Final Quarter Meeting Minutes - 2025

As members, you have access to the meeting minutes, and we’re sharing them here for transparency and awareness.

October:

Meeting minutes 10-6-25

Meeting started 7:38 pm

Liz, Nick, Carie, Stacy, Tupper, Gene on call. Herb not present at that time.

Liz made motion that the Eastern Bison Association Board formally ratify all prior actions

and decisions taken by the board and its officers as the actions of a de facto board, thereby

recognizing those actions as valid and binding under Delaware nonprofit law.

Yes votes: Stacy, Herb (now on call), Nick, Liz. No votes: Gene & Tupper. Motion passed.

Liz made motion that the Eastern Bison Association table the annual Show & Sale planned

for March 2026, allowing the Association time to focus on organizational rebuilding,

financial stability, and stronger membership engagement before hosting the next event.

Yes votes: Nick, Stacy, Liz, Herb. No votes: Tupper, Gene. Motion passed.

Motions were made regarding memberships. Individual membership applications and approvals are treated as confidential and are managed by the Board, even as meeting minutes are shared for transparency.

Liz made motion that the Eastern Bison Association allocates up to $1,000 from the

Association’s funds to reimburse current EBA members for participation in the South

Dakota University sample study. Reimbursements shall be made at a rate of up to $150 per

member, upon submission of receipts and a signed reimbursement guideline to the

Treasurer.

Yes votes: Stacy, Herb, Liz, Nick, Gene. No votes: Tupper. Motion passed.

Motions were made regarding a censure matter. Specific details are treated as confidential and are managed by the Board in accordance with its governance and due-process responsibilities.

Liz made motion to approve payment/reimbursement to Jennifer Stroudt as submitted, for

a total of $1892.10.

Yes votes: Herb, Liz, Nick, Stacy, Tupper. Gene recused. Motion passed.

Liz made motion to adjourn meeting 9:49 pm.

Yes votes. Liz, Nick, Herb, Stacy, Gene, Tupper. Motion passed unanimously.

November

Meeting minutes November 5, 2025.

Liz, Carie, Nick, Gene, Tupper, Stacy present on call (Herb was not present). Meeting started at 7:38 pm

Liz made a motion to approve the October 2025 meeting minutes as presented.   Motion passed unanimously.

Liz made motion to pay National Bison Association Associate Membership dues for 2026 in the amount of $100.  Yes votes: Liz, Stacy, Nick, Gene.  No votes: Tupper.  Motion passed.

Liz made motion to pay Sarah Merkle (parliamentarian & attorney) for one hour at her hourly rate of $400 to review our de facto status and provide recommended next steps.  Sarah will also work on the following:

• She would work with a Delaware attorney in her co-firm to draft a response to demand letter, keeping everything under one coordinated legal team if we ultimately need representation in Delaware court

• Review and recommend updates to our bylaws to ensure legal compliance and clarity. We currently face several structural issues that require professional guidance including: 

• Membership approval procedures. 

• Dues language embedded in the bylaws, which cannot be altered without a bylaw amendment. 

• The lack of a standing meeting clause (meaning all board meetings are currently classified as “special meetings”). 

• The challenge of achieving quorum at the Harrisburg membership meeting if we cannot open it virtually. 

Yes votes: Liz, Nick, Stacy.  No votes: Tupper, Gene.  Motion passed.

The board received a quote from the accounting firm Whisman Giordano in the amount of $4,250 for their services for one year.  Their services include financial oversight, planning, and consulting. Their involvement will help ensure our financial processes are accurate, transparent, and compliant — something we need as we continue to rebuild structure and trust. 

Liz made motion that we engage Whisman Giordano’s services for one year, then reassess both our needs and the cost at that time. 

Yes votes: Liz, Nick, Stacy.  No votes: Tupper, Gene.  Motion passed

The board received a quote from Our Greene Home Designs to work on/with our website.  The following is what they would be working to accomplish:

EBA Website & Membership Update Packages Project Objectives: Simplify and automate the membership process. • Provide a secure and user-friendly portal for members to access exclusive resources. • Ensure future updates and management can be easily handled by EBA staff or volunteers. Proposed Tasks: Create a Membership Portal • Set up a members-only area on the website that integrates with a payment processor and includes automatic email reminders for renewals and expirations. Enable auto-renewal options for annual memberships. • Platform Integration Recommend using Memberspace to manage member access, payments, and renewals. • Alternatively, the system can be built solely within Squarespace, utilizing its built-in membership and email management tools. • Evaluate Square vs. Stripe integration to determine which payment processor best fits the association's needs (Memberspace uses Stripe; Squarespace supports both Stripe and Square). Membership Data Migration • Import all current members from the existing spreadsheet into the new membership system. Consolidate and clean up existing member data for accuracy and consistency. Member-Only Directory • Create a secure member directory accessible only to active members. Training & Documentation • Provide a video walk-through demonstrating how to manage and update memberships, edit member information, and make basic portal changes in the future.

Liz made motion that we engage Our Greene Home Designs services for one year.

Yes votes: Liz, Nick, Stacy.  No votes: Tupper, Gene.  Motion passed

Discussion to create a one-time printed and digital EBA Bulletin — a magazine-style publication that combines: Member directory, Regional highlights, Updates from the board & Bison industry features and event previews: Dr. Urso and Ken Klemm wrote articles for us to publish.  

The cost estimate from Smartpress for a 12-page direct-mail magazine is very reasonable $734 plus postage, totaling roughly $950 to print and mail about 140 copies. 

Our current list includes around 140 members, about 30 of whom have not renewed, so this publication could also serve as a strong re-engagement effort and membership reminder. 

Liz made motion that we approve production and mailing of a one-time EBA Bulletin & Membership Directory through Smartpress, at a total cost not to exceed $1000, to be used as a  communication and member engagement tool.

Yes votes: Liz, Nick, Stacy.  No votes: Tupper, Gene.  Motion passed.

Next meeting to be held December 1, 2025, at 7:30 pm.

Stacy made motion to adjourn meeting at 9:05 pm.  Motion passed unanimously.

December:

Board meeting December 1, 2025

Liz, Carie, Nick, Herb, Gene, Tupper, Stacy present (phone or virtual).

Meeting started at 7:31 pm.

Liz made motion to approve November meeting minutes.  Passed unanimously.

Discussion was had on current bylaws, why they need updated, current and a future issues if not updated, and why we need professional help to update them.

Liz made motion to pay Sarah Merkle (parliamentarian & attorney) up to 4 hours at $400 per hour for preparing draft bylaw edits for the Eastern Bison Association.

Yes: Liz, Herb, Nick, Stacy.  No: Tupper, Gene

Discussion was had on 2026 Winter Conference topics, speakers, cost, and attendance pricing.

Liz made motion that 2026 Winter Conference attendance pricing be set at $195.00 per person for members and $220.00 per person for nonmembers.

Yes: Liz, Herb, Nick, Stacy.  No: Tupper, Gene

Next meeting set for January 8, 2026, at 7:30 pm

Liz made motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:52 pm.  Passed unanimously.