What a weekend! - ROC USA®

The ROC Association was started in 2013 to provide a way for ROCs to elect three community leaders to the national ROC USA Board. That part has been going pretty well: All but one of the bi-annual elections have been contested and we only missed quorum once (which meant we had to extend balloting for a short period.)

The ROC USA conference room features photos of the current and past ROC Association Directors as well as a large photo of the first elected Directors.

But, otherwise, a total of now six ROC leaders have served on the ROC USA Board. A wall in our conference room is dedicated to current and former Association Directors.

These Directors have consistently attended and contributed at the Board’s quarterly meetings. The Association Directors played a key role in the current Strategic Plan and in motivating a redesign of myROCUSA.org that is under way.

Well, last weekend launched an 18-month process to take the Association to a whole new level. The current Directors – Natividad, Kim and Lorie – along with Diane Gasaway from Northwest Co-op Development Center (a CTAP) and I are spending three weekends and many more hours on the phone to plan how the Association can increase its effectiveness and role in this community-centered nonprofit social venture. I’m excited.

Just how far can we push the benefits of “Better Together”? Just how much local ownership within a regional and national network of linked communities can we deliver to increase economic security and opportunity for you?

Time will tell, but I can tell you that we are thinking hard about it and charting a 10-year plan. I expect great things in part because we’re not doing it alone. We joined a program called Excellence in Governance to help us. We have a

The ROC Association Directors, Paul Bradley and Diane Gasaway spent the weekend beginning an 18-month training on refining the mission of the ROC Association along with an expert coach.

coach asking hard questions and keeping us on schedule. We learned a lot in our first weekend in Minneapolis on May 20 & 21.

Good intent, the right people in the room, and someone to teach us things and push us to deliver will produce results. I know it will. Frankly, I’ve never been disappointed when we engage ROC leaders in the planning and the work – and I think this time has the potential to deliver something big. I’m excited. (Did I already say that?) ROC on!

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