Acting President M. Urbonas called the MACA Board Meeting to order on ZOOM. Eight people were in attendance: President Michael Urbonas, Treasurer Robert Messenger, Clerk Nicholas Sterling, Directors Elsie Smits, Colin Scheriff; Kateryna Odnorozhenko, Lawrence Gladding, and one guest: Jamie Williams, founder of the Jamaica Plain Chess Club.

Leadership:  (1) Jamie Williams was unanimously appointed to the board of directors. (2) Two additional open board seats remain available. (3) The board discussed the need for representation from Western Massachusetts to better serve the entire state. (4) M. Urbonas mentioned having contacted a fellow chess club member and TD who recently moved to Northampton, as a potential Western Mass representative. (5) B. Messenger provided background on the relationship between MACA and Western Mass Chess Association (WMCA), led by Ed Kostreba. (6) C. Scheriff and L. Gladding offered to help with directing tournaments in Western Massachusetts if needed.

Tournament: (1) The board is searching for venues following the closure of their regular location at Westford. (2) UMass Amherst has offered discounted space ($1450 total) for potential events in Western Mass. (3) M. Urbonas and D. Barash plan to visit Sheraton Framingham on Tuesday to assess spaces for the Winter Team Challenge. (a) The cost would be approximately $2,480 for four rooms. (b) The spaces would accommodate about 222 players plus Skittles rooms. (c) Concerns were raised about having adequate space for parents and Skittles areas. (4) Once the Winter Team Challenge venue is confirmed, Katarina can proceed with booking a location for the Girls’ Qualifier.

Treasurer & Membership: [ click to view FY Q2 Treasurer's Report ] (1) B. Messenger reported that the organization has approximately $190,000 in total assets across various accounts. (2) The organization showed a loss for the three-month period, primarily due to $2,500 in player travel expenses for national tournaments. (3) The Living Memorial Chess Fund contains about $44,000 in investments, mostly in utility stocks, which have performed well over time.  (4) The Pillsbury Memorial tournament made a profit of almost $1,000, though attendance was down from 160 to 132 players. (5) Membership has increased by 43 players since the last report.

Administration: (1) B. Messenger, M. Urbonas, and C. Scheriff (as alternate) were appointed as delegates to the US Chess delegates meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan (8/8/2026 - 8/9/2026). (2) L. Gladding, K. Odnorozhenko, and E. Smits were appointed to serve as the election commission for 2026. (3) Nominations for officers must be submitted by 3/15, with voting members of record as of 4/1 eligible to vote. (4) The commission will prepare a call for nominations to be sent out in January. (5) E. Smits suggested creating an online form for nominations on the website to improve the process.

Website: (1) After M. Urbonas recused himself, the board discussed his proposal to rebuild the Mass Chess website using WordPress. (2) C. Scheriff recommended separating the core website rebuild ($8,000) from the proposed membership database functionality ($1,500). (3)  The current website was described as outdated, difficult to maintain, and not user-friendly. (4) C. Scheriff prepared questions for M. Urbonas about the proposal that need to be answered before the board could arrive at a consensus. (5) The board agreed to review Colin's questions and add any additional inquiries before sending them to Mike.

Future Actions: (1) M. Urbonas and D. Barash to visit Sheraton Framingham on Tuesday to assess rooms for the Winter Team Challenge. (2) K. Odnorozhenko to book venue for the Girls Qualifier after the Winter Team Challenge venue is confirmed. (3) B. Messenger to explore options for moving funds from Citizens Bank to Vanguard for better returns. (4)  B. Messenger to contact Ed Kostreba about Western Mass Chess Association. (5) M. Urbonas to follow up with George about potential board member from Wachusett Chess Club. (6) M. Urbonas to continue discussions with contact [noted above] about potential board membership representing Western Mass. L. Gladding, K. Odnorozhenko, and E.Smits to organize the election process, beginning with a call for nominations. (7) Board members to review C. Scheriff questions for M. Urbonas’ website proposal and provide feedback within two days. (8) C. Scheriff to compile questions and send them to M. Urbonas for response.

\President M. Urbonas adjourned the Meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Nicholas Sterling, Clerk