| Harmony Hall Sale | In 2023, BHS has put Harmony Hall up for sale. A buyer has currently expressed interest. Information will be shared as more details develop. NOTE: Commercial Real Estate is nothing like Residential Real Estate – it takes time. Deals fall through and we start over. But there is continued interest. We debated about putting a pause on the sale since our financials were in better shape. Then a new offer came in. This is a long game.
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| Moving after Harmony Hall | Part of Harmony Hall is “missional” and “preservationist”. Are there things we no longer need (or need to do?)? What activities do we need to continue to support? Operations (Harmony Hall) understands what their needs are and what footprint/space is required for missional and preservationist activities and assets. Assets have been defined. A committee will start in August, going through the assets.
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| BHS/HFI Review of Joint Settlement | The settlement agreed to by BHS and HFI in 2023 requires both parties to review the settlement in 2025 and determine if any changes are required based upon our collective experiences over the past couple of years. We continue to meet to define our ongoing relationship in 2026 and beyond.
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| Strategic Planning | The strategic roadmap (Subway map) has been filled out and Harmony Hall will make plans for 2026 and beyond to meet the goals. The SPC will actively address issues that Harmony Hall needs strategic guidance and ensure progress towards strategic growth.
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| Finance | Harmony Hall continues to exceed budget due to favorable attendance at Midwinter and International compared to budget. In the event of the sale of Harmony Hall, the Finance Committee will look at putting the net proceeds in an endowment.
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| CEO Evaluation | Now that the new CEO is hired, we will be aggressive in defining goals for 2026. This is an ongoing committee.
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| Election of Board Members | One of the highest complaints raised by members is how the Society Board elects its members and not having a voice in the election process. In 2024, an independent committee was formed to make recommendations for revisions to the process. SBOD reviewed at the 2025 Midwinter in San Antonio, TX. Working with DPC to understand current roles and processes. We will vote on a couple of modifications at the next Midwinter in Pasadena, CA, to affect 2026. 2025 elections were not affected by future changes. Communication on this is forthcoming.
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| Process for obtaining BHS historical documents | Periodically, requests are made to research documents at Harmony Hall in Nashville, TN. Within all of these materials are sensitive documents that should not be shared. Procedures are now established and requests will be reviewed as received.
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| Moving SBOD committees to Operations | The SBOD is accountable for the long term success of BHS. Its duty is oversight of the organization itself, not its individual members. Two of the SBOD committees historically are member oriented (Ethics and Hall of Fame). The move of Ethics is near complete. Hall of Fame will happen in the second half of the year due to other higher priorities- their work doesn't start until 1Q26.
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| Brand | The SBOD is accountable for the BHS Brand while Harmony Hall develops and executes programs to support the BHS brand. A new “Brand Anthem” was issued in Denver, and tied together several documents (Code of Ethics, Statements of Affirmation, and others).
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| Governance | Almost 20 years ago, the SBOD adopted a Carver model, which provides clarity between governance (SBOD with policies and oversight) and operations (CEO/Harmony Hall). The SBOD has identified gaps in our performance against this model and will work in 2025 to more focused on governance.
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