Leaked Email from the board:
This email is sent on behalf of myself (Kerrie Jarman apparently), Blake Thompson, Ethan Pride, and Nick Silvestri.
Each of us Board members are here because we looked around the community and saw there was nobody else willing to step up into the Director role. Each of us loves this organization enough to dedicate countless hours of our personal time to keep it running. We have a legal responsibility of running the organization under California Nonprofit Law. a position none of us takes lightly, and we do it for no compensation.
However, if the WCA members have lost confidence in our ability to lead this organization, we are willing and ready to resign.
One of the hardest aspects of this week has been the speed this has all developed, it has spiraled out of control faster than we could possibly respond. We have no PR team or assistants to help us work through the issues and draft communications. We have had no chance to discuss the community response internally. We are in 4 different time zones in 3 continents making it difficult to get together.
We need to make it abundantly clear that removing us as Directors will be monumentally disruptive and fractious for the WCA and will likely do long-term damage. Here is a glimpse of the immediate consequences we foresee if we resign as Directors:
There is significant confusion on what aspects of the WCA operations can legally continue without a Board of Directors.
Progress is halted (or at the very least significantly disrupted) on all projects and tasks that the Board is involved in:
The Worlds 2025 contract is not signed
Planned opening of bids for 2026 continental championships will not happen
The website redesign, currently in full swing, will hit significant roadblocks
Imminent contract renewals for our paid software contractors will not be completed
Planned Bylaws changes will not commence
The project to bring on a full-time Executive Director will end
We do not have a Data Privacy Officer and we are in negotiations with the WRT on how to resolve this
Our ongoing sponsorship campaign to involve a wider number of supporting companies into cubing will stop
Progress on the three ongoing legal cases involving the WCA will be hindered
Relationship with our major sponsor, Rubik’s deteriorates immediately
Contract negotiations with Rubik’s for sponsorship past 2025 stop
Trademark registrations in multiple countries will be disrupted
WQAC project to improve Delegate training and quality will be delayed
New Delegates cannot be appointed
Staff cannot be promoted
New ROs cannot be recognized, of which there are two in the queue
Our tax return will not be filed, making the WCA liable for fines
Most importantly, all institutional knowledge of these Board members is lost and there is no appetite to transfer that significant amount of knowledge to future Board members.
We are volunteers and we are doing our very best to lead this organization.
Signed,
Blake Thompson, Ethan Pride, Kerrie Jarman, and Nick Silvestri
forum.worldcubeassociation.org
