TAMPA — A wide range of proposed bylaws changes would substantially revise the board of directors of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
The proposals were unveiled and explained during what WBCA president Sue Semrau called the first-ever general session in the organization’s 34-year history.
The “state of the association” meeting, which drew more than 200 coaches attending the WBCA convention, also included an update on various working groups created in 2013 following the release of the Ackerman White Paper.
The proposed board reorganization would reduce the current number of members from 31 to 24 — mostly at the Division I level — and include three “professional sector” positions expected to be from outside the coaching ranks with financial and legal expertise.
All but one of the 24 spots on the board (excluding the secretary) would all be elected, including the high school representative, which has been an appointed position.
The proposals were made in attempt to expand representation on the board across all levels of female basketball — especially at the youth and high school level — and to increase transparency into board and executive-level decisions.
“A lot of the members haven’t been educated,” said Semrau, the Florida State coach, whose two-year WBCA presidency expires this summer. “That’s what we must have right now.” 
She said that much of the sentiment for openness has come at the youth level, admitting that coaches there haven’t always felt like they had a substantial stake in the organization, whose executive committee is dominated by Division I college coaches.
Incoming WBCA president Coquese Washington of Penn State said the current 31-member board makeup has reduced efficiency and effectiveness. In addition to several Division I spots being eliminated, specialty interest positions on the board — for male coaches and the former Black Coaches Association, among others — also would go away.
Washington said every effort will be made to retain the broad diversity that has been represented on the board, and that can be accomplished “organically. . . . The opportunity to be more inclusive of the entire association is critical,” she said.
The bylaw proposals can be reviewed at wbca.org through May 30; WBCA members will then begin voting starting on June 1.
Donehew, presiding over her first WBCA convention since being named executive director last summer, detailed components of the organization’s strategic plan that she first outlined in a “100 day report” in November.
The WBCA has hired Global Prairie, a digital marketing and advertising agency, to conduct a rebranding campaign with “a focus on the future.”
The effort will include looking at the WBCA logo, website and more to sharpen the organization’s identity in comprehensive fashion: “Who we are, what we stand for and what we look like.”
Donehew said discussions are ongoing with MaxPreps, a popular high school sports website, to expand recognition programs for female prep basketball players.
Another new business partnership is with Fast Model Sports, a coaching software developer, to post more Xs and Os information for members on the WBCA website.
The WBCA also will be examining its awards programs, and has hired former NCAA officiating coordinator Debbie Williamson as a consultant to help build out educational and certification programs.
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference commissioner Rich Ensor, a former member of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Committee and the WBCA liaison with the Collegiate Commissioners Association, said the “professional sector” board positions are in line with what many non-profit associations are doing to bring financial and legal services in house.
The treasurer position “most likely” would not be a coach, according to Washington. “We felt it was important that as coaches we can tap into other expertise as we navigate the changing landscape” of college athletics.
