The GAMA Board of Directors has withdrawn two recommended resolutions affecting governance of the organization and apologized for a contentious membership meeting on the topic at GAMA Expo. The two resolutions, presented to members in early February as the recommendation of the board, would have lowered the quorum requirement for Membership Meetings from 25% of each member group to 10%, and made it easier to pass bylaw amendments.
The resolutions were discussed at a Special Membership Meeting held March 2 at GAMA Expo, which took some unexpected turns. Early in the meeting, board member John Stephens (retailer division) revealed that he did not support the 10% quorum level recommended by the board and instead supported a 20% level, a view that was later echoed by at least one other board member. Throughout the meeting, there was considerable disagreement over the proposed bylaw changes, both among board members and between Directors and attending members.
Voting on the bylaw changes, which was to begin on March 2, the day of the meeting, was delayed by the board until after its spring working session on Friday, March 6.
On Monday, March 9, the board announced that it was suspending its bylaw recommendations after considering the results of the meeting and would “re-evaluate, and be more mindful before making further recommendations.”
The statement from the board also acknowledged that “…there were members of the Board of Directors who were rude and disrespectful to the membership who came to the event to voice their concerns.”
“This was out of order, unacceptable, and should have been shut down immediately,” the board’s statement continued. “We, the members of your Board of Directors, apologize to all our members… We expect the person leading the meetings to maintain order and insist upon decorum from anyone who is talking part, and that includes members of the Board of Directors.” GAMA President Nicole Brady was chairing the meeting.
The board also apologized to GAMA staff. “[W]e owe an apology to GAMA staff for fueling a discussion that distracted form their spectacular success,” the board said in its statement. “GAMA Expo 2026 was our biggest and best to date thanks to their hard work and dedication.”
Source: ICV2
