Bylaws-Mandated Committees

Awards Committee

Chair is immediate past President.  Selects Ham Brown, Jade of Chiefs, Excellence in Craft, award recipients. Each award has its own subcommittee, consisting of all living past recipients of that award. Awards may be added, re-named, or terminated by the Board. The Board has prescribed written procedures and deadlines for this committee’s work each year. Suggestions for these awards may be made to the committee by anyone.  The Jade of Chiefs subcommittee also has responsibility for selecting annual recipients of the John Madson Fellowship, which may be members or non-members of OWAA, as described in the bylaws.

Chair Christine Peterson, Ham Brown subcommittee chair Steve Griffin, Excellence in Craft subcommittee chair Jack Ballard, Jade of Chiefs subcommittee chair Katie McKalip.

Conference Committee

Chair is First Vice President, who is to be assisted by Second Vice President. Responsibility is to plan annual conference and other in-person and virtual conferences and similar presentations by OWAA.

Ken Keffer (chair), Amy Kapp, Ashley Stimpson, Colleen Miniuk, Matt Miller, Mark Taylor, Gary Moore, Carmen Alex, Rob Taylor, current President (ex officio), current Executive Director (ex officio)

Contests Committee

Administers all contests conducted by OWAA except those assigned to the Education Committee

Howard Fox, Lisa Ballard, Mark Taylor, Brian Geiger, current Membership Services Coordinator (ex officio), current President (ex officio), current Executive Director (ex officio)

Education Committee

Establishes criteria for and selects recipients of OWAA scholarships, establishes and judges youth contests, seeks increased involvement of student members.

Matthew Dickerson (chair), Candace Dantes, Holly Endersby, Amy Grisak, Ruth Hoyt, Ken Keffer, Ann Simpson,  Emily Stone, Rob Taylor, Mic Crenshaw, current President (ex officio), current Executive Director (ex officio)

Executive Committee

Comprised of all OWAA Officers (as noted above), with duties and authority described in the bylaws. Meetings may be called by President or any two Officers. Primary responsibility for reviewing ED performance and terms of service is assigned to this committee, with all of its actions and decisions being really recommendations to the Board, which may overrule or revise them.

Finance Committee

Chaired by Treasurer. At least four other members nominated by the President at the first Board meeting of the term, and they begin service as committee members only after Board approval. Duties are to supervise finances, oversee annual review of records or audit ordered by Board, develop and maintain sound financial practices, help the ED prepare and present annual budget, support strategies to insure long-term financial health of OWAA, support fundraising and development efforts for OWAA, recommend fiscal actions, administer the Operating Fund and all property of OWAA except that within control of the Endowment Trustees. Committee may consult with financial advisors, including any Investment Counsel appointed by Board. Committee must annually establish investment policy for Operating Fund’s assets not needed to meet current obligations. ED and legal counsel serve as additional non-voting members of this Committee.

Colleen Miniuk (chair), Terry Brady, Rich Patterson, Dennis Scharadin, Ashley Stimpson, current President (ex officio), current legal counsel (ex officio), current Executive Director (ex officio)

Development sub-committee: Ashley Stimpson (chair), Rich Patterson (vice-chair), Kevin Rhoades, Dan Small, Mike Zlotnicki 

Membership Committee

Works with ED and Board on efforts to recruit and retain members and to provide services for members such as a mentorship program. Chair handles any ethics complaints as described in paragraph 3.8 of bylaws, including maintenance and enforcement of Code of Ethics, and in accordance with prior policies and procedures and confidentiality established by the bylaws and the Board, with involvement of the ED and Legal Counsel.

Carmen Alex (chair), Colleen Miniuk, Steve Griffin, Matt Miller, Kelsey Roseth, Bill Brassard, Edgar Castillo, Sandra Foreman, current President (ex officio), current Executive Director (ex officio)

Nominating Committee
All Board members in the second year of their terms as Director are automatically members, and the President designates one of them to be committee chair. President nominates five additional members, none of whom may have served on nominating committee within the prior five years.  These nominees assume membership on the committee only after approval by the Board, which must be sought at the first Board meeting of the President’s term. Duties are to make nominations to the Board for Second Vice President annually, and for Secretary and Treasurer when those terms are expiring.  Also, the committee is to make nominations annually to the membership for election by them of new Directors to full three-year terms. At least two nominees are required to the Board for each Officer position and at least six nominees are required to the membership for new Director terms each year. Committee may accept suggested nominations from any source, but no one except the committee chair is to ask nominees about their willingness to serve until all suggested names have been (1) checked with the Executive Director (ED) and Legal Counsel to determine qualifications and whether there are known confidential matters that ought to be considered by the committee, and (2) the full committee has ranked all potential nominees. The chair is then to call potential nominees in the committee’s ranked order until a sufficient number of nominees is obtained, then report those nominees to the Board.

Membership in this committee does not disqualify someone from nomination for Officer or Director.

Procedures and deadlines for each step of this committee’s work are prescribed by the Board.

Amy Grisak (chair), Bill Brassard, Steve Griffin, three other members TBD, current President (ex officio), current legal counsel (ex officio), current Executive Director (ex officio)