Sports ETA Approves New Board Members, Changes Bylaws

Members of the Sports Event and Tourism Association elected a new board at the first annual membership meeting held since the start of the pandemic. Members also adopted several new bylaw changes that will give more equal benefits to rights holder and industry partner members, and created a new individual membership category.

The annual meeting usually takes place during Sports ETA’s Annual Symposium, but when the 2020 in-person event was canceled, the previous board served an extra year until a virtual meeting could be created to conduct the association’s business. While an in-person Symposium is planned for October, the virtual membership meeting held June 22 was organized to elect a new board before the start of the association’s July 1 fiscal year.

Mike Price, executive director of the Greater Lansing (Michigan) Sports Authority will be chairman of the board, succeeding Harris County-Houston Sports Authority CEO Janis Burke, who had held the position since 2019. Don Dukemineer of Decatur Morgan County (Alabama) Tourism will serve as vice chair while Ray Palmer of Pensacola (Florida) Sports will be treasurer and Frank Lett of Visit Kingsport (Tennessee) will be secretary.

Members were presented with 10 proposed bylaw changes to the association and adopted eight of the measures. Among the new rules are that rights holders and industry partner board members will serve three-year terms, similar to those served by destination members. Rights holders and industry partners will now also be allowed to serve as officers that make up the organization’s executive committee.

Another measure that passed will create an individual membership category that will include high school and university students and those not employed by or who own an entity that otherwise would qualify for membership. Members of that new category will not receive voting rights in the association.

Two measures failed to get enough votes to pass. One called for striking a bylaw provision that allows members to nominate potential board members from the floor during an annual meeting. The other would have allowed for bylaw amendments to be proposed at any point in the year outside the general meeting and would have given the board the power to approve bylaw amendments, taking that right away from the general membership.

Members of the 2021 Sports ETA Board of Directors:

Officers: (one-year terms)

Mike Price, Greater Lansing Sports Authority, chair
Don Dukemineer, Decatur Morgan County Tourism, vice chair
Ray Palmer, Pensacola Sports, treasurer*
Frank Lett, Visit Kingsport, secretary*
Janis Burke, Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, immediate past chair

Rights Holder Members:

Christine Strong Simmons, USA Fencing (Term expiring 2022)
John David, USA BMX (Term expiring 2023)*

Industry Partner Members: 

Daniel Rush, MGM Resorts International (Term expiring 2022)
Jason Gewirtz, SportsTravel/Northstar Meetings Group (Term expiring 2023)*

Destination Members: 

(Term Expiring 2024)
Clay Partain, Sports Salt Lake*
J.D. Wood, Dallas Sports Commission*
Gray Williams, Play Greenville, NC*
Scott Powers, Experience Columbia SC Sports*

(Term Expiring 2023)
Ashleigh Bachert, Tulsa Sports Commission
Pete Harvey, Buffalo Niagara Sports Commission
Matthew Libber, Maryland SoccerPlex
Marissa Werner, Sports Milwaukee, Championed by Visit Milwaukee

(Term Expiring 2022)
Derek Bombeck, Lincoln CVB
Josh Dill, Visit Frisco
Gen Howard, Louisville Tourism
Brent Nelson, Greater Orlando Sports Commission

*Represents those elected to new terms