake (other than keeping a job) in the
company, I doubt you will find the kind of turnaround expert you need.
Typically, when things get this bad, the hail mary plan usually goes out and
finds an entrepeneur, willing to take the BK "candidate" on for a share in
the profits after the turnaround. I know two managers, who made their
fortunes this way and are now retired.
