President’s Message

By Pete Fackler

We have been fortunate over time to enjoy the dedicated and effective service of so many past and present Board members of HLAA. The work to perpetuate the continuing strength of our governing Board is a never-ending process, however. In that connection, I am writing this month to ask for you help in identifying good prospects for service as future HLAA board members.

A hallmark of strong not-for-profit organizations is that they have an effective, dedicated governing board. It is no secret, certainly, that the charity environment in America is a challenging one with many worthy causes vying for the attention and support of the public. For organizations like Hearing Loss Association of America to survive and thrive, being able to develop and sustain a strong board presence is an absolute must.

HLAA Board of Trustee members are responsible for policy development and oversight, for establishing long-range plans, and for assuring that the organization has the financial and other resources to carry out its mission.

As the Board considers updating HLAA’s strategic plan, issues of best practices and good governance are on our minds. The Board’s nominating committee, under the leadership of Henry Fader, is determined to expand its outreach to identify and recruit capable and dedicated board members going forward.

We seek a diverse Board in all respects including geography, race, age, gender, and constituency representation. Some of the constituencies we seek to include in addition to people with hearing loss include family members of people with hearing loss, parents of children with hearing loss, hearing loss service providers, and HLAA Chapter members. It is not a requirement that Board members have a hearing loss but Board members with a hearing loss have historically been a majority of the HLAA Board membership.

Some of the qualities we are looking for in candidates include experience in the corporate and not-for-profit worlds and know-how in finance and accounting, technology, advocacy, senior level corporate, human resources, government relations, legal, management, marketing and public relations, medical, and strategic planning.

Here is how you can help. Please forward information concerning prospects for HLAA Board service to Henry Fader at faderh@pepperlaw.com. Or you can send information by mail to Henry at Pepper Hamilton LLP, 3000 Two Logan Square, Eighteenth and Arch Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19103-2799.

Please provide prospects’ names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses, and please include a brief statement about why you think the person you are recommending would be a good Board member for HLAA. It will also be helpful if you include your own contact information so that, if we have questions, we can be in touch.

Pete Fackler lives in Rochester, New York, and can be reached at pcf@yahoo.com .