Sigh. My latest, latest letter to RWA. Keeping you all informed, but also posting these as I send because RWA isn’t answering anybody and I have no plans to see my voice lost in the void that has become the RWA leadership.

My letter, sent 1/4/2020 @ 9pm approx.

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FYI, I do hope that somebody is reading and taking these emails to heart.  I suspect at least a few are, but considering that at least one board member, Ms. Szereto, is apparently helping to spread Damon Suede’s false narrative that RWA will flounder and fall without him, I just wanted to make a few things clear.

There are rumors going around that the board is considering resigning en masse so RWA goes into receivership.

First… if you want the romance community to look on in shock and horror as you burn your careers to the ground, well, I guess you can take that route.

Second…when you joined the board, you signed on with the understanding that your responsibility was to the membership…whether you got that memo or not.

Again, your responsibility lies with the membership, not to the president, or the ED or anybody else. The membership.

Resigning en masse could lead to the org going into receivership, and from my understanding, that doesn’t mean the organization will be dissolved, either. I suspect, with three million in assets, the courts would look at what the membership wants. And many of us authors would also likely to reach out to voices in positions of authority in the field and ask them to flex their voices, so to speak, as well.

However, resigning en masse simply to bring this about could likely be considered recklessness.

Yep. Recklessness.

And recklessness, along with willful misconduct, are two things that allow board members and directors of nonprofits to be sued personally.
Willful misconduct could involve, I’d think, shady tricks with the Code of Ethics, strongly encouraging somebody to file a bullshit ethics complaints.

I also believe that neglect of duties was a touchy area that opens board members up to liability.

If the staff of a nonprofit is engaged in misconduct and these actions are missed through a lack of oversight, then the board…well, you get the picture.

In the long run, it really would be to the benefit of everybody if Damon Suede resigned — or was removed by the vote of the sitting board members, as he really isn’t eligible, and anybody else involved in this bullshit mess also stepped down.

Because if you haven’t figured it out, we’re not letting you drag RWA down into the dirt on your way out. As always, BCC’d to a lawyer friend and yes, this will go up on the blog and the forum.  For transparency’s sake.