Success StoryRevitalization of Northern Kentucky Horse Network Leadership



Revitalization of Northern Kentucky Horse Network Leadership

Author: Michelle Simon

Planning Unit: Campbell County CES

Major Program: Equine

Plan of Work: Agriculture and Natural Resource Education - Equine Education

Outcome: Long-Term Outcome

The Northern Kentucky Horse Network started in 2006 as a joint effort of Northern Kentucky ANR Agents, Conservation Districts and local leaders with an equine interest for the purpose of offering educational resources and opportunities for all horse enthusiasts, from business owners to weekend riders that include all breeds and disciplines. Their mission, in addition to their purpose, is to protect the horse population, provide recreational opportunities, encourage sound management practices, promote agri-tourism and interest in the local horse industry and encourage the Northern KY region to become a model equine community for all disciplines and breeds. Since 2006, the NKHN has continued to grow and expand from the original foundation that was built. As most organizations experience, growth comes with challenges. The NKHN included an annual Board of Directors retreat when they developed their bylaws to address challenges as they arise. Campbell County ANR Agent, Michelle Simon, in her joint advisory role to the NKHN worked with other Northern Kentucky ANR Agents to host the annual retreat for the NKHN board of directors. The NKHN has experienced growing pains when the original leadership had retired from their roles and were working through the transition of working as a team with new members and new additions to the association. Coupled with the struggles of Covid, the association’s membership numbers declined by more than half; very few of the directors attended board meetings, the board meetings were not following Robert’s Rules of order and members had become frustrated with how business was being conducted and the attendance at events like the Equine Conference had dropped from 300 to 20. The NKHN board of directors were at a loss for how to build back their membership numbers, regain the strength of the board of directors and improve the attendance at their events. Michelle Simon volunteered to assist with the leadership challenges for the annual retreat to strengthen the core of the association and work from there to tackle the other challenges. Michelle coordinated with Nikki Whitaker, Kentucky Cattleman’s Association, to teach a refresher course of parliamentary procedure and set up a Microsoft Teams account for the NKHN board to use to improve communication and sharing of reports. Since the board retreat in February, the attendance at the board meetings has doubled, the board follows parliamentary procedures and board members feel they have a voice again. The communication has greatly improved- Teams has allowed them to share meeting minutes and treasurer reports instantly, in addition to historical documents for reference when planning. They have utilized the online meeting capability which has enabled more members attend meetings with busy schedules and still conduct business. The Equine Conference has recovered back to attendance like they had prior to covid and there is a growing interest in the NKHN. The retreat tasks were relevant to the needs of the board and those tools have worked in revitalizing the NKHN!






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