What I’m Hoping For in the Next ABA President

I know exactly what I’m hoping for from the next president (or executive director, or whatever the title becomes) of the American Birding Association: a near-miracle.

I’ve given some thought over the past few days, too, to what I’m hoping for in the next occupant of that musical chair, that is to say, what type of person with what types of qualities I’d like to see representing the ABA to the birding community. I haven’t seen the formal job description prepared by the ABA board, and it’s possible (it’s almost certain) that their preferences are not identical to mine, but that said, as a simple ABA member with no influence over the decisions reached by this latest hiring committee, I can think of several qualifications that I, as a simple ABA member with no influence over the decisions reached by this latest hiring committee, would think of as sine quibus non:

Our new president must be a birder, and a birder of a certain kind. It’s absurd to hire someone who knows nothing about the sport that is the focus of the organization, but it’s important to hire someone with a great deal of sympathy for new and beginning birders; the ideal president would be an elite birder without the least tendency to elitism, someone who while entirely at home in American birding culture also has a thorough understanding of the “outsiders” not yet part of that culture. It’s important to remember that what attracts potential birders is not necessarily a mentor’s expertise but the kindness, generosity, and pedagogic sensitivity with which s/he communicates that expertise. I would love to see a president who can lead a group of beginners, talk to a class of children, and write clearly and precisely about, say, molt or geographic variation or any of the other “cutting edge” topics that interest intermediate and advanced birders. To my mind, we need a person who can bring something to everyone, not just to the experts and not just to the wealthy traveling set. Only in that way would the ABA overcome its undeserved reputation as an organization for the hotshots, and only in that way will the membership grow and diversify.

I believe, too, that our new president should have a history with the organization and a familiarity with its workings. A healthy and well functioning organization might not need that sort of a priori knowledge, but the ABA has reached the point that whoever comes on board needs to hit the ground running (to mix a metaphor or two). There is no time to bring someone entirely innocent up to speed. Ideally, the successful candidate would not only be a long-time member, but would also have experience over the years as a volunteer or even as a member of the ABA staff.

I also think it important that the new president know–and enjoy the confidence of–the current staff and those members of the board of directors who stay on after the hiring. Very little has been said of this in public, but it is the professional ABA staff, hard-working and underpaid, who have suffered most day to day from the poor hiring decisions of the board, and I would want to know that the new president would understand and have the intellectual capacity to support the staff’s efforts when he or she finds them meritorious.

Nearly as important is the relationship between the president and the board. I would hope for a president whose confidence and sense of right would be strong enough to resist poor ideas and unsound advice; that confidence is likely found only in someone who already has experience in working with the board of a non-profit organization. I suspect that anyone with that sort of experience will also have dealt with fundraising, an important part of any president’s portfolio given the state of the ABA’s finances.

All of these skills and qualities, of course, are no good if they’re hidden under the institutional bushel. An occasional half page in Winging It just doesn’t cut it when it comes to inspiring enthusiasm among the membership. The new president must be someone with experience, expertise, and a sense of excitement about “new media.” It is no overstatement to say, as others have time and again, that most of the newest crop of birders finds a greater and more satisfying sense of community on the internet than in a club or organization. One of the ways the ABA can regain the position of leadership in that community is to establish a strong and consistent online voice that is distinctly and distinctively ABA; the organization, through its president, should seem like something everyone would want to be part of.

Whoever takes this job on is going to be walking uphill for a long time–but if she or he can save an organization so dear to my heart, it’ll be more than worth it. Here’s wishing the hiring committee a healthy dose of wisdom!