Executive Board Meeting Summary – October 20, 2026
Brotherhood of St. Andrew Executive Board Meeting
October 20, 2026 Summary
Our executive board met on October 20, 2026 to discuss and vote on pending agenda items.
A quorum was not present, and no voting action was possible. A formal approval vote on the minutes will take place at the next executive board meeting. However, an unofficial Zoom-generated summary pending that formal action is shared below:
Calendar Duplicate Event Cleanup
Tom Welch made Roy Benavides a co-host in the meeting and discussed cleaning up duplicate calendar events, particularly removing one set up by Jack Henstein that was causing confusion. They identified and deleted the problematic duplicate event from the National BSTA calendar. Tom Welch also mentioned having a call with IronMark scheduled for the next day.
Meeting Discussion and Report Planning
The group discussed various topics including computer issues, role models, and sports. They clarified confusion about meeting details, with Tom Welch confirming he would make Darron Kendrick's report since Darron was traveling and not available to attend. The conversation ended with Tom Welch preparing to present the report.
Financial Reports Access Discussion
The team discussed accessing and sharing financial reports, with Tom Welch, Roy Benavides, and Billy Harrison working to locate and share the correct link. They encountered some technical difficulties with accessing the reports and sharing them with Charles Craven and Darron Kendrick. Jeffrey Butcher briefly joined the call but had audio issues, and there was a mention of sending information to fieldoperation@brothersandrew.net.
Meeting Link Sharing Difficulties
The meeting focused on technical difficulties with sharing a meeting link and sending invitations to participants. Tom Welch and Roy Benavides worked to share the link with various attendees including Charles Craven and Tom Martin, though there were some confusion about who received the invitations. Tom Martin expressed frustration about receiving multiple conflicting meeting notifications and emphasized the need for better communication to ensure consistent attendance at future meetings.
Executive Board Meeting Link Access
The meeting focused on accessing the correct link for the Executive Board meeting scheduled for October 20th. Tom Welch and Roy Shears guided participants on how to find the meeting link through their Google Drive and the national BSTA website at brothersandrew.net. Tom Martin suggested adding the meeting link to the Brotherhood website calendar, though this was noted as not typically done for private board meetings. The group agreed to improve communication about meeting links in future agendas, with Billy suggesting including the link directly in agenda emails.
Board Minutes and Membership Updates
The meeting focused on reviewing and updating board minutes, with Tom Welch announcing that Ed Milbrida is no longer on the board and Jameson Wheeler is now Interim Province 5 President. The group discussed adding Ronald Parrish and Jameson Wheeler to the board roster and making corrections to membership data. Billy Harrison suggested sending an email with a meeting link to all executive board members, and Tom Welch confirmed he had already done so minutes before the meeting.
Cross-Edition Project and Board Updates
The meeting discussed a special cross-edition project funded for $1,500 that Kathy Copas is leading, with Tom Welch heading a task force to help gather documents and stories from chapters across all 50 states. The group addressed challenges with board meeting attendance and scheduling, with Billy Harrison confirming the next meeting will be moved from December 6th to January 9th. Tom Martin raised concerns about board member commitment, suggesting that acceptance of board positions should include clearer expectations about meeting attendance.
Board Quorum and Governance Changes
The group discussed challenges with achieving quorum for board meetings and agreed to implement a new bylaw requiring members to attend three meetings or risk being removed. Billy Harrison suggested sending an email to all board members with a ballot to approve the Governance Commission changes, with non-response being assumed as approval. The discussion also touched on scheduling challenges for meetings, with Roy Benavides acknowledging feedback about the current Tuesday 5 PM Eastern time slot being problematic for West Coast members, though no final decision was made on changing the day of the week.
Chicago Planning and Financial Updates
The meeting covered several key topics including upcoming site planning in Chicago, financial updates, and membership growth. Billy Harrison outlined plans for the Chicago event including potential speakers and a proposed theme of "Men in Prayer" or "Living the Brotherhood," with Tom Martin suggesting "Living the Brotherhood" as an alternative focus. Financial updates showed the organization performing well with $83,500 in senior member pledges against a $95,000 annual goal, though there were some discrepancies in data entry that needed investigation. The group also discussed hiring a new bookkeeper, with Tom Welch noting that the personnel committee would need to approve the final candidate. Membership numbers were reported at 2,127, representing growth after COVID impacts, and the organization received positive feedback from the House of Bishops regarding their work.