The WGI Board of Directors had its annual meeting in Las Vegas this past weekend. Over two days, directors met to discuss a long list of organizational goals, review WGI policies, adopt a budget for the fiscal year, and approve proposals passed from the Advisory Boards that have a financial impact. They also welcomed three new members to the Board of Directors. Pictured from left to right: Kelly Ross, Tavius Cooper (Color Guard representatives), and Kyle Winn (Percussion representative).
Budget
Every July, The Board meets to approve the operating budget for the next fiscal year, including line items like office management, events management (Regionals, Power Regionals, and World Championships), off-season events like WGIcon, and much more. However, before adopting the 2025 budget, they had to discuss any proposals approved by the advisory boards with potential financial impact or safety considerations on the organization. Read below to see the results of those proposals.
Color Guard Proposals
Proposal #2 – The board reviewed the proposal to create a system where each participating unit has the opportunity to apply for 2 “press” passes at the beginning of each season. This proposal ultimately failed after a discussion of the potential financial implications.
Winds Proposals
Proposal #1 – The board discussed the proposal to provide a semi-finals performance for Winds groups on Saturday of their World Championships event. The board agreed with the spirit of the proposal and redirected it to the Winds administration team to finalize and implement for the 2025 season.
Proposal #4 – The proposal to utilize two effect judges at events with full winds panels was withdrawn at the meeting after discussion.
Proposal #6 – The board unanimously accepted the proposal to waive the registration fee for groups attending their first WGI event (or groups that have not participated since the 2022 season) with the provision that the proposal expires after the 2026 season. This was passed in hopes of bolstering new registrations and increasing participation in upcoming Winds events.
Safety Updates
In the interest of performer safety, the WGI board of directors refined current rules to ensure the safest possible environment for all participants. They referenced official standards from organizations like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and made some necessary updates to these safety-related WGI rules. WGI will communicate these updates to all competing groups prior to the 2025 season.
Participant Protection
WGI’s new director of Participant Protection, Dr. Will Frankenberger, gave an incredible presentation to the board on new policies and procedures that will better serve the members and staff of the WGI community. This included proposals to update the code of conduct, reevaluate current best practices, and create new, more effective policies. With his diverse knowledge base and skill set, Will is backed by the board in his efforts to strengthen the future of participant protection in WGI.
Elections
The last item on the agenda before adjourning was the election of the Executive Committee for the upcoming year. Membership is comprised of individuals from the WGI Board of Directors. These individuals are charged with all general business matters of the organization when the board is not in session and elected to a one-year term. The results of the election can be seen below. Congratulations to the newest edition of the WGI Executive Committee!
President – Ed Devlin
Vice President – Michael Gaines
Vice President – Don Click
Secretary – Rosie Miller Queen
Treasurer – Kevin Shah
