Wow! How fast a year has gone by since being elected president at the end of April last year! My first column was titled “It’s A New Day At The NRA,” and included the following:
“The strength of any organization lies in its members, and NRA members are among the very best citizens of our country and the backbone of our great Association. For far too long, however, NRA leadership hasn’t done as good a job as it should have in listening to our members’ voices. Louder voices perpetuating the status quo have managed to drown you out, leaving your ideas unheard and unheeded.
“That has changed. As we move this great Association forward, trust that you have our ear. Your comments, ideas and even complaints will not be ignored.
“Fact is, I’m not one to sit around and fret when there’s work to be done. Instead, I tend to jump into any task with both feet, and this new role is no different.”
Under new leadership, your e-mails have been invaluable in listening to your concerns, frustrations and suggestions, and they are being taken into consideration in everything we do.
At the start of a presidency, you have a bold and aggressive agenda, yet once deeply involved, you realize you may need to reprioritize some of your plans to address more pressing challenges. As a change agent, I’m used to adapting on the fly to meet new challenges. Your Vice Presidents are also change agents, and we make a super team. There has been no rest for the officers or the board over the past year. I’ve had 60- to 80-hour work weeks focusing on restoring the organization to its original mission—and the other officers are not far behind in hours committed.
My columns over the year have largely focused on the past and what leadership is doing to lay a foundation for the future. Some of my column topics—new leadership, fundamental change; making the NRA more effective; listening; vision for the future, 2.0 transformations and transforming the NRA battleship—give you a sense of the challenges.
Here’s a recap of the last 12 months of major board transformations:
• The board is now fulfilling its obligations in formulating policies and governing the organization.
• We have great committee assignments and committee chairs that meet often.
• The board held a summer retreat for committee chairs to brainstorm and work more effectively together.
• Leadership shortened in-person committee meetings from three days to two.
• Leadership hosts dinners before board meetings to share ideas and discuss opportunities.
• All of the “old guard” board members are now gone.
• The Membership Committee meets multiple times a month, resulting in a members’ mobile app and a Member’s Benefit Program.
• The Finance Committee guided a positive year for 2025 and enacted zero-based budgeting for 2026.
• The Audit Committee is ensuring compliance and high standards.
Additional work involved re-tasking the board’s 20-person “Executive Committee” into a smaller nine-member governance committee that meets monthly for faster and more effective decision making. We are also proposing a bylaw change that will reduce the size of the board by 10 members a year over the next three years.
Board leadership is now working on a strategic plan to set the direction and goals for the next few years, which will include the “Centers of Excellence” that I wrote about in my February column.
Board leadership has been very active in general oversight of the organization, including:
• Pushed to terminate the old marketing company.
• Pushed to expand our digital-marketing initiatives.
• Began significant changes in membership marketing and mailings.
• Orchestrated a major reorganization in October, breaking down silos, streamlining staff, and prioritizing new leadership.
In November, recommended an external review of our information technology and operations, resulting in:
• Formulating a hiring plan for improved member services.
• Bringing data efficiencies and technology advancements to the organization.
• Identifying opportunities for improving operational efficiencies.
• Supported hiring a new marketing company in November.
• Helped move the “Friends of NRA Dinners” to a new Foundation.
From my first column: “As we move forward, I’m keenly aware that actions speak louder than words. Please trust me when I say it’s a new day at the NRA. We’re glad to have each of you along for what will undoubtedly prove to be an exciting ride.”
Trust is earned, and I hope you feel that your leadership team is moving the NRA in the right direction. I want to thank the board, your leadership team, staff, and most importantly, our members and donors for your support. We are only getting started!
Hope to see you in Houston.
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