by I found out this evening that Duane Liptak, Executive VP of Magpul, has resigned from the NRA Board of Directors effective January 19th. Other than knowing he resigned, I don’t know his reasons.
Liptak was one of the good guys on the NRA Board in my opinion. He was stripped of most of his committee assignments in 2019. I don’t know whether he ever got any of them back.
Perhaps, being the VP of a successful business and all, he actually knows what fiduciary duty is and wants no part of the coming poop storm.
I’ve heard this comment before regarding the resignations of other board members and perhaps I am ignorant of liability law, but wouldn’t “attempting to fix the problem as a member of the board” be a simple and affirmative defense, especially if it could be shown that you routinely spoke out against the problems that you saw?
I guess my frustration at all the resignations stems from the fact that it seems like either
a) all the folks that resigned could have worked together to force changes or
b) the Bylaws are written in such a manner that changes are not possible unless a small cadre of top people propose them (Executive Board and leadership?).
Either way, doesn’t bode well for the future unless someone in a position of power steps down and the person who takes his place isn’t interested in maintaining that power.
Having participated in several organizational revolutions, I will note that it is an immense amount of work and stress, even when you are being paid for it, as I was. For a board member, trying to do so against the wishes of the staff, and a substantial faction on the board and with the restrictive bylaws, would be substantially harder. Since the dissident NRA board members have real lives, simply walking away looks attractive. I don’t foresee a happy ending here either for the NRA organizationally or for the RKBA since the NRA has taken itself out of the game at a time when we are under heavy attack.
Duane was a force for reform. Wayne, the Executive committee and Executive Council hold all the power.
Duane does great things for the 2A movement from his role at Magpul – One of the signs of a great leader is to focus on where you can do the most good. WHile the Board will not miss Duane, the Members will miss Duane;s experience and leadership ability on the board.