President M. Urbonas called the MACA Board Meeting to order on ZOOM at 7:33 PM. Nine people were in attendance: President Michael Urbonas, Vice President Kateryna Odnorozhenko, Clerk Nicholas Sterling, Treasurer Colin Scheriff, Board Directors Bob Messenger, Mark Gruman, Ray Xue, Rishi Devata, Dmitry Barash.

Membership: B. Messenger presented the Membership Report. The only change from the last Report was the passing away of two Life Members: Stephen Dann and John Ogni.

Chess Program Development Fund Proposal: (i) The Board discussed R. Xue's proposal for a Chess Program Development Fund to support starting new chess programs in schools, libraries, and community centers. Unlike the existing Living Memorial Chess Fund (LMCF), which provides chess sets, the Chess Program Development Fund would fund the cost of new chess club teacher-organizers. (ii) The Board agreed the proposal should be referred to the Community Outreach Committee for further development of the grant application process and funding details, rather than creating a separate fund immediately. (iii) Key next steps include the Committee developing specific criteria for grant applications, determining funding amounts, and creating a process for outreach to potential program hosts. 

(iv) *** MOTION 0626-01 made by M. Urbonas and seconded by B. Messenger to move this agenda item from the Board to the Community Outreach Committee for further action and recommendation.  The VOTE was taken; the MOTION passed UNANIMOUSLY. ***

CORI Policy: (i) The Board discussed a CORI policy proposal presented by M. Urbonas. The proposed policy is based on a MA Department of Criminal Justice Information Systems (DCJIS) model policy template, adapted for MACA. The policy indicates the Vice President has primary responsibility for CORI forms, required identification verification (including options for in-person or video conference identification verification as allowed under MA state law), and submitting and receiving CORI checks via the DCJIS iCORI system. Additionally, in the event the Vice President is unavailable, the President may perform these responsibilities. The Board agreed to simplify the policy language to state more clearly that all Tournament directors, staff members and volunteers are required to undergo CORI checks. K. Odnorozhenko suggested starting with certified TDs first due to time constraints before the New England Open Tournament to be held this Labor Day weekend. (ii) The Board also clarified the policy to indicate that the Chief TD/Chief Organizer (typically B. Messenger) is to be advised of any criminal records received from DCJIS CORI reports. M. Urbonas confirmed (based on an earlier conversation with DCJIS representatives) that the CORI policy applies to all TDs, staffers and volunteers, including minors. The Board agreed to make the policy effective after the New England Open to allow sufficient time for implementation. The Board also agreed to allow emergency exceptions to the policy to be made by the President. (iii) *** MOTION 0626-02 made by M. Urbonas and seconded by

C. Scheriff to adopt the CORI policy. The VOTE was taken; the MOTION passed UNANIMOUSLY. ***

TD Pay Policy: (i) The Board discussed a proposed new TD Pay (ii) C. Scheriff also presented the rewording of an alternative policy and shared actual pay data from the Mass Open to illustrate potential financial impacts. (iii) The Board also reviewed the historical policy from 2024 and discussed concerns about the $30 hourly rate for FIDE Tournaments, with B. Messenger clarifying that this rate should only be used when specifically needed to attract outside qualified directors. (iv) The Board further discussed Tournament director compensation, with C. Scheriff noting that the labor costs (TD fees) for the recent 2026 Massachusetts Open was reduced by $1,000 due to donated TD labor, resulting in a $2,500 Tournament profit (surplus) instead of $1,500. (v) C. Scheriff proposed clarifying the TD policy language to better define independent contractor status (noting they receive 1099 forms for tax filing purposes) and remove outdated daily hour caps, though he emphasized that this was not intended to change current practices. (vi) *** MOTION 0626-03 made by M. Urbonas and seconded by B. Messenger to TABLE any vote on the TD policy with plans to continue the discussion at a time TBD. The VOTE was taken; the MOTION passed UNANIMOUSLY. ***

Tournament Financial Management Updates: The Board focused on financial updates and Tournament management. (i) M. Gruman requested detailed information on Tournament profitability and staffing needs to better understand how cost increases might affect finances and how to encourage more low-level volunteers. (ii) C. Scheriff presented updated quarterly financial exhibits and Tournament summary reports, which M. Urbonas commended as significant improvements following the system conversion to QuickBooks Online. (iii) D. Barash reminded the team about a comprehensive Google document tracking MACA Tournament attendance dating back to 2000, which C. Scheriff noted would be helpful for historical data collection. (iv) The Board also briefly discussed upcoming Community Outreach Committee Boards where additional questions would be addressed.

MACA Policy Manual: (i) C. Scheriff presented his initial work in progress extracting and compiling Board motions and votes, automatically identified and extracted from historical Board Meeting Minutes using the Notion enterprise software platform, which he hopes will serve as a foundation for developing a policies and procedures manual. (ii) B. Messenger and M. Urbonas discussed the importance of distinguishing between temporary motions and permanent policy motions that should be documented. 

Committee Chairs: The Board opened the floor for nominations for Committee Chairs for the upcoming year, with the following self-nominations made: (i) B. Messenger for Tournament Committee Chair; (ii) D. Barash for Scholastic Committee; (iii) R. Devata for Communications and Social Media; (iv)  R. Xue for Community Outreach; (v) K. Odnorozhenko for Women’s Chess; (vi) C. Scheriff for Governance Committee and Website Committee; (vii) M. Urbonas for Finance Committee Chair. All Committee Chair nominations were unopposed. (viii) *** MOTION 0626-04 made by M. Urbonas and seconded by B. Messenger to close the nominations. The VOTE was taken; the MOTION passed UNANIMOUSLY.***  Accordingly, the above-noted nominees were named Chairs of their respective Committees.

President M. Urbonas adjourned the Meeting at 9:24 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Nicholas Sterling, Clerk

Further Steps: none currently listed

Further Further Actions taken after this Meeting: J. Williams RESIGNED from MACA on 08-13-2026.