I am honored to serve again as your NWHA President and look forward to meeting and engaging with NWHA members across the country this year . I ’ ve served on the NWHA Board of Directors for a number of years , and I ’ m overjoyed with the passion , dedication and ideas your new Board of Directors is bringing to this organization . This team is committed to the success of NWHA and the level of engagement is unmatched .
NWHA continues to operate debt-free , allowing the organization to provide greater value to its members and affiliated and sanctioned events throughout the year . We started 2021 with over $ 58,000 in operating income – the largest in over ten years – and quite an accomplishment while facing the struggles of COVID 19 in 2020 . Our key programs continue to deliver solid profit for our organization :
• NWHA Online Magazine |
$ 1,490 |
• National Program |
$ 1,125 up $ 400 over previous year |
• Merchandise |
$ 902 |
• The National Show |
$ 25,000 |
• Regional Show Income |
$ 4,900 |
Even with the struggles of 2020 , NWHA added 37 new-to-
NWHA memberships , with 12 of those as youth specific
memberships . And interestingly and encouraging , 35 % of the membership exhibited at The National , despite the pandemic !
In late January , we held our first ever VIRTUAL annual meeting . The meeting provided key insights and reports on the financials , as well as regional director and committee reports . We welcomed new Board of Directors to the NWHA team ; Lori Snyder Lowe from Ohio , Susan Ellis from Virginia and Dana Kanstul from California . It is thrilling to welcome new team members with fresh and innovative ideas aimed at driving and improving our organization . We also took the opportunity to recognize and thank our Directors who completed their term ; Mag Ranft from Ohio , John Nagel from Michigan and Beth Jennings from California . Each has worked tirelessly over many years to ensure the success of NWHA and advance sound horse advocacy . My deepest gratitude and thanks to Mag , John and Beth for their service . I ’ d also like to thank Tracy Weier for his service as our Director of Judges this past year . We will have an update in our next issue on the Director of Judges position .
4 NWHA National News | March 2021