Approve the minutes of regular meeting of the AOAP Board of Directors held on November 19, 2025
3.2 TREASURER’S REPORT
ACTION:
Approve the December Treasurer’s Report dated November 30, 2025
ADJORNMENT
ACTION:
Adjourn to the next Board of Directors meeting to be held on January 21, 2026, at 2:30 p m CST via Zoom
ITEM 1.1:
ASSOCIATION OF AQUATICS PROFESSIONALS
COMMITTEE REPORTS
DESCRIPTION: The Committee Reports for regular meetings held since the November Board of Directors meeting have been submitted for review.
RECOMMENDATION: Approve any action items submitted by the Committees.
ATTACHMENTS:
Conference Education Committee December Report
Professional Development December Report
No Report Submitted:
● Drowning Prevention Committee
● Governance
● Director’s School
● Tech School Committee
Conference Education Committee
Monthly Committee Report, November/December 2025
Committee Members
Co-Chairs Gwen Willcox & Kate Connell
Committee Members Ashley Ingram, Helena Machado, SJ Idel, Bill Frazier, Amanda Payne, Amy Smith, Brooke Bothun, Christopher Drummond, Dustin Kephart, Erika Brayton, Holly Glainyk, Jeff Fryer, Jessica Jervay-bush, Jodi Layton, Kate Dennis, Kevin Cronin, Kristen Post, Mari-Lynn Latta, Mary Welton, Nayeli Trejos, Patrick Wolfe, Tanner Pavicich
Activity Summary
The Education Committee did not meet this month In January, we will add all room host assignments to SignUpGenius before the registration date of January 16th. An email will also be sent out explaining how to sign up on the platform and the requirements for each committee member
Upcoming tasks include:
January 2026 - Sign up on Sign Up Genius - Signing Up Genius for Room Hosting
Duties - Due January 16, 2025
January 20, 2026, 1 PM PST Next Committee Meeting to explain room hosting duties and any updates, etc, prior to the beginning of the conference.
Action Items
No action needed at this time
2025 / 2026 Committee Goals
Goal
Use session evaluations and after-conference survey results to determine future topics for sessions.
Evaluate speaker agreements to ensure they include speaker expectations and best practices that make speakers successful.
Add a guide to sessions to identify which sessions are geared toward beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels, or all three levels, etc.
Target Date
May 8, 2025
Progress Notes
Completed
August 15, 2025 Ongoing will be completed as soon as possible
August 15, 2025 This was added to the session proposal form. We will highlight some sessions that are geared towards each level in the conference brochure.
Blog Topics & Timelines
Topic/ Author Target
SJ Idel- Why Every Aquatic Professional Should Attend AOAP at least once
Kristen Post, Mary Welton - AOAP Survival Guide: How to Make the Most of Your Conference Experience
12/15/25
Complete
12/8/25 Being Reviewed
Kate Connell (featured sessions) Post-? In Progress
Webinar Topics & Timelines
Topic/ Author
Patrick Wolfe, Mari-Lynn Wilson “Why attend the AOAP Conference as a New Aquatic Professional” ?
In Progress
“Tips on Being an Engaging Speaker” Looking for a presenter ? In Progress
Professional Development Committee
Monthly Committee Report, December 2025
Committee Members
Chair Joey LaNeve
Committee Members
Activity Summary
Ashley Ingram, Tammy Jaster, Christopher Drummond, Kevin Cronin, Christopher Dreybus, Eric Hammerstein-Kahn
Summarize the activities of the committee since the last Board meeting
Met Nov 20 to discuss PD competitive analysis. Determined some key areas AOAP may be able to provide more opportunities for PD within its membership
● Attracting younger members (young professional school)
● “Cohort” networking
Action Items
If there are items which need action from the Board of Directors, please list them here If there are no actions needed, note “No action needed” in this section.
