Call to order
Jimmy Fontenot called to order and James Poerner opened the session with prayer for the regular meeting of the Texas Taxidermy Association at 6:31 PM on 03-07-2025 in Kerrville, TX.

Roll call
Marie Holdridge conducted a roll call. The following people were present:
Jimmy Fontenot, James Poerner; Marie Holdridge; Roy Holdridge, Ben Cromeens, Cary Jackson, Chad Miller, Courtney Shaheen, Grant Elliott, Jacob Poerner; Jake Carter; Keeley Busbee-Smith, Scott Burton, Sierra Guidry, and Wyatt Seal
Absent - Excused: Melissa Miller, Brian Fees and Dr. Dan McBride.
Guests – Alondra Seal, John Baker, Sarah Elliott and Wyatt Oakley

Quorum Announcement
A quorum is present.

Executive Session
The Board discussed 2 resignations. Both were uncontested seats during that election. Treasurer – Motion by Marie Holdridge to appoint Alondra Seal as Treasurer, second by Chad Miller. Unanimous approval by the Board. Motion by Marie Holdridge to have Melissa Miller fill the open Board position which will end after the convention this year. Second by James Poerner. Unanimous approval by the Board.
The Board also was advised of an ethics concern by Jimmy Fontenot. The member will be notified by certified mail, and the process will follow the TTAI Ethics Process.

Amendments/Additions to Agenda
Jimmy stated that attendees can add other items to the agenda as needed. No agenda items added at this time.
President’s Remarks Jimmy stated Thanks to all of you for raising your hands to volunteer to pull this wagon. Most duties are not necessarily overwhelming, but they do take time and effort to do a good job. So, I appreciate all of your efforts. We must all keep in mind and embrace the fact that the only thing constant is change. Change is necessary for growth and our challenge is to grow in the right direction for this organization. I have had a lot of positive feedback about the convention as we move to make it more appealing both socially and professionally to our members. There is some negative feedback, but we will not dwell on any of that. After seeing the financial report, that is not sustainable. Let’s be proactive as a board and keep moving forward in a positive way.
Review and Approval of Minutes – 07/20/2024
The minutes were sent twice. Cary Jackson asked to verify that the minutes indicated that he abstained from voting for the change to his ribbon due to judge error. They did. Approved as submitted by silent assent.
Treasurer’s Report
The CPA provided current the current overall and account balances as of 2025. In addition, Linda Poerner came out of retirement and worked with Alondra Seal today to prepare additional financial reports. The handout reports show the following account balances:
Business Adv (Main Account) $52,028.66
Business Adv (Secretary Account) $ 507.91
Business Investment $ 6,728.24
CD $ 4,862.82
Balance $64,128.21
Scholarship Funds (contained within the above accounts)
Kari Cromeens Total $3,000.00
Bob Wilkins Total $8,585.00
We also have had a gap in posting our financial statements to the TTAI website. This is required by our not-for-profit status by the Texas Secretary of State.
Linda Poerner is getting the appropriate reports produced for the last 7 years. These will be posted on the TTAI website ASAP.
Due to the transition related to the prior Treasurer’s resignation, we are going to send these minutes out for Board vote via email. Once these minutes are approved Jimmy, Marie and Alondra will need to meet at Bank of America to update account signers and debit cards. This needs to be done in advance of the TTAI Convention. Many thanks to Linda Poerner who has volunteered to help Alondra at the Convention this year.
Motion by James Poerner to accept the Treasurer report as presented. Seconded by Jake Carter. Motion carried.
Lengthy discussion about TTAI expenses and current account balances. The TTAI needs to be cautious about how we spend our money. We are not rich, but we are OK.

