The first half of the meeting? Smooth sailing. We were talking about goals, priorities, the usual - everyone was engaged, voices were being heard. It was almost… cordial.
And then we hit the policy motion.
That’s when Board President Donna Carey shifted gears. Suddenly, the open exchange of ideas became a race to the finish line - her finish line.
Nick Demsak spoke up, reminding everyone that he’d followed the process, submitted feedback, asked his questions… and gotten nothing back. No answers. No acknowledgment. Just silence. You’d think that would prompt a little discussion, right? Not with Donna.
Instead, she gave us a verbal shrug: “If we want to change it later, we can. But let’s vote now.”
Translation? We’re done here. I want this passed.
It was clear - painfully clear - that unless your feedback matched Donna’s plan, it didn’t have a seat at the table. Alternative viewpoints weren’t hurdles to be considered; they were speed bumps to roll over on the way to her preferred outcome.
And the irony? This was the moment where the board could have modeled collaboration. Instead, it felt like a pre-scripted ending, with the “discussion” part just there to tick a box.
So here’s the takeaway: healthy governance means listening to every perspective, even the ones that make you rethink your position. Last night, it was obvious that if your perspective didn’t align with Donna Carey’s, it wasn’t going anywhere - except under the wheels of the vote she wanted.