[extropy-chat] WTA-BOARD: James was not hired as ED at Oxford Meeting

Harvey Newstrom mail at harveynewstrom.com
Tue Jun 8 03:27:59 UTC 2004


The idea that James was hired as WTA Executive Director at the Oxford  
meeting was invented after it became clear that he did not have enough  
votes later.  They meant to hire him, but forgot to hold a vote.  Then  
one board member resigned, and two others who did not attend (and  
hadn't resigned yet) opposed the vote.  Thus, James was three votes  
shorter than he expected.  Instead of living with the Board vote, the  
WTA founders retroactively rewrote history to say that James was  
already hired.  They claim a "unanimous vote" based on "general  
discussion" since no actual vote count took place.  However, comments  
from the Board members indicate that James was not originally  
considered as hired after the meeting.  This story was not invented  
until later.  These wtaboard notes were sent AFTER the April 16-18  
meeting.

--
Harvey Newstrom, CISSP, CISA, CISM, IAM, IBMCP, GSEC
<HarveyNewstrom.com>
________________________________________________________________
> From: "J Hughes" <jhughes at changesurfer.com>
> Date: Fri Apr 23, 2004  6:17:30 am US/Eastern
> To: "'WTA Board of Directors List'" <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: [wtaboard] Foresight Vision Weekend, May 14-16
> Reply-To: jhughes at changesurfer.com, WTA Board of Directors List  
> <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
> One of the things we discussed at the Board meeting was my having a  
> travel
> budget to attend various functions in my capacity as Executive  
> Director (we
> should probably confirm my appointment with a vote by the way.)
________________________________________________________________
> From: Nick Bostrom <nick.bostrom at philosophy.oxford.ac.uk>
> Date: Mon Apr 26, 2004  7:34:55 pm US/Eastern
> To: wtaboard2004 at yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [wtaboard2004] James' Salary
> Reply-To: wtaboard2004 at yahoogroups.com
>
> No, the decision was to set as one of our current fundraising goals to
> raise enough money to hire J full-time together with two assistants  
> and a
> travel budget. To actually hire J would require us not just to have  
> enough
> cash to be able to pay his salary for one year but also that there's  
> enough
> security of future funding to make him take the risk of quitting his
> current job. In the shorter run, our aim is to hire a part-time  
> assistant.
> J. will not be hired full-time until and unless we have the funds.  
> Another
> short-term objective is to raise enough cash to pay J a honorarium,  
> 5-10K
> annually and to have a travel budget.
________________________________________________________________
> From: "Giu1i0 Pri5c0" <gpmap at oddpost.com>
> Date: Tue Apr 27, 2004  12:12:52 pm US/Eastern
> To: "WTA Board of Directors List" <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: [wtaboard] WTA News, J's salary, Point of Personal Privilege
> Reply-To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
> As Nick says right now the idea is to hire a junior officer, and to  
> hire him
> in a place where work is cheaper: we cannot afford more, and have  
> found a
> good guy in Caracas. But when we get sufficient funding, we should  
> hire a
> senior executive director who can dedicate her/his full time and  
> energy to
> the advancement of the WTA. This was also pointed out by Peter who  
> reminded
> us that besides money to fund specific projects, we must also get  
> money to
> fund a permanent office without which no serious and steady project  
> work can
> be done.
> The agreement is that a permanent office should be staffed by a senior
> executive and a few junior officers. This is the way things are done  
> in the
> real world. Now who is the best man for the Executive Director post? I  
> would
> love doing it myself, but I do not think I could do it half as good as
> James. So I strongly support the idea of hiring James as ED as soon as  
> we
> have the money and a reasonable degree of confidence in future funding.
________________________________________________________________
> From: "mike99" <mike99 at lascruces.com>
> Date: Tue Apr 27, 2004  5:24:45 pm US/Eastern
> To: "WTA Board of Directors List" <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: RE: [wtaboard] Point of Personal Privilege
> Reply-To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
> James has done an extraordinary amount of work for the WTA on his own  
> time
> and his own dime. I think we owe him an enormous debt of gratitude for  
> doing
> so much. I also think that James has demonstrated beyond all doubt  
> that he
> has the skills, the drive, the intelligence and the knowledge to be
> Executive Director of the WTA as soon as we have the financial  
> resources to
> employ him in that position.
