Updates from RCA Board of Directors

RCA’s Board of Directors, Committees and Working Groups continue to work for our membership on various aspects of our organization to improve rowing across Canada.  Thank you to all the volunteers who ensure that RCA progresses on many fronts each year. Here are some recent updates:

Governance Communications
Effective January 2024, the RCA Board of Directors will provide a ‘President’s Report’ after each scheduled Board meeting. This will inform members of the organization in a more timely and regular fashion of the Board’s work and remove the need to wait a full year for an update of our Annual and Semi Annual meetings. These updates will include quarterly financial updates as previously committed by the Board.

2023 Board Elections
During the 2023 Annual Meeting, two new Directors were elected to the organization’s Board, Michael Bryden and Charles Minett.

In accordance with Sections 10 and 11 of the RCA By-laws, there was also a reconsideration of the Provincial Director position, held by Derek Ventnor, whose term came to an end on September 21, 2023. Pursuant to the RCA By-laws, the position of Provincial Director is solicited and endorsed through a nomination put forward by the Provincial Advisory Council (PAC), provided that the candidate meets the eligibility requirements. Derek Ventnor was re-elected by PAC to serve another term of eligibility, until 2026. This process, that was developed and passed by the membership in 2013 (in accordance with By-law 11.4), has been used for the following Provincial Directors:
 
Matteo Cendamo – elected 1 term (2013 – 2015)
Carol Purcer – elected 1 term (2015 – 2017)
Carol Hermanson – elected 3 terms (2017-2022)
Derek Ventnor – elected 1 term (2023-2026) (appointed in Dec 2022 due to a vacancy in accordance with By-law 9.8) 
 
Derek Ventnor will also serve as treasurer for the RCA Board of Directors.

The RCA Board appointed Dana Thorne as an additional Director this fall, in accordance with By-law 9.5, Appointed Director.  Understanding that two Directors at Large (Mike Bryden and Charles Minett) and one Provincial Director (Derek Ventnor) were elected at the 2023 Annual Meeting, the criteria was met.

Past Appointed Directors for a 1-year Term:
Roger Jackson (2017)
Marisha Roman (2019)

The RCA Nominating Committee did their due diligence and represented diversity in the nominees presented.  The membership election results were as follows:
Mike Bryden – 182 votes
Carles Minett – 133 votes
Dana Thorne – 125 votes

As we endeavour to reflect the values of the organization as referenced in the RCA Strategic Plan, at the Board table, we continue to adjust our processes to ensure there is progress each election cycle.  Intentional decisions are, at times, necessary as we evolve.

National Training Centre Update
The development of the National Training Centre (NTC) continues to evolve since 2018, when the RCA Board accepted the recommendation of the NTC Selection Committee that Quamichan Lake become the home of the new NTC.

This past year has seen the installation of the docks and continuous improvements for athlete development on the site which aligns with the vision established by the NTC Selection Committee and embraced by the Board and various stakeholders within RCA High Performance.  Over the past several months, $1.4 million has been invested into improvements to the site and we will continue to move towards long-term sustainability.

The NTC is being built through fundraising and the current NTC Project Committee has been soliciting grants and donations that will fully support the growth and development of a sustainable NTC. 

RCA National Conference and Semi-Annual Meeting
The RCA Annual Report will be released leading up to our 2024 Conference with information about our organization’s activity.  We look forward to seeing everyone in Quebec City, January 26 -28, 2024!
At this time we wish the entire rowing community a very safe and happy holiday season.
 
Carol Purcer – president@rowingcanada.org
Lindsay Bergen – athletedirector@rowingcanada.org
Mike Bryden – mbryden@rowingcanada.org
Fred Enns – fredenns@rowingcanada.org
Paul Fritz-Nemeth – pfn@rowingcanada.org
Charles Minett – charles@rowingcanada.org
Dana Thorne – dthorne@rowingcanada.org
Derek Ventnor – provincialdirector@rowingcanada.org