scheherazadesghost Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 (edited) 1 hour ago, Icer said: The professional CEO does not direct the board in any organization that I know. The board exists to support the management and provide oversight. This is a model that exists with both for-profit (non-public) and non-profit. The more dominant the CEO, the less the board does. This is reality. There is another model, which is a board-managed organization, and a lot of small non-profits use this approach. So this idea that the CEO says jump and the board says how high is a misnomer. The CEO says what they want, presents a budget and an operational plan, and the board asks questions. At the end of the day, the board either supports the CEO or replaces them. Because the CEO of Yea! was also the corps director, the fan base, which was exclusively focused on the creative product, looked at him as the coach of a sports team. Team isn’t winning, replace the coach. But the organization was much larger, with 3 operating units, and the situation is not so simple. The power dynamics between boards and their lead executive/s are fudged with all the time in non profits though, in my experience. I think plenty a corps director/lead executive in drum corps orgs has abused power because of that. JF is another one that comes to mind. Technically the executive/s report to the board, yes, but sometimes there is an intentional power share, or there's a co-leadership exchange of power... I worked in situations where the executive is encouraged to lead the board in some areas, or, at least strongly encourage action, or even take the lead in strategic planning. Especially in the unfortunate case where board members don't have expertise in nonprofit strategic planning. Womp. But that's all kosher so long as anti corruption, anti nepotism, whistleblowing, succession planning, disciplinary action, and conflict of interest policies are all robust AND followed to a T. I simply don't catch whiffs of all those necessities happening consistently across the drum corps activity. Either on paper or in practice... or both. 🫣 So, where yes, technically these are non profits, many are still very mom-n-pop when it comes to governance and either the board strangles the admin or vice versa in incredibly detrimental ways. And sometimes instead of strangling, there's just... nothing... just slack... weak oversight at best. In all of scenarios, you're gonna have a bad time. Executives and board members that like to abuse power thrive in those scenarios... it's why they're drawn to youth non profits. They can be ripe for the picking, if you will.... Edited April 4 by scheherazadesghost typo 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slingerland Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 (edited) 1 hour ago, Icer said: The professional CEO does not direct the board in any organization that I know. The board exists to support the management and provide oversight. So this idea that the CEO says jump and the board says how high is a misnomer. It wasn't at YEA. The Board was dysfunctional (non-functional, more accurately), and despite plenty of warning signs that there were issues with their CEO, they made no effort to exercise their responsibilities as Board members. At a time when every other corps in the early teens was implementing member-safety protocols, YEA ignored that movement, and the amount of financial chicanery going on in their back offices was legendary in the activity. If there's an upside, it's that almost every other corps has seen how bad it can be when one megalomaniac is allowed to become the face of the organization, and have modified their approaches to being more proactively responsible about business operations and more transparent with their stakeholders. Edited April 4 by Slingerland 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FormerXyloWhiz Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 12 hours ago, Jeff Ream said: So the corps wasn’t in the hole in August? I remember seeing in many places about transportation issues and employees being let go long before the inactive announcement was made. "In the hole" does not necessarily mean "time to fold." Looking at the timeline of the filings in the case on the CaseSearch site, and being an alumni myself with an ear to the ground, I think MusicManNJ is accurate. It fits the pattern of events. Discovery occurred over the summer for one thing, so that is an hourly legal bill the corps would have owed and been looking at after August. Often Settlement talks occur right after discovery (early fall in this case). The corps was clearly still moving forward, announcing 2024 staff, etc. in the fall until the suspension announcement. The timeline of everything fits what he posted. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 8 hours ago, Marched4years said: I know - I worked there. The Glass Door reviews are legit. not sure how the law works regarding ‘not a corps function’. example: everyone from the office goes out to the bar after work for dinner and drinks. The ceo assaults you in the parking lot. Is it ‘not a work’ function? I don’t know the line and I guess that’s for the courts to decide. well thing there as i understand it is the CEO is guilty, not the company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 1 hour ago, Icer said: The professional CEO does not direct the board in any organization that I know. The board exists to support the management and provide oversight. This is a model that exists with both for-profit (non-public) and non-profit. The more dominant the CEO, the less the board does. This is reality. There is another model, which is a board-managed organization, and a lot of small non-profits use this approach. So this idea that the CEO says jump and the board says how high is a misnomer. The CEO says what they want, presents a budget and an operational plan, and the board asks questions. At the end of the day, the board either supports the CEO or replaces them. Because the CEO of Yea! was also the corps director, the fan base, which was exclusively focused on the creative product, looked at him as the coach of a sports team. Team isn’t winning, replace the coach. But the organization was much larger, with 3 operating units, and the situation is not so simple. i suggest you read the Glass Door reviews. they lay it out well, as well as the myriad other places it's been documented by those who were there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 24 minutes ago, 2000Cadet said: Well, this is what happens when you put your hands on people you're not supposed to. Though I'm extremely sad about this outcome, I'm more ANGRY at the adults who committed these crimes and put the corps in this position. The HATE I have in my heart toward those people is beyond any measurable order of magnitude. No amount of innovation, influence on the activity or World Championships excuses putting your hands or other body parts on CHILDREN or adults who do not consent. Let this be a lesson for STUPID adults who consider committing these types of crimes. I hope you're punished to the fullest extent of the law. This will probably be my last post on this site as I really see no more motivation to be here. I'm grateful for the way Cadets have changed my life, as well as the lifelong friends I've made from marching there. But the anger I have in my heart right now is taking over the excitement of participating in any type of drum corps discussion or watching drum corps again. i hope you change your mind. i was very angry and bitter when my corps went down...and man if any of that stuff ever made it to court, ohhh boy. but i realized in time i loved drum corps beyond just my little Westshoremen bubble. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 19 minutes ago, Slingerland said: It wasn't at YEA. The Board was dysfunctional (non-functional, more accurately), and despite plenty of warning signs that there were issues with their CEO, they made no effort to exercise their responsibilities as Board members. At a time when every other corps in the early teens was implementing member-safety protocols, YEA ignored that movement, and the amount of financial chicanery going on in their back offices was legendary in the activity. If there's an upside, it's that almost every other corps has seen how bad it can be when one megalomaniac is allowed to become the face of the organization, and have modified their approaches to being more proactively responsible about business operations and more transparent with their stakeholders. in fact, before the 18 scandal broke, the women came to the board who appointed an investigator who was not neutral in any way. and when that was whitewashed, boom the Philly Inquirer story came to be 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FormerXyloWhiz Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 52 minutes ago, jwillis35 said: There were rumors that he had attended EST seminars (Erhard Seminars Training). I can't verify that and it's probably not true; but his actions and narcissism made you think it could have been true. "Various critics accused est of mind control or of forming an authoritarian army; some labeled it a cult." - Taken from the WIKI page on Est. At any rate the job he had could have been a fantastic job but he ruined it, abused his power, and made the gig more about him than the corps, the kids, etc. As somebody who had done a couple seminars, i'll tell you that "Hop Talks" were almost straight out of LifeSpring. I'm certain he did one of those programs (there are many - EST, Landmark, etc - all stem from the same tree). 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marched4years Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 32 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said: well thing there as i understand it is the CEO is guilty, not the company. GH made himself the company and the Cadets. He blurred those lines. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marched4years Posted April 4 Share Posted April 4 27 minutes ago, FormerXyloWhiz said: As somebody who had done a couple seminars, i'll tell you that "Hop Talks" were almost straight out of LifeSpring. I'm certain he did one of those programs (there are many - EST, Landmark, etc - all stem from the same tree). He was involved with landmark. Attended events, talked about them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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