CFWE Board member Reed Morris sits beside new Board president Gregg Ten Eyck and former president Rita Crumpton during a January 25 Board meeting. Credit: Colorado Supreme Court Justice Greg Hobbs
The Colorado Foundation for Water Education’s latest Board of Trustees meeting on January 25 was a full-day affair that included lively discussion, important decision making, and a great transition as former Board president, Rita Crumpton, passed the torch and welcomed a new Board president, Gregg Ten Eyck, president of Leonard Rice Engineers. Although only Board members were present at the meeting, both presidents, past and present, took some time to blog about their thoughts on CFWE, the Board and the organization’s path into the future.
From Gregg Ten Eyck:
I was elected President of the Board of the CFWE at last Friday’s meeting, and I am looking forward to working with the great staff, volunteers, and Board members as we continue to implement our strategic plan and mission. As a passionate believer in the mission to promote a better understanding of Colorado’s water resources and issues, I originally sought out a position on the Board out of respect for the values and ideals of the Board members and officers who had the vision to create and lead the Foundation through its first decade. We’re thrilled to welcome Dan Luecke, Kaylee Moore and Andrew Todd as new Board members; they clearly share those ideals. And while Nick Colglazier, Greg Johnson and Representative Randy Fischer, appear as new members on the roster, they are actually returning members, returning to support the mission. The 2013 Board looks to be very actively involved as a working Board.
After 10 years, the Foundation is moving on to a new, higher level. The Foundation has evolved from our original single source of funding from the Legislature and the CWCB into a sophisticated organization, with a complex budget—the direct funding that was 100% of the budget in 2002 is now about 26% of our income.
Any one of last year’s programs, such as facilitating Water 2012, publishing Headwaters, leading sold-out tours, or conducting the Water Leaders program would have been our only program 10 years ago. This year we will expand the tours and publish a top quality magazine. Based on feedback from a great outside review of the Water Leaders program, we have new facilitators of that program: MORF Consulting. Graduates of the CFWE Water Leaders program will provide the leadership that our State needs in the current drought and in our future challenges.
The Board needs to continue to allow and to encourage Nicole Seltzer, CFWE’s executive director, and the staff to try new things, to take risk. Yes, we might fail, and in so doing, we will learn more. Our failures will be small, and they will not put us at risk as an organization. We are at greater risk of becoming irrelevant if we, the Board and the staff, stop taking risks.
The function of our Board is to provide strategic vision and leadership for the organization, so that our staff, our consultants, our volunteers, and our supporters can see where we are going, and see how their actions are helping us get there. The current state of our snowpack, our reservoir levels and the continued growth of water demands inside and outside of Colorado remind us of the importance of our mission to educate Colorado’s water users and leaders. We look forward to seeing all of our members and supporters at the President’s Award Reception on May 3rd, as we continue our tradition of honoring important contributors to the mission of your Foundation. Senator Jim Isgar and Amy Beattie will be honored at that event, and your attendance is encouraged.
Our Board welcomes your comments and suggestions, so please do not hesitate to contact us.
And from Rita Crumpton:
The officers of the Colorado Foundation for Water Education Board of Trustees changed a bit on Friday, January 25. After 3 years as President of the Board of Trustees, it was time for me to step down and allow someone else with their own ideas and excitement to step in. Gregg Ten Eyck will certainly fill that bill and I welcome him to his new role. He is already taking the reins quite nicely. It was a great honor for me to be allowed to serve as the President of this great organization and I look forward to the next ten years and the challenges we will face.
The past 3 years as President have certainly been challenging and yet quite fulfilling. Watching this Board in action is something to behold. All are so dedicated to educating the people of Colorado about water in any and every way possible! Each one of us is committed to a balanced approach in that effort and I believe we have maintained those high standards over the past ten years with ferocious resolve. As we begin a new decade, that resolve does not diminish. The new members who joined our Board on the 25th will be a great addition and I look forward to their contributions.
A great deal of discussion took place at our meeting about the Board members’ roles and participation in the work we do. It was good discussion and gave us all an opportunity to reexamine where we fit, individually, as a Board member. This is a seriously working board and the committees we join are not only made up of Board members but also volunteers outside of the Colorado Foundation for Water Education Board and staff, who are as committed to water education as the board is.
It is a great time for the Foundation and I look forward to the next challenge with excitement!
Thank you, Rita for your years of leadership, and welcome Gregg!
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