William Kipp
2013 – 2015
Bill Kipp brought to his duties as CalRTA President an array of supervisory experience and management skills. Like many Presidents before him, Bill focused his attention on strengthening CalRTA’s membership numbers. He encouraged Divisions to embrace new recruitment ideas and to experiment with various program formats to meet the needs of newer members. He instituted Division Innovative Grants, directed by Betty Silva.
He believed in focusing on facts when designing programs so encouraged the Board and Staff to use current research in assessing the needs and interests of the new generation of retirees.
Bill also tried to create an inclusive leadership environment and urged each Board member to express his or her own views before voting on issues.
His financial plan was two-fold, prioritizing spending without compromising services, and implementing audit/accounting improvements. He appointed John Gera as Budget and Finance Chair because of John’s school finance experience.
In the midst of strong legal attacks on the constitutional basis of our retirement system, Bill led an aggressive cadre of CalRTA advocates to Washington, D.C. to lobby every California member of Congress about these issues, and the long-standing WEP/GPO Social Security penalties.
During regular CalSTRS Client Advisory meetings, Bill and his colleague Ed Foglia of CTA-R, lead a new cooperative coalition of state leaders to strengthen our retiree voice within CalSTRS and among legislators. They focused on working together, toward earning greater respect for retirees in California.
Under President Kipp’s leadership, the 2013-2015 CalRTA Strategic Plan, “The New Frontier” had three parts:
- An upgraded Mission Statement.
- Focus on membership recruitment.
- Operations restructuring.
Outcomes included:
- A small dues increase used to help fund the Marketing and Communications Plan and Direct Mailing campaign, both of which were designed to increase membership.
- Hired additional staff to help implement the new membership focus.
- Jesse Perry was asked to lead a first-ever ad hoc committee on Recruitment of People of Color.
- The State Technology Team, led by Gini Pedersen, began a website restructuring plan to make the site more user-friendly.
This New Frontier plan contained the most innovative restructuring proposals ever considered by a CalRTA Delegate Assembly; and its core mantra, “Imagine the Possibilities,” will continue to be a model for courageous CalRTA leaders presenting creative solutions to organizational challenges.