NAD Fulton III Committee Begins its Work

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) is pleased to announce that cluster leaders for the Fulton III Committee have been chosen and the committee has had its first retreat planning session.

Delegates to the 2002 National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Conference in Washington, DC passed a resolution to form a Fulton III Committee for the purpose of exploring ways to restructure the NAD as a federation, including but not limited to its board, headquarters operations, membership, and representation with an eye to long-term strategy - including ways to overhaul organizational communications, member involvement, and outreach to the public.

The NAD Board of Directors appointed Steven A. Florio of Rhode Island to serve as chair, with Barbara Jean "BJ" Wood of Colorado as vice chair. The Fulton III Committee, with the chair and vice chair, has six members who preside over six Fulton III subcommittees or "clusters".  The six clusters and their leaders are: Advocacy – Howard Rosenblum of Illinois; Leadership-Pamela Lloyd of North Carolina; Membership-Chris Wagner of Florida; Outreach- Nancylynn Ward of California; Revenue- Darlene Zangara of Ohio; and Structure- Rebecca Rosenthal of Kansas.

The work of the Fulton III Committee will continue for two years culminating in recommendations that will be presented to delegates for approval at the 2006 NAD Conference in New Orleans, LA.  During this two-year period, the Fulton III Committee will seek out valuable input, ideas, and suggestions from all who have an interest in the future of the NAD and this process will also offer several opportunities and channels for public comment.

The Fulton III Committee held its first retreat in Denver, Colorado last September to develop its objectives and action planning strategies. Discussions centered on questions such as: "What is NAD to you?", "What kind of organization should NAD be?", "What is one word to describe NAD?", and "Is NAD serving both deaf and hard of hearing? "

During his visit to Denver, NAD President Andy Lange shared his insights on NAD operations, structure, and history. He also said, "I am very excited to see the Fulton III Committee off to such a strong start and I look forward to seeing the committee’s recommendations as we build a more effective NAD."

As a start to Fulton III outreach efforts, a community event was hosted during the same weekend as the retreat with 80 people in attendance.  Fulton III Committee members wore tags with questions such as "How can you join NAD?", "Ask me about the F3", "How can I reach out to people about NAD?", "What does NAD look like?" etc. This proved to be an excellent way for people to share their thoughts and feedback.

"We are seeking public input during 2005 from all across the United States," said Steve Florio and BJ Wood.  "We welcome all recommendations, suggestions and ideas for a stronger and more influential NAD. And if you want to serve on one of the clusters," they continued, "please be sure to regularly check the Fulton III page on the NAD website (within Inside NAD), for background on the committee, ongoing updates, schedule of events, and channels for public feedback."