December 10, 2025 Board Meeting

Randonneurs USA Board of Director Minutes

December 10, 2025

 

  1. Call to order: The meeting on December 10, 2025 was called to order at 8:05 p.m. Eastern time, over Zoom. The following members were present.
    1. Dawn Piech
    2. John Lee Ellis
    3. Bill Bryant
    4. Charlie Martin
    5. Chris Argo
    6. Gardner Duvall
    7. Dave Thompson

      Also present were 2026 Board members Emily O’Brien and Noah Swartz as invited guests.
       
  2. The minutes of the November 2025 Board meeting were approved.
     
  3. The Treasurer submitted a written report through November. Dave confirmed that he had reviewed back-up information.
     
  4. Gardner reported that the Financial Audit Committee received the November Treasurer’s Report before the Board meeting, and made no comment about it.
     
  5. Chris made the RBA-L report. Chris is trying to re-establish contact with two RBAs who have not responded to his outreach. Dave is also going to try to contact the RBAs.
     
  6. A written Web Team report was submitted. Work toward reporting climbing results beginning January 1, 2026 is progressing toward completion by that deadline. A server upgrade has unblocked progress on reporting climbing for permanent results. The server upgrade encompassed three versions of operating system software, which has resulted in the need to correct unanticipated disruptions. System functionality has been maintained and the server upgrade has followed the optimistic timeline. The workflow for registering for the 2026 permanent program has seamlessly deleted the prior payment step.
     
  7. Charlie led a discussion about whether climbing results should be reported in feet or meters. Considerations include user familiarity with feet of climbing, and the functionality of establishing tiers of climbing awards in either meters or feet. Website users will be able to toggle between feet and meters to use the unit that works best for them. The unit for climbing awards can be determined when those tiers are established.
     
  8. Dawn reported statistics for uptake of the November edition were: 3725 sent, 80% open rate, 8% click rate, Total unsubscribed: 1, Total Click Through: 350. Dawn outlined an interview schedule for 2026 to highlight regions, members, and events. She stated that RUSA’s YouTube engagement is stable and that IG has seen some growth. RUSA’s social media charter has been archived for reference in Randonneurs USA headquarters shared drive.
     
  9. Gardner provided a survey requested by the Awards Review Committee concerning awards for grand randonnees. It was decided to edit the survey and send it to all members via Between Controls in January 2026. The ARC also wants to send a related survey to grand randonnee organizers.
     
  10. The Board discussed the process and timeline for selecting the American Randonneur Award recipient. It was agreed to extend the deadline for accepting nominations.
     
  11. The 2026 RUSA budget has a line for incentivizing the recruitment of new members. Ways to do that were discussed, as was the formation of a committee to work on that subject. That included a possible award for recruiting new members.
     
  12. Dawn and Bill presented a written Marketing committee report. The committee had a productive call in late November, and submitted a charter for Board review. RUSA socks, wool jerseys, and gear bags are available for sale and available via our store now. The new socks will be showcased in the January Between Controls and shared via all communication channels.. A booth for the 2026 Philly Bike Expo has been reserved. Dawn and Bill are working on 2026 goals.
     
  13. A process was developed for review and reporting on 2025 goals, and then for stating 2026 goals.
     
  14. Dave reported that 16% of members voted in the 2025 Board election. With two years using the same process, some members are still not understanding the e-voting process. Dawn will lead a review and documentation of the e-voting process, and seek ways to increase member understanding and voter turnout.
     
  15. There was a discussion about potential officers for 2026. These will be elected at the January Board meeting.
     
  16. The next meeting is scheduled for January 14, 2026.
     
  17. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 10:05 p.m. Eastern time, without objection.