Encore Bylaws Update 2026

Proposed Amended and Restated Encore Bylaws – Board Review

Hi all,

As we’ve previously discussed, I am proposing that we adopt new Bylaws for Encore, and I’m circulating the attached proposed Amended and Restated Bylaws for your review and input before we present them to the membership.

I’ve worked closely with Stacey on the proposed Bylaws and the governance structure reflected in them. She has agreed to continue helping me work through Board feedback and incorporate appropriate revisions as we move toward a final draft.

The proposed Bylaws are intended primarily to simplify and clarify how Encore is governed and to better align our governance structure with the size, purpose, budget, and relatively limited risk profile of the organization. As we’ve experienced, the formal governance and administrative requirements of even a small nonprofit can consume an inordinate amount of volunteer Board time. The goal is to maintain appropriate accountability, Member oversight, and financial controls while allowing us to spend more of our time actually supporting the Performing Arts Department and its students.

I’ve also included an Executive Summary that explains the principal changes and the thinking behind them. I recommend starting there before working through the full Bylaws. Among other things, the proposal clarifies the respective roles of the Members and Board, simplifies Board and Officer administration, formalizes the Faculty Director role, and establishes a framework for creating, growing, and protecting a Reserve Account as a long-term financial backstop for Encore.

Please take a look and send both Stacey and me any comments, concerns, questions, or proposed changes. These are very much still a proposal, and we want the current Board to have an opportunity to work through the draft before anything is presented to the membership. Stacey and I will work together to address questions and incorporate the Board’s feedback into the next draft.

Assuming we are comfortable with the final version, the plan is to present the proposed Bylaws to the membership for consideration at our Annual Member Meeting, to be held at LHS on the evening of the Ice Cream Social.

If the Members approve the new Bylaws, we will then conduct the annual election of Directors under the new governance structure. The following individuals are currently proposed for nomination as Directors:

·       Dylan Burch

·       Stacey Clune

·       Heather Jakub

·       Lindsay Gore

·       Sara Bechtold

The proposed Bylaws also provide for a Faculty Director, who is designated by the LHS Performing Arts faculty rather than elected by the Members. I will confirm who will serve as the Faculty Director before the Annual Meeting so that the membership has a complete picture of the proposed Board structure at that time.

Following the Director election, the newly elected Board will formally determine the Officer appointments—President, Treasurer, and Secretary—from among the elected Directors. My intent is to carry forward the Officer assignments previously agreed upon by the current Board, subject to the formal action of the newly elected Board:

·       Dylan Burch — President

·       Stacey Clune — Secretary

·       Heather Jakub — Treasurer

Under that structure, Lindsay Gore and Sara Bechtold would serve as Directors-at-Large. The President, Secretary, and Treasurer would also be the three Executive Directors under the proposed Bylaws. These titles do not create different voting rights among Directors; all Directors remain full voting members of the Board. The distinction simply identifies which Directors also carry the responsibilities of an Officer position.

We will also present the Annual Budget Report to the Members for consideration at the Annual Meeting. Heather can present the report as Treasurer, or I am happy to present it if she would prefer. The report is not intended to be an exhaustive, line-by-line accounting or a highly detailed operating budget. Rather, it should give Members a useful and understandable picture of the scope and scale of Encore’s activities, what we expect to fund and support, how we expect to fund those activities, and Encore’s current overall financial position.

I recommend that we meet as a Board to discuss and develop the Annual Budget Report together rather than leaving its preparation entirely to Heather. Heather can provide the underlying financial information, but decisions about our priorities, anticipated activities, fundraising plans, reserve funding, and expected expenditures are matters the Board should work through collectively. We can help put the report together in a format that provides meaningful financial transparency to the Members without creating an unnecessarily detailed or burdensome budgeting exercise.

Please send Stacey and me your thoughts and questions as you review everything. We’d like what we ultimately present to the membership to reflect the current Board’s collective input and to make sure we’ve identified and addressed any concerns beforehand.

Thanks, everyone.

Dylan