Review and finalize AqP Presentation
2025 / 2026 Committee Goals
Goal
Build a resume review program
Grow the mentorship
Target Date
November 2025
October 2025
Progress Notes
program by 25% to 15 pairs
Increase AqP designations by 10 persons February 2026
Blog Topics & Timelines
Topic/ Author Target Date Status Update
AqP - How to Navigate / Ashley February 28, 2025
Resume Tips & Tricks / Tammy Jaster October 1, 2025
2025 / 2026 Committee Webinar Topics & Timelines
Topic/ Presenter Target Date Status Update
AqP Update April 2025
ITEM
1.2:
ASSOCIATION OF AQUATICS PROFESSIONALS
SUB-COMMITTEE REPORTS
DESCRIPTION: The Committee Reports for regular meetings held since the November Board of Directors meeting have been submitted for review.
RECOMMENDATION: Approve any action items submitted by the Committees.
ATTACHMENTS: Member Engagement & Communication December Report Scholarship, Raffle & Silent Auction December Report Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Justice
No Meetings to Report: ● Research Liaison
Member Engagement Sub-Committee
Monthly Committee Report, December 2025
Committee Members
Chair Joey LaNeve
Committee Members Donita Grinde-Houtman, Manda Groff, Christopher Dreybus, Elizabeth Story, Daniel Peters, Katie Paul, Stevie Weeks
Activity Summary
Summarize the activities of the committee since the last Board meeting
Action Items
If there are items which need action from the Board of Directors, please list them here. If there are no actions needed, note “No action needed” in this section
2025 / 2026 Committee Goals
Create a “New Member Welcome Guide” to outline member benefits October 1, 2025
Evaluate this committee’s roles and responsibilities April 2025
Progress Notes
Completed
Awards and Years of Service goals February 2026
Blog Topics & Timelines
Topic/ Author Target Date Status Update
Member Benefits / Joey LaNeve May 2025
Award Program February 2026
2025 / 2026 Committee Webinar Topics & Timelines
Topic/ Presenter Target Date Status Update
Swim School Roundtable October 2025
Non-Profit Roundtable November 2025
Scholarship & Silent Auction Sub-Committee
Monthly Committee Report, December 9, 2025
Committee Members
Co-Chairs
Craig Merkey & Gwen Willcox
Committee Members Bob Bradley, Bill Frazier-AB, Ashley Chism, Tammy Jaster-AB, Bill O’Melia-AB, Katie Paul, Cory Hilderbrand
Activity Summary
● Reviewed progress from each committee member and will update the spreadsheet.
● Coordinated a ball donation for pick up by Bill O’Melia
● Potentially 2 vendors to return to exhibit hall.
● Continue working on donations.
● Letter to be sent first week in January to newly added vendors as well as those vendors that haven’t responded yet.
● Again, money can be venmo’ed to Kirsten for wine, please let me know how many bottles so I can add it to our tracking sheet! We want to make sure we do not end up with too much extra that doesn’t sell like last year.
● Thanks to a great committee for their progress so far!
● Our goal for wine bottles is 130.
● Next Meeting will be Tuesday, Jan, 13 at 1pm Eastern Time.
Action Items
No action needed
2025 / 2026 Committee Goals
Goal
Target Date
Progress Notes
Increase total donations by 10% over 2025 Conference Conference 2026 Working on ideas to reach goal.
Come up with a new idea to replace the cork pull Conference 2026 Goal of 130 Bottles.
Review the scholarship process June 15, 2025 Sent link to all members to review.
Blog Topics & Timelines
Topic/ Author
New scholarship process
DEIJ-Access Committee
Monthly Committee Report, December
Committee Members
Chair Kate Connell
Committee Members Alan Mogridge, Jennifer Ayers-Miller, Paula Hardin, Kate Dennis, Mari-Lynn Latta, Patrick Wolfe, Deanna Main
Activity Summary
Had meeting last week.
Attendance
1 Alan M
2 JJ A-M
3. Diamante H.
4 Mari-Lynn L
2 Webinar
1. Mari-Lynn moved webinar to March, as I'm presenting a beginner DEI webinar in January, the actionable part two to that session at conference, and ending with the barriers session in March instead since it made more sense flow wise for people looking to build on information.