________________________________________________________________
> From: Nick Bostrom <nick.bostrom at philosophy.oxford.ac.uk>
> Date: Wed Apr 28, 2004  10:55:52 am US/Eastern
> To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: Re: [wtaboard] Point of Personal Privilege
> Reply-To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
> Here's how I see it. Right now, part of the function of the board is  
> general oversight but an even larger part is to contribute to getting  
> things done. Once we start getting paid staff, the role of the board  
> (as opposed to that of other paid or non-paid officers and staff) will  
> shift more towards that of exercising oversight and of deciding on  
> priorities and strategic objectives. The more money the WTA starts to  
> handle, and especially if we hire J full-time, the more important the  
> oversight and auditing function of the board becomes.
________________________________________________________________
> From: "J Hughes" <jhughes at changesurfer.com>
> Date: Thu May 13, 2004  12:01:07 am US/Eastern
> To: "'WTA Board of Directors List'" <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: [wtaboard] Proposed fantasy budget
> Reply-To: jhughes at changesurfer.com, WTA Board of Directors List  
> <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
>
> Attached please find a budget for the WTA which would allow us to:
>
> - hire me in two years full-time
________________________________________________________________
> From: Jose Cordeiro <jose_cordeiro at yahoo.com>
> Date: Thu May 20, 2004  4:18:50 pm US/Eastern
> To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: Re: [wtaboard] Appeal for support
> Reply-To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
>      Some practical points, though. We have actually never voted to  
> name James Hughes as Executive Director. However, we did mention in  
> Oxford that he would have to resign as WTA Board member for that, and  
> then we would vote for a new member taking that position.
________________________________________________________________
> From: "Hughes, James J." <james.hughes at trincoll.edu>
> Date: Thu May 20, 2004  4:34:06 pm US/Eastern
> To: "WTA Board of Directors List" <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: RE: [wtaboard] Appeal for support
> Reply-To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
>> We have actually never voted to name James Hughes as Executive  
>> Director.
>
> A formal vote would be nice.
>
>>  However, we did mention in Oxford that he would have to resign as  
>> WTA Board member for that,
>
> I asked if it were necessary, and we said we would look into it.
>
> It turns out that that is unnecessary, and I want to retain my Board
> seat. Under both Connecticut and US law the ED can be a voting member  
> of
> the Board.
>
> You could of course decide that I couldn't serve as ED while on the
> Board, but then you would need to find a new ED.
________________________________________________________________
> From: "mike99" <mike99 at lascruces.com>
> Date: Thu May 20, 2004  5:00:09 pm US/Eastern
> To: "WTA Board of Directors List" <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: RE: [wtaboard] Appeal for support
> Reply-To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
> As I recall from the Oxford meeting, whether or not a member of the  
> Board
> could also be employed by the Association was left as an open  
> question. If
> there is no legal restriction on this practice, I think it is up to the
> Board to vote on it.
>
> We should also vote on James becoming Executive Director.
>
> Consider these two items as two motions for votes.
________________________________________________________________
> From: "Hughes, James J." <james.hughes at trincoll.edu>
> Date: Thu May 20, 2004  6:59:13 pm US/Eastern
> To: "WTA Board of Directors List" <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: RE: [wtaboard] Appeal for support
> Reply-To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
>
>> We should also vote on James becoming Executive Director.
>>
>> Consider these two items as two motions for votes.
>
> If the Board needs to vote on the ED-Board member issue, then it should
> be voted on first before you offer me the job.
>
> J.
________________________________________________________________
> From: Jose Cordeiro <jose_cordeiro at yahoo.com>
> Date: Thu May 20, 2004  11:53:45 pm US/Eastern
> To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: RE: [wtaboard] Appeal for support
> Reply-To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
> James, could you please explain what this means?
>  
> "You could of course decide that I couldn't serve as ED while on the
> Board, but then you would need to find a new ED."
________________________________________________________________
> From: "Hughes, James J." <james.hughes at trincoll.edu>
> Date: Fri May 21, 2004  9:33:39 am US/Eastern
> To: "WTA Board of Directors List" <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: RE: [wtaboard] Appeal for support
> Reply-To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
>> "You could of course decide that I couldn't serve as ED while
>> on the Board, but then you would need to find a new ED."
>
> I am no longer willing to give up my seat on the Board in order to
> become ED. If you want me to serve as ED then you need to allow me to
> retain my seat on the Board.
________________________________________________________________
> From: Harvey Newstrom <mail at HarveyNewstrom.com>
> Date: Fri May 21, 2004  7:05:39 pm US/Eastern
> To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: Re: [wtaboard] Appeal for support
>
> James, thanks for the update in a previous post.
