Your new NRA leadership team is making great progress in reimagining the National Rifle Association and actively building a foundation and vision to carry us into the next 150 years.
Gun owners—and all American citizens—need a strong NRA. No other organization can do what the NRA does for our members, gun owners, the nation and the free world. Our strength comes from our membership, volunteers, donors, supporters, volunteer Board of Directors, great staff and outstanding leadership teams. Add incredible programs and our decades of successful Second Amendment advocacy, and time and time again, the NRA has held strong by putting freedom first.
NRA has two primary leadership positions: the Executive Vice President/Chief Executive Officer (Doug Hamlin), who oversees the day-to-day operations of the association, and the President, who presides over the Board of Directors and handles related functions.
The NRA bylaws state: “1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association, of the Board of Directors, and the Executive Committee.” The president is “2. … an ex officio member, with vote” of most committees, “3. … shall appoint all standing committees and special committees of the association,” and “4. … shall perform all such other duties as usually pertain to the office.”
In addition, the NRA president helps set the vision and strategic direction of the Board and, in turn, of the association. The president also develops relationships with the association’s members, volunteers, donors, the industry and legislators, along with representing the Board of Directors while advocating for the organization’s mission.
One of the most important duties of the president is appointing Board members to 37 standing committees and six special committees of the Board, along with determining the chairman and vice chairman who guide those committees. These appointments help shape the productivity of the Board and the direction of the association. While NRA bylaws provide that this is the sole responsibility of the president in making theses appointments, I have asked the other officers—First Vice President Mark Vaughan and Second Vice President Rocky Marshall—to also be involved in these critical appointments.
This year for the first time, your officers collected additional background information on our Board members and used those details of members’ knowledge, experience and passion to help in assigning committee appointments. We then applied a test to gauge their past integrity and abeyance of the New York non-profit responsibilities of duty of obedience, duty of loyalty and fiduciary responsibility toward committee assignments.
Also, this year the officers recruited 110 general NRA members, based on their specific knowledge and expertise, to serve as non-Board members on various committees, which will increase the committees’ overall effectiveness.
Additionally, for the first time in decades, your new officers are fundamentally changing how the Board operates. We are adopting a comprehensive new leadership paradigm for the Board to become more engaged in formulating the policies for the coming years. A few committees have been structurally consolidated, while others are coordinating joint meetings to create synergy and reduce cost. I’m also holding virtual town-hall Board member meetings to keep the Board engaged and up to date between regularly scheduled meetings. The governance committees are now holding monthly meetings to provide proper fiduciary oversight. Leadership also just held the Board’s first-ever committee chairman retreat in early August at the chairmen’s own expense. Your officers communicate with the NRA EVP weekly and visit NRA headquarters in Fairfax, Va., several times each month.
Board committees are being tasked to reimagine their work and identify transformative action plans. We are changing the format of the committee meetings to emphasize brainstorming, problem solving and active oversight. We are encouraging more virtual committee meetings between board meetings for greater productivity and delegating more responsibility to the committee chairpersons.
The Board of Directors holds three board meetings a year where policy and the direction of the association are voted on. Those matters are then directed to the EVP for implementation. This is the Board’s fundamental involvement that guides the association and its staff.
Please let us know how we are doing and share your ideas on how we can support your NRA better. Feel free to drop me an email at [email protected]. I promise that all your emails will be read and considered.
The NRA is refocusing on its mission of promoting and protecting your Second Amendment rights, hunting and conservation, competitive and sport shooting, and firearm safety and training for the benefit of all Americans. Your vice presidents and I promise to uphold the highest levels of integrity, accountability and transparency among ourselves. I want to personally thank you for standing with us, and ask that you help us grow by inviting a friend to join us at findyournra.com. The best is yet to come.