Committee Reports
1. Convention Chair –Chad Miller reports that everything is lined out for this year’s convention. The food trucks will be there. Catering will be the same cost. The Killeen Civic Center prices are going up in 2026, future rate will be $6,700. He will try to lock in that rate for the next couple of years. The host hotel is Courtyard by Marriott. He has spoken to the Shilo Inn, and he will continue to do so. They are undergoing some changes, and a restaurant is supposed to open there in the future. They will have some room availability. Marie cautioned that we need to promote our host hotel due to room night comps that we use to cover judges and other rooms that the TTAI pays.
2. Competition Rules Committee – James Poerner, Chair states nothing new to report.
3. Competition Room Committee –Cary Jackson, Chair states that we need to move forward with obtaining the World Show score sheets. The fees are $450 for 3 years, which was prior approved by the Board. Cary also stated that due to the design of these 2-sided score sheets we need a good quality scanner to run them through to copy and retain them electronically. Motion by James Poerner to approve that purchase. Second by Marie Holdridge. Motion carried.
4. Supply Room Site Committee –Jacob Poerner and Grant Elliott report that everything is underway. Marie said that Vendor convention registration is open, and some have already signed up.
5. Backboard Committee – Nothing new to report.
6. Judges Committee – Courtney Shaheen chair reports that the judges for 2025 are: Whitetail – Jenna Everage; Gameheads-Bill Neuman; Birds-Brad Domangue; Mammals – Able Everage; and Fish – updated to Jimmy Lawrence.
7. Thursday and Friday Night Committee –Sierra Guidry is the Chair for Thursday and Grant Elliott is the Chair for Friday. Sierra reports that her dad is building TTAI Corn Hole board. Jets Taxidermy supply will sponsor this event. She will create the awards again. Based on member feedback there will also be a mini-seminar available on the other side of the room. Grant states there is nothing to report about Friday night.
8. Kids Activity Committee – Brian Fees and Ben Cromeens co-chairs. Ben reports no update. Marie states that one change is that since we are no longer taking kids offsite, we will start earlier and not provide lunch. A meal will be provided Saturday night for childcare.
9. Sponsor and Vendor Committee – Jacob Poerner Chair, stated no update. Jimmy reports that he is continuing to pursue Safari Club donations. Currently we have San Angelo, West Texas and Lubbock all committed to $2,500. San Antonio will likely be on board after the convention. The new Fort Worth Chapter is a possibility. Roy and Marie Holdridge are on the FW Chapter Board. This chapter is focused on Youth. We need to focus on that for our request for their donation.
10. Seminar & Mini Seminar Committee – Courtney Shaheen chair states that she is getting all seminars lined up. She still needs a habitat seminar and a beginner focused seminar. James Poerner volunteered to do the beginner seminar. She also is seeking a bird seminar instructor. James suggested Manny Chavez.

11. Auction Committee – Jacob Poerner reports the auctioneer will be the same as last year for Saturday night only. He does not need a room.
12. Points Keeper/Awards Audit Committee – Keeley Busbee-Smith chair reports that she is in the process of learning the database. Sarah Elliott is helping too, along with Marie Holdridge.
13. Awards Committee – Keeley Busbee-Smith chair. Jake Carter reports that the Mounted in Alaska is currently pending. He will be in contact with Keeley on this topic. Keeley reports that all the awards will be at the Convention by prior vote. Discussion about the State Champion Belt Buckles. These are custom made each year and cannot be reused. They are not cheap, and we don’t always have a winner in each category. Motion by Marie Holdridge to have everything except the belt buckles at the convention. Second by Cary Jackson. Motion carried.
14. Photography Committee – Scott Burton reports that Ken Edwards plans to be there. Marie Holdridge commented that at the prior meeting we discussed having someone that Courtney knew who does photography to work with Ken to learn this. We need a plan to train someone for this key role. When photography at the convention does not go well there is a significant impact on the Awards Banquet presentation.
Bylaws Committee – James Poerner states we do have one old business agenda item that is related to TTAI Bylaws and will be discussed then. The formal vote will need to be at our June meeting, due to late notice sent to members this time. There is nothing else to report.
15. Ethics Committee – Jimmy Fontenot reports that we already discussed this in Executive Session.
16. Site Selection Committee – Chad Miller sates that he and Sierra are working together. Marie is willing to step down from this committee chair. The Board agrees that Sierra Guidry will be the co-chair. They checked into San Marcos for 2027, however the hotel and facility there are pricey. Waco is too expensive and the people we met with are no longer there. Chad is currently in discussions with Abilene. The hotel rate would be $139. The Abilene Convention Bureau will underwrite the cost of the convention center rental, but they will not cover the fees associated with set up and use of chairs. tables, etc. They require only their approved food vendors. James Poerner asks that we obtain estimated costs for equipment and food before we take this under consideration. Chad will set up a call in a month to discuss this further.
17. TTAI Magazine and Advertising Committee – Scott Burton and Sierra Guidry report – that it has become harder to sell advertising. We did sell $13,000 in advertising. We ended up comping one advertisement to a long standing TTAI supporter. Lengthy discussion about TTAI Sponsorship levels as contrasted with TTAI Magazine prices. We need to restructure Sponsorship prices at the lower end of them. This will be discussed in the meeting after the Convention due to 2025 registration open and underway for vendors.
18. Communications Committee – Scott Burton, chair reports that Face Book does represent some challenges, due to a few keyboard warriors. He appreciates Grant’s help. Additionally, when people apply to become members, it is important to check their background on Facebook before approving them.
19. Technology Committee – Sierra Guidry chair. Nothing new currently.
Marie states that the TTAI purchased 2 laptop computers as approved by the Board. One is for the Secretary and the other one is for the Points Keeper use. We also purchased three printers for the registration area.
20. Membership Committee – Marie reports that per Board email vote Josh Ryan is the new Membership Coordinator. We had 69 people pre-register for the Mini Seminar. Vendor registration is open for the Convention. Member registration will open after membership renewal completes in April.