>
> I don't think it is clear that you were voted ED by the Board.  Bruce  
> and I didn't participate, so we clearly didn't vote for you.  I think  
> it was reported that Theo didn't participate, so I don't know that he  
> voted for you.  Jose was there, but didn't seem to realize that you  
> had already been voted ED, so I don't think he voted for you.  And to  
> avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, I don't think you  
> should be allowed to chair the meeting, vote for yourself, and declare  
> yourself winner by acclaim without counting votes, and document your  
> own victory in your own minutes as secretary.  It is possible that you  
> were allegedly hired with five or fewer votes.
>
> I think we should have discussed this on the wta2004 forum without  
> James, and held a clear vote not chaired, counted, acclaimed and  
> documented by James.  This would have documented a clear decision by  
> the Board with no possible appearance of a conflict of interest.  The  
> current declaration does not avoid the appearance of a conflict of  
> interest.  And worse, we have some Board members (Jose) apparently  
> unaware that they supposedly unanimously voted to hire James.  I think  
> a vote of this importance simply must be made with all members and  
> clearly documented and counted correctly.
>
> --
> Harvey Newstrom, CISSP, CISA, CISM, IAM, IBMCP, GSEC
> <HarveyNewstrom.com>
________________________________________________________________
> From: Nick Bostrom <nick.bostrom at philosophy.oxford.ac.uk>
> Date: Fri May 21, 2004  7:36:50 pm US/Eastern
> To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: Re: [wtaboard] Appeal for support
> Reply-To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
> I think it's an obvious decision to confirm James as ED, and I too  
> seem to remember that we voted on this (unanimously) in Ox. However,  
> if there's any ambiguity, I guess the easiest way to fix it would be  
> to have another vote. (I tried posting a vote some time back on the  
> -2004 list but I never saw it appear so I think it didn't "take").
________________________________________________________________
> From: "J Hughes" <jhughes at changesurfer.com>
> Date: Fri May 21, 2004  7:30:41 pm US/Eastern
> To: "'WTA Board of Directors List'" <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: RE: [wtaboard] Appeal for support
> Reply-To: jhughes at changesurfer.com, WTA Board of Directors List  
> <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
>> I think we should have discussed this on the wta2004 forum
>> without James, and held a clear vote not chaired, counted,
>> acclaimed and documented by James.
>
> Just vote. The perpetual hostility is unhelpful.
> The place to start discussing this with my having to overhear is:
> wtaboard2004 at yahoogroups.com
________________________________________________________________
> From: Jose Cordeiro <jose_cordeiro at yahoo.com>
> Date: Fri May 21, 2004  8:11:07 pm US/Eastern
> To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: [wtaboard] Oxford meeting
> Reply-To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
> Just to help clarify and remember a few things about our meeting in  
> Oxford and subsequent discussions:
>  
> 1. There was never any vote about James or anyone having any formal  
> paid position in the WTA.
> 2. There was never any formal nomination of anyone by anyone, instead,  
> a three phase approach was written at the board meeting: first, begin  
> with a low cost approach with someone like Santiago, second, move to a  
> second phase with half a salary with someone like James, and third,  
> move to full time positions.
> 3. The only formal nomination and vote was held here  
> (wtaboard at transhumanism.org) for Santiago Ochoa to begin working for  
> the WTA.
> 4. If was discussed, certainly by me, that a Board member could not  
> also be the ED. Since James offered to resign as a board member, that  
> opened the door for James to become ED eventually.
_______________________________________________________________
> From: "J Hughes" <jhughes at changesurfer.com>
> Date: Fri May 21, 2004  8:35:10 pm US/Eastern
> To: "'WTA Board of Directors List'" <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: [wtaboard] Minutes of the Oxford meeting
> Reply-To: jhughes at changesurfer.com, WTA Board of Directors List  
> <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
>> 3. The only formal nomination and vote was held here
>> (wtaboard at transhumanism.org) for Santiago Ochoa to begin
>> working for the WTA.
>
> These are the verbatim minutes I recorded and which were reflected in  
> the
> minutes you all adopted with minor revisions. This section reflects the
> discussion between 4pm and 6pm, after Peter rejoined us after his  
> doctor's
> appointment:
>
> ---------------------------------------------------
>
> "Executive Director, Staff and Budget Discussion
>
> Peter pushed us to think about creating a full-time staff in the next  
> couple
> of years, and we discussed the need for an Executive Director. J.  
> Hughes was
> nominated as Executive Director to which there was general agreement.
