I have stayed on the sidelines for much of the discussions on the board recently as I did not want to interject as to why the ANA does or doesn't do something. If asked I will reply but in this case I feel something needs to be said.

The ANA holds two board meeting sessions, one right after the other. Depending upon if we are holding live sessions (like at the convention) or zoom sessions one will be either before or after the other.

The first is Executive sessions. These are generally restricted to: contracts, donations (we have an approval process), discipline matters, staffing matters any legal issues. All other agenda items are taken care of in Open session. Open sessions are just that, open to members and non-members alike.

Now who is allowed to speak in Open session depends on the President and the Agenda Item. Nothing new can be added to the agenda once it is set 2 weeks prior to the board meeting. This allows the board members to ask questions and get additional information to make an informed decision. In live meetings we do open it up what we call a town meeting allowing attendees to ask questions of the board. No action will be taken on these matters as they were not on the set agenda