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

[Andrew Glasbrenner]

I think you'll be quite surprised by the transparency of the meeting we just 
had, although it was not an official BOD meeting and no votes were taken. 
The notes are being typed up for publication as we speak.

73, Drew

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Timothy J. Salo" <salo at saloits.com>
To: <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 4:47 PM
Subject: [amsat-bb] Re: AMSAT UK P3E Lecture HEO vs GEO. 
andAMSAT-NAPriorities


> 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
>
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