Not all Board candidates returned their responses by the deadline.

1. There have been no Board meeting minutes posted on the website since October of 2024. As a Board Member, what is your position on transparency into Board activity? Would you post Board minutes to the website?

Thom Denholm – Transparency is important for an organization, and I can assure you that there was no attempt to hide anything.

The previous procedure was for Member Services to take what was produced by the Secretary and email to the technical committee for posting. I didn’t realize that, so the best thing to do is refine and document the procedure. Anyone in the organization can ask if they want to see the minutes and they haven’t been posted.

Mike Opprecht – My position is that transparency is fundamental to building trust and accountability within our organization. Board meeting minutes should always be posted promptly and consistently so Members can stay informed about decisions, discussions, and priorities. If elected, I would advocate for a clear process to ensure minutes are uploaded after each meeting without delay, and I’d support making them easily accessible on the website for all members to review.

Todd Berger – Transparency is always positive in areas that affect the membership. I am in favor of sharing any information pertaining to subjects such as needed training, mentoring best practices, success stories, game fees and expenses, etc. I would approve having key dialogue that is board approved posted on the website for the membership to review.

2. The venue for the banquet has changed, moving from South Sound to North Sound. Additionally, the golf event appears to have stopped this year. As a Board Member, how would ensure such changes incorporate Member feedback before enacted?

Thom Denholm – The banquet venue has changed over the years, north and south. While this has not been done before, a poll could be taken of the membership. I believe final say should rest with the board.

Mike Opprecht – Member feedback should be a cornerstone of any decision that affects our community experience. As a Board Member, I would advocate for a clear communication process—such as surveys, open forums, or direct outreach—before making changes to major events like the banquet or golf outing. I believe in proactive planning, and I’d use tools like checklists and timelines to ensure we’re gathering input early and often. This way, we’re not just making decisions—we’re making informed decisions that reflect what our members actually want.

Golf attendance has fallen, despite reaching out to golfers of prior years. An early season poll for next year makes sense – golf, attend an Aquasox or Rainiers game, or something else perhaps? Then approach the board for any budgetary concerns.

Todd Berger – There are a number of key areas that must be evaluated when scheduling an event – the annual banquet and or golf outing. With regards to the banquet – Cost, Central Location, Menu, favorable room & facilities, etc. Having joined the group last year, I attended both the banquet and played golf in the tournament (and was part of the winning foursome, may I add, haha), I felt the banquet was a great event for all of us to get together, share stories on the season and introduce our spouses/partners to each other. I’d be in favor of moving it north and south periodically, but sometimes the best packages come from repeat commitments, so the decisions are made to have it in the same place. ON the golf outing side, as I mentioned, I played last year and we had a total of 8 players (2 foursomes), which disappointed me as I thought it would be at least 5 or more teams. I would support having a banquet/golf committee who would informally survey other members on where & when they would take place.

3. How would you work with your fellow Board Members to ensure all committees are functioning properly and completing their assigned duties? How would you work with Board Members who may not be fulfilling their duties?

Thom Denholm – All committees report to the board during each meeting, and this gives other board members an opportunity to keep an eye on things. That said, the timeline of activities is more tribal knowledge than documented. A board calendar might help keep us on task.

Mike Opprecht – I believe strong communication and accountability are key to ensuring committees stay on track. I’d advocate for regular check-ins and progress updates from each committee, and encourage a culture where Board Members support one another in meeting responsibilities. If someone isn’t fulfilling their duties, I’d approach the situation respectfully—starting with a conversation to understand any challenges they’re facing—and work together to find a solution that benefits the Board and the Membership.

Todd Berger – Open dialogue and communication. I would recommend committees for key areas that the Board is responsible for managing and the committee chairperson would take ownership on progress made and communicating results to the membership.

4. The promotion criteria are not clearly available to the Membership. What is your position on being completely transparent with Members on the specific criteria for moving up tiers and each Member’s readiness for promotion?

Thom Denholm – Numeric promotion criteria have changed over the years, yet the common element remains the same -umpires must be seen and evaluated by higher level umpires. The expectations for each tier are documented in training and on our website – https://nbua.net/members/training-materials/ Specific advice I would give is to keep working games and actively look for feedback from partners.

Mike Opprecht – Transparency around promotion criteria is essential for fairness and trust. I fully support making the criteria for tier advancement publicly available and easy to understand. Members deserve to know exactly what’s expected and how their progress is being evaluated. Clear guidelines empower umpires to take ownership of their development and help ensure consistency across the board.

Todd Berger – In my opinion, NBUA does an above average job in training, evaluating, mentoring and promoting umpires – regardless of their current level. In addition to the evaluation lead, I feel that surveying those umpires who have worked directly with those being considered for promotion is invaluable! I’m not sure how it’s exactly done currently, but believe that discussion from the feedback received on promotion candidates will better support the decision to promote if it’s across multiple instances and opinions. I would also be in favor of mid-year promotions, if warranted.

5. How will you ensure every umpire eligible for evaluation receives a complete and sufficient evaluation to determine if they are ready to move up a level?

Thom Denholm – This is a difficult question – as an organization, we need more umpires to work games AND perform evaluations, and the first item tends to take priority. We need to encourage injured umpires to continue to serve in an evaluation capacity. We already prioritize those evaluations for umpires that are “eligible”, and that may be the best we can do.

Mike Opprecht – To ensure every eligible umpire receives a thorough evaluation is the goal, I’d push for a structured and well-documented process that includes timely scheduling, feedback from multiple sources, and clear benchmarks. Evaluations should be consistent, constructive, and focused on growth.

Todd Berger – Again, with over 150+ umpires in the membership officiating multiple levels of games – it’s in our best interest to attract, train and retain those who are doing this for the right reasons! While there is responsibility across a few individuals to lead the discussion, I’d be in favor of increasing the number of people involved in these decisions to promote those seeking a higher rating.