Old Business
a) TTAI Hall of Fame Criteria and Process –Roy Holdridge stated that he is still working on this. We agreed to induct the original charter members and Richard Reeves into the TTAI Hall of Fame. James Poerner asks if inductees need to have been TTAI members. The TTAI Board agrees that it needs to be TTAI members/former members. Motion by James Poerner to give Wayne Stanford the Pioneer Award this year. He and his wife worked diligently for many years in the Competition Room. Second by Marie Holdridge. Motion carried.
b) TTAI Magazine for Website Convention Photos – Marie Holdridge reports that she has no update but will follow up with Jerry Huffaker again about getting TTAI Magazine PDFs to post on the TTAI website by year. She will circle back on this topic.
c) TTAI Website Update and Awards – Sierra Guidry reports she reached out the current webmaster and did not receive a response. Sierra stated that we need to nail down the website updates and get it current. She has some ideas for an improved website design that she can build and take on. She will present her ideas at the next meeting. Motion by Jake Carter for Sierra to proceed with this. Second by Jacob Poerner. Motion carried.

d) TTAI Proposed Bylaw Change – Lifetime Membership TTAI Bylaws regarding providing a lifetime membership plaque, to insert the words “upon request”. Due to late member notice this item will be tabled until our June meeting.
e) TTAI T-shirt Sales – Scott Burton presented a design for this year. Sales last year were not what they should have been. Our vendor honored the agreement even though many did not meet the minimum agreed. This year there will only be one color of T-shirt offered.
f) Whitetail Critique Volume Concerns & Potential Options – Board continued discussion about the critique process. Due to volume, it is suggested that the judge have a TTAI representative escort to assist them, help keep things moving along and troubleshoot any issues. Cary Jackson to find this person.

New Business
a) Collective Artist Competition Category to Allow Out of State Competitors - Sierra Guidry provided a handout with information about this proposal. Lengthy discussion about this proposal. The Board agreed to discuss this in more detail at our Board meeting after the convention.
b) Donated Hunts and Member Concerns – Jimmy Fontenot reports that there have been some concerns expressed by a member who bought a hunt at the last convention. He has spoken to the person who donated the hunt. We have a duty to make sure that the buyer has sufficient data about the hunt they are purchasing. It is suggested that when the buyer pays for the hunt, they sign off on it at that time.
c) BOI Reporting – Grant Elliott reports that this has been tabled currently. He will keep us posted should anything change.
d) Donation for ISD Student Competitors Attending with Amberly Sheppard – James Poerner reports that Amberly is bringing 25 students to the convention to compete in the Youth Division this year. A couple of students are making a display of taxidermy work in a baby grand piano that they plan to bring. The TTAI should support these projects with possible donation of capes and forms. These students work on this as part of their Ag program. James suggests that the TTAI make a donation to this program earmarked for the taxidermy program at that school. Motion by Grant Elliott to make this donation in the amount of $1,000. Second by Jake Carter. Motion carried.
e) Recognition of Youth Taxidermists Competing at Rodes in Texas – James Poerner reports that Chad’s daughter won this new competition at the San Antonio Rodeo. Three judges for this event were well-known TTAI members. These students’ winnings are college scholarship money. The TTAI should recognize Chad’s daughter at our Award’s Banquet this year. The TTAI Board agrees.
f) Treasurer Bank Signer Process and Approval of TTAI Minutes – Marie Holdridge reports that the minutes from this meeting will be sent for email vote approval as soon as possible. This will then allow Jimmy, Marie and Alondra to meet at Bank of America and update the account signers and debit cards. Thanks in advance for your help with this to ensure that the TTAI Convention goes well.
g) Board Member Badges – Jimmy Fontenot has a contact that will produce updated name badges for the TTAI Boad at $12 each. He provided an example of an SCI badge. He proposes that we have the TTAI logo on a white background. Motion by Roy Holdridge to get the updated new name badges. Second by Keeley Busbee-Smith. Motion carried. One vote against - Ben Cromeens.
h) 2025 Election Results –Marie Holdridge reports that there were no contested seats for new Officers and Board of Advisors. These will take office after the 2025 Convention.
President – Jimmy Fontenot, Secretary – Marie Holdridge. 2-year terms ending in 2027. Board of Advisors 3-year term ending in 2028 are: Brian Fees, Keeley Busbee-Smith, Melissa Miller and Wyatt Oakley.
i) Open/Other – Ben Cromeens asked that the TTAI provide a booth for the Texas Parks & Wildlife representative at no charge at this year’s convention. Motion by Grant Elliott to provide the booth to TP&W representative at no charge. Second by Roy Holdridge. Motion carried.

Adjournment
Jimmy Fontenot after motion by Roy Holdridge with second by James Poerner and multiple others and unanimous approval by the Board adjourned the meeting at 9:40 PM.

Minutes submitted by: Marie Holdridge, TTAI Secretary

Minutes approved by: TTAI Board Approval via email vote on April 5, 2025. Motion by James Poerner to approve an amended version with Dr. Dan McBride listed as absent. Second by Grant Elliott. Motion carried.