The ARRL Board of Directors held its 2010 Annual Meeting on January 15-16 in Windsor, Connecticut, under the chairmanship of President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, to consider and act on a number of recommendations from committees, as well as motions by Directors. With the election of ARRL First Vice President Kay Craigie, N3KN, as the League's 15th President, the 2010 Annual Meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors was off to a fast-paced start. Craigie, who ran unopposed, takes over the top leadership position from Harrison, who in October announced that he would not be seeking re-election. Craigie officially took office as President at the adjournment of the Annual Meeting.

Rounding out the slate of officers are First Vice President Rick Roderick, K5UR (moving up from Vice President); Vice President Bruce Frahm, K0BJ (moving up from Midwest Division Director); Vice President for International Affairs Jay Bellows, K0QB (moving up from Dakota Division Director); Executive Vice President and Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ; Treasurer James McCobb, K1LU; Chief Financial Officer Barry Shelley, N1VXY; Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B, and Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH. ARRL Technical Relations Manager Brennan Price, N4QX, was elected ARRL Chief Technology Officer; he replaces Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, who retired from the staff in 2008 but retained the officer title through the end of its two-year term.

Since Bellows and Frahm moved into new positions their Vice Directors -- Greg Widin, K0GW and Cliff Ahrens, K0CA, respectively -- will move up to Director. One of Craigie's first items of business as League President will be to appoint new Vice Directors in both of those Divisions. She will also need to appoint a new Vice Director in the Northwestern Division, as that post became vacant on January 1 of this year.

The Board concentrated much of its deliberations on Emergency Communications at this meeting:

• After the Board considered, but ultimately declined to adopt a motion to establish an Emergency Communications Advisory Committee last July, such a committee was approved at the 2010 Annual Meeting.
• The Board approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the American Red Cross (ARC). The ARC has agreed to permit ARES® volunteers to meet its requirement for a criminal background check by obtaining such a check, at their own expense, through a law enforcement entity rather than through the ARC process. ARRL members will be given information to permit them to make a fully informed decision with regard to volunteering with ARC.
• The Board instructed the ARRL staff to seek a change in Section 97.113(a)(3) of the FCC rules to permit amateurs, on behalf of an employer, to participate in emergency preparedness and disaster drills that include Amateur operations. 

The Board took a first step toward the ARRL Centennial in 2014 by adopting a recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee on the ARRL Foundation to create a nominating committee for the purpose of forming a centennial campaign committee. The nominating committee will identify candidates willing to organize a major fund raising drive to ensure that the ARRL will be strong financially as it enters its second century.

In 2011, the ARRL will hold its National Convention and ARRL EXPO at Ham-Com in Plano, Texas on June 10-11. And for the first time since 1965, the ARRL will hold a National Convention in the League's Pacific Division: The 2012 National Convention and ARRL EXPO will be held at Pacificon in Santa Clara, California on October 19-21.

The Board voted to support Senate Bill 2881, the FCC Commissioners' Technical Resource Enhancement Act, as well as legislation to increase the charitable tax deduction for mileage used in support of volunteer efforts.

The Board voted to have the General Counsel and staff review the FCC Part 15 rules that exempt certain devices from technical standards to prevent radio interference and to work with the Executive Committee on a proposal to reduce the spectrum pollution from such devices.

The Software Defined Radio Working Group was given a broader charge and renamed the Advanced Digital Technologies Working Group to reflect that charge. Its scope now includes (but is not limited to) cognitive radio, smart antennas and related technologies.

Committee Elections and Appointments

ARRL Executive Committee: As ARRL President, Craigie also serves as Chairman of the Executive Committee; its other voting members are elected by their fellow Directors. Elected for one-year terms were Tom Frenaye, K1KI, New England; George Isely, W9GIG, Central; Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, Rocky Mountain; Bob Vallio, W6RGG, Pacific, and David Woolweaver, K5RAV, West Gulf. Sumner and Roderick also serve on this committee without vote.

Administration and Finance Committee: Chairman Jim Fenstermaker, K9JF, Northwestern; Jim Weaver, K8JE, Great Lakes; Cliff Ahrens, K0CA, Midwest; Dennis Bodson, W4PWF, Roanoke; Dick Norton, N6AA, Southwestern, and Vice Director Jim Tiemstra, K6JAT, Pacific. Treasurer Jim McCobb, K1LU, also sits on this committee.

Programs and Services Committee: Chairman Bill Edgar, N3LLR, Atlantic; Mickey Cox, K5MC, Delta; Frank Fallon, N2FF, Hudson; Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, Southeastern; Greg Widin, K0GW, Dakota, and Vice Director Dwayne Allen, WY7FD, Rocky Mountain.

Ethics and Elections Committee: Chairman Tom Frenaye, K1KI, New England; Cliff Ahrens, K0CA, Midwest, and Greg Widin, K0GW, Dakota. Members of this committee are Directors not up for re-election in 2010. Per the ARRL By-Laws, this committee applies guidelines for ethical conduct by ARRL officials, determines eligibility of candidates for Director and Vice Director, certifies a nominee's eligibility to fill a Vice Director vacancy and supervises the balloting for Director and Vice Director.

The complete Minutes of the 2010 Annual Meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors will be available soon on the ARRL Web site.

The next meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors is scheduled for July 16-17, 2010.