> Discussion then turned to what salary J. Hughes would need to come on
> full-time ($50-$60K per year, with some certainty of continuity over a
> couple of years) and how long it would take to raise this amount.  We  
> also
> discussed whether J. Hughes should remain on the Board as he  
> transitions to
> full-time WTA employee. Peter was of the opinion that it would be  
> feasible
> to have J. Hughes as a Board member so long as he recuses himself from  
> all
> decisions regarding his employment. Otherwise he could be a non-voting  
> Board
> member ex officio.
>
> Nick returned to the theme of interim budget plans, and the idea was
> advanced that the short-term goal should be to use the first few tens  
> of
> thousands of dollars to hire someone like Santiago to provide full-time
> admin support, and then to provide a travel budget for J. Hughes so  
> that he
> can represent the WTA as Executive Director at various meetings, and  
> then to
> begin paying Executive Director salary until it reaches a full-time  
> salary.
>
> (Discussion assumed that Santiago, or whichever supplementary staffer,  
> and
> the Executive Director would work from home. In subsequent discussion  
> Peter
> H. was of the opinion that having multiple addresses in multiple  
> cities was
> far more important than having one established central office.)
>
> 12pm Saturday midnight - Nick Bostrom, José  Cordeiro, Tarik Theo  
> Ibrahim,
> J. Hughes, Mike LaTorra, Giulio Prisco, Mike Treder, Mark Walker
>
> The Board voted unanimously to
> -	adopt the new programmatic agenda
> -	authorize Peter as our fundraising committee
> -	approve the new membership fee and benefits structure
> -	request a budget and status report from George Dvorsky on TV04
> -	endorse the idea of the Transhumanist Professional Network
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
> --
>
> I forgot to include my own appointment as one of the items to vote on  
> at
> that midnight vote, to my chagrin, but there were in fact these five  
> matters
> formally voted on.
________________________________________________________________
> From: Harvey Newstrom <mail at harveynewstrom.com>
> Date: Fri May 21, 2004  10:17:08 pm US/Eastern
> To: jhughes at changesurfer.com, WTA Board of Directors List  
> <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: Re: [wtaboard] Minutes of the Oxford meeting
> Reply-To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
> These minutes, only mention the discussion of hiring staff in the next  
> couple of years.  It only shows that James was Nominated for the  
> position of ED.  They show no vote to accept the nomination.  They  
> show no vote to hire James as ED.  Nothing related to the ED appears  
> in the summary of votes at the bottom.  There was discussion with no  
> voted actions.  Everybody unanimously approved these minutes.
>
> I think it is clear from Jose's accounts and the unanimously approved  
> minutes that James was NOT appointed as ED by the Board during the  
> Oxford meeting.  People are free to make a motion to amend the minutes  
> if they now feel they were inaccurate.  But unless that happens, the  
> official, approved minutes say James was NOT appointed ED.
________________________________________________________________
> From: "J Hughes" <jhughes at changesurfer.com>
> Date: Fri May 21, 2004  11:34:06 pm US/Eastern
> To: "'WTA Board of Directors List'" <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: [wtaboard] Please just vote
> Reply-To: jhughes at changesurfer.com, WTA Board of Directors List  
> <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
> I understand that I don't have the support of Harvey or Jose as ED.
>
> Please just go ahead and vote on the matter and let's move on.
________________________________________________________________
> From: iph1954 at msn.com
> Date: Sat May 22, 2004  12:18:27 am US/Eastern
> To: <jhughes at changesurfer.com>, "WTA Board of Directors List"  
> <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: Re: [wtaboard] Minutes of the Oxford meeting
> Reply-To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
> I don't recall a vote being taken in Oxford for the step of appointing  
> James
> as ED. It seems to me there was a consensus that we wanted to move in  
> that
> direction but no official action was made. And of course the minutes  
> don't
> contradict this.
________________________________________________________________
> From: "Giulio Prisco" <giulio at prisco.info>
> Date: Sat May 22, 2004  1:25:00 am US/Eastern
> To: "WTA Board of Directors List" <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: RE: [wtaboard] Re: Mike's motions
> Reply-To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
> Therefore I am not calling a vote of the issue: it has been settled by  
> a
> previous vote.
________________________________________________________________
> From: "Giulio Prisco" <giulio at prisco.info>
> Date: Tue May 25, 2004  1:12:08 am US/Eastern
> To: "WTA Board of Directors List" <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
> Subject: RE: [wtaboard] Minutes approved at Oxford
> Reply-To: WTA Board of Directors List <wtaboard at transhumanism.org>
>
> Jose, this is pointless void because as Chair I have already ruled that
> James was appointed ED
________________________________________________________________




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