2 January - "Advancing DEI in Aquatics: Understanding the Why", February"Putting DEI into Action: Practical Tools for Aquatics Teams", March - "Assessing Barriers to Entry for Aquatics Employment to Hire and Retain Staff"
3 Conference Sessions
1. Interested in a Meet-Up. Might be fun to do a coffee or lunch time meet-up?
Please share thoughts
4 Education
1. Anybody have updates on blog post drafts?
2 Still haven't heard from those working on spotlight posts and where we are with that?
5 Survey Feedback
1 The survey launched: https://www surveymonkey com/r/JH6VZZL
2 Please share the link on your socials
3. Looking for volunteers to help with analyzing data.
6 General Updates
1. Any update from Kate D. And your people?
2. Final meeting in January!
Action Items
“No action needed”
2025 / 2026 Committee Goals
Goal
Target Date
Increase scholarship applications by 20% Next Cycle
Progress Notes
N/A
Create Board Composition Document February 2026 In progress
Highlight / feature “Access in Aquatics” spots to provide opportunities for replication, inspiration and information February 2026 In progress
Blog Topics & Timelines
Topic/ Author
The Importance of DEIJ Training for Staff November Published
2025 / 2026 Committee Webinar Topics & Timelines
Topic/ Presenter
Access / TBD
ITEM
3.1:
ASSOCIATION OF AQUATICS PROFESSIONALS
BOARD OF DIRECTOR’S MINUTES
DESCRIPTION: The Board of Directors meeting minutes for the regular meeting held on November 19, 2025, have been submitted for review by the AOAP Secretary on November 25, 2025. The minutes are inclusive of all items discussed during the meeting and have been submitted for the entire Board of Directors review no later than Friday, December 12, 2025.
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the AOAP Board of Directors held on November 19, 2025.
ATTACHMENT: AOAP Board of Directors meeting minutes, November 19, 2025
Board of Directors Meeting Notes
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Meeting Called to order at 2:33 pm Central Time
I. Roll Call-
a) Attendees: Bob Bradley, Donita Grinde -Houtman, Manda Groff, Cory Hilderbrand, SJ Idel, Tammy Jaster, Joey LaNeve, Craig Merkey, Bill O’Melia, Gwen Wilcox, Kate Connell, Bob Kappel, Nathalie Martin, Juliene Hefter, Kirsten Barnes
b) Excused: Ashley Ingram, Alan Mogridge, Mark Basnight
c) Not Present: Bill Fraizer, Helena Machado
II. Announcements
a) no announcements at this time
III. Committee Reports:
a) Conference Education: Gwen Wilcox and Kate Connell, Co-Chairs
o Members proofed the brochure and sent in edits for Kirsten to update
o Next big meeting will be in January to focus on room hosting
o
b) Drowning Prevention: Manda Groff, Chair
o Committee ranked all lifejacket and swim lesson grant applications - awarded 200 lifejackets across seven agencies and $5000 in swim lesson grants to five agencies
o Submitted blog post “What could go wrong with sing guard shifts” awaiting review for December posting
o One more blog post in progress “State Codes Versus Best Practices”
c) Governance: Cory Hilderbrand, Chair
o Met last week and went over budget
o Continue to prepare for conference and retreat
d) Director’s School
o Director’s school is all set
o Almost everyone has turned in their handouts
o
e) Tech School: Bob Kappel, Chair
o Met earlier this week and covered a lot of ground
o Most everyone is committed, and all slots are filled except one
Board of Directors Meeting Notes
o All sessions have been submitted except two.
o Just need to have discussion on details about what is needed for the welding session (Open air, protective cover, etc.)
f) Professional Development: Joey LaNeve, Chair
o Meeting on Thursday November 20
o Going over competitive analysis and how we compare to other professional organizations
o
IV. Sub-Committees Reports:
a) Member Engagement/Communication: Joey LaNeve, Chair
o Met before board meeting and discussed social media
o Kirsten sent data about where most interactions came from through social media- Facebook had the highest interactions, which may tell us that we aren’t engaging as well with younger professionals as we are with the older population
b) Scholarship/Raffle/Silent Auction: Craig Merkey and Gwen Wilcox, Co-Chairs
o Committee met last week
o All letters went out to current exhibitors and donations are starting to come in
o We will be using Zephy for tracking donations
o Committee working on going through previous conference spreadsheets of past donors and reaching out to people who have donated before and trying to add new donors
o Cork Pull- Kirsten offered to buy wine in Colorado and bring it to the conference, so we don’t have to pack wine in bags.
c) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice: Kate Connell, Chair
o Committee met last month
o Current survey on aquatic programming and neurodiversity has been sent out, and members are encouraged to complete it.
d) Research: Nathalie Martin
o Continuing to work on potential partnerships
o Working on strategy for conference, launching the education piece focused on research in the aquatic sphere
V. Additions and Deletions
a) All things aquatics, a group on Facebook, a couple of challenges with this group, using AOAP tag lines and mirroring AOAP’s marketing materials. While AOAP supports aquatics education, it is important to protect our intellectual property. If
Board of Directors Meeting Notes
board members see any questionable content, please report to Juliene, Kirsten or Cory.
VI. Executive Director Report:
o We have had a lot of conference registrations come in
o Working with partner group contracts for this upcoming year and 2027, to make sure we have enough rooms booked and spaces booked for expanding
o Working on agreement and renewing insurance, working on renewing everything for Pheedloop and the new HubSpot system that will replace Constant Contact.
o Taking care of our featured speakers and getting everything set for them.
o Handling master billing for the resort and conference activities.
o Lots of questions coming in, lots of new exhibitors, and lots of returning companies
o Working on renewal of sponsorship agreements for after the conference. Working on a perk if they want to sign up for 2 years instead of one.
o Working with Bob Kappel for ProMinent meeting in conjunction with AOAP
o United State Swim School Association is doing their spring workshop in conjunction with AOAP
VII. Assistant Director Report:
o IACET certification application has been submitted, and we should hear today about next steps
o Mark and Kirsten attended WWA and AB and got to talk to a lot of vendors and had a good chance to catch up with sponsors
o Recorded new PSA with Elizabeth Beisel, hopefully will share those in the next few weeks
o Kirsten and Juliene presented a webinar for PlayCore on inclusive design in programming across generations
o On our online platform we had: 36 on demand courses purchased, 1 AqP renewal and hosted a live webinar on Oct 30, and new webinar scheduled for Nov 20 and two more in December
o DEIJ survey is out and closes next Wednesday
o Finalized new board member orientation video, and that has been sent out
Board of Directors Meeting Notes
o Social media conference speaker previews, sponsor spotlights come out next week, and hosted speaker welcome call on Oct 30
o Kirsten encourages supporting the upcoming Giving Tuesday campaign, with Safety First Aquatics, agreeing to match the first $1,500 in donations.
VIII. Deputy Director Report:
o Mark has been working on getting new exhibitors and got some really great feedback
o Got positive feedback about AOAP conferences and how much exhibitors really love our conferences and always advocate for AOAP conferences
IX. Minutes -
a) October 2025 minutes
o Motion to approve - Joey LaNeve
o Seconded by- Gwen Wilcox
o Motion Carried- passed as written
X. Treasurer’s Report
a) This is the first month of the year with a decreased account balance, this is because Juliene goes ahead and makes large payments for the upcoming conference. We take in most of the revenue in 2025 for our 2026 conference, so we pay as much as we can in the current year, since that is when we take in most of the revenue
b) October 2025 Treasure’s Reports
o Motion to approve report- Craig Merkey
o Seconded by- Donita Grinde -Houtman
o Motion passed- approved as written
XI. Proposed 2026 AOAP Budget
a) Motion to approve the 2026 AOAP Budget
o Motion to approve by Manda Groff
o Seconded by Craig Merkey
o Motion to approve - passed as written
XII. Adjournment
o Next meeting: Wednesday, December 17, 2025, 2:30 PM CST via Zoom
Meeting adjourned at 3:05 pm CT
ASSOCIATION OF AQUATICS PROFESSIONALS
ITEM 3.2: TREASURER’S REPORT
DESCRIPTION: The November Treasurer’s Report has been prepared for review by the Board of Directors. The report shows revenues of $946,891.22 and expenditures of $825,679.35 with a balance of $121,211.87. Additionally, the overall account balance is $850,889.08.
RECOMMENDATION: Approve the August Treasurer’s Report dated November 30, 2025.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. November 2025 Treasurer’s Report
2. 2025 Budget Workbook Report
Lesson and Life Jacket Grants (New Deadlines of March 1 and August 1)
