Structural Overview
In January, 2010, the US Lacrosse Board of Directors unanimously approved some significant changes in the US Lacrosse national volunteer and staff structures in order to better position the organization to serve its members and the sport, as well as advance its mission. These approved structural changes were the culmination of 18 months of focused review as directed by the US Lacrosse Strategic Plan.

US Lacrosse has grown to include more than 300,000 members in 64 chapters throughout 39 states, and we’ve accomplished a great deal with respect to providing leadership and creating resources to support the sport’s healthy development since our formation in 1998. But we still have a long way to go to reach our full potential to represent and serve the sport, and this process was part of our ongoing internal analysis of that journey.

The new structure reduces the size of, but maintains the men’s and women’s game balance on, the US Lacrosse Board of Directors. It places an operational emphasis, although not exclusively, on youth (U15) and high school play. And, it emphasizes the importance of allocating greater investment in the coming years to support the US Lacrosse chapter structure and chapter development.

Additionally, in order to establish greater alignment throughout the organization, the Division Board and Council structures will be replaced by nine Board Committees – Executive, Men’s Game, Women’s Game, Finance, Human Resources, Sport Development, Board Development, Regional Chapters and Strategic Planning. The Men’s and Women’s Game Committees of the Board will oversee a constituent subcommittee structure. All Board committees will be chaired by Board members.

The Board also approved a change in the way volunteers are selected to serve the organization. From now on the selection of volunteers for board, committee and subcommittee positions within US Lacrosse will shift from a constituent appointment process to an application process managed by a newly-formed Board Development Committee. The goal of this shift is to allow a more inclusive process that enables US Lacrosse to benefit from a wider selection of candidates who support the organization’s mission and are committed to the organization’s ongoing development and improvement.

Among other responsibilities, the Board Development Committee is charged with assessing current and anticipated needs for Board and Committee composition, and making nominee recommendations to the Board of Directors to ensure:

• Men’s and Women’s game balance

• Diversity (including race, age, socio-economic status, geographic representation, etc.)

• Appropriate youth game influence

• Knowledge and skill areas (law, finance, business, sport, etc.) needed to support Board activities

• Consistency of Board member attributes and abilities (commitment to the USL mission, interest in and/or involvement with the sport of lacrosse, demonstrated leadership, etc.) needed to support board activities

• The influence and access required to effectively lead the organization in the pursuit of its mission

As a result of these changes, the terms of all volunteers who currently serve on the board of directors will end as of July 31, 2010, and volunteers within the current structure must apply to be considered for positions within the new structure. The terms of all volunteers who currently serve at the division, council and committee levels will end between July 31 and December 31, 2010, and those volunteers must also apply to be considered for positions within the new structure. The resulting committee and subcommittee structures will evolve at different rates for practical reasons, but the new structure will be fully implemented by December 31, 2010.　

In this regard, the Board Development Committee has announced an open call for applicants interested in serving on the new Board and other components of the revised volunteer structure. The deadline for applications for the new Board of Directors is March 12; new Board terms will begin on August 1. A description of Board roles and responsibilities, as well as the US Lacrosse Volunteer Application, can be found below.

The Board Development Committee will recommend the new board slate to the current board for a vote on June 12, 2010. Chairs of each of the nine board committees must be board members and, as such, are included in the initial Board Development Committee slate. Committee members are recommended by the committee chair, endorsed by the board chair and approved by the Executive Committee. Subcommittee chairs are recommended by the committee chair and approved by the EC. Subcommittee members are recommended by the subcommittee chair, endorsed by the committee chair and approved by the EC.

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Board Development Committee Resources
• Expectations for USL Board of Directors (pdf)
• Volunteer Application Form (pdf)
• Volunteer Application Form (online version) - must be completed in one sitting
• Board Development Committee Job Description (pdf)
• Board Development Committee Update (Jan. 14, 2010)
• Board of Directors Recommendations - Sept. 2009 (pdf)
• Report to the Board - Sept. 2009 (pdf)