[amsat-bb] Re: AMSAT UK P3E Lecture HEO vs GEO. and AMSAT-NAPriorities

[Timothy J. Salo]

Ken Ernandes wrote:
> ... BTW even if somebody has "insider" information on something, 
> it's highly inappropriate to disclose that in advance of an
> official announcement.  ...

This is, in my opinion, an area in which AMSAT has serious
problems.

As I recall, the chair of the AMSAT Board meeting
traditionally admonishes participants and observers that
they should not talk about what transpires at the meeting
until the  official minutes are available.  (Does this still
happen? I haven't observed an AMSAT Board meeting for a few
years.) These minutes are then typically not published (in
a fairly restricted venue, namely in the [paper] AMSAT
Journal, not online) until _over a year later_!   In my view,
this reflects a board that wants to operate without the
knowledge, much less advise and feedback, of the membership.
Never mind that this is  very poor governance -- it is a
recipe for mischief on the part of the Board.

Yes, even not-for-profit organizations like AMSAT need to
restrict the flow of certain types of information.  And,
this is what the closed portion of the Board meetings are
for.  But, I believe that the current approach of restricting
the flow of information to which the members ought to have
[nearly immediate] access is inappropriate and facilitates
abuse.

I had been meaning sent e-mail to the list asking the
current Board candidates whether this issue concerns them.
Thanks for reminding me...

-tjs