30 July 2002

RRCA Executive Board

510 North Washington Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314

Dear Board Members:

Several RRCA Club Presidents and Executive Directors recently sent a letter to David Dobrzynski in response to his address at the National Convention and his article in the summer edition of Footnotes. Although Mr. Dobrzynski did respond, he did not directly comment on the most significant points of the letter. We, along with other club representatives, are asking that you begin the process of removing Mr. Dobrzynski from the position of Executive Director.

Our previous letter requested that Mr. Dobrzynski supply RRCA members with an outline of his plan for financial solvency. Numerous times he has mentioned a committee he formed to examine the financial problems of the RRCA. His reply letter stated that the executive board backed his decision and voted not to approach any new sponsors until a concrete, well-designed sponsorship presentation could be developed. Our organization has been operating at a deficit for the past three years and the RRCA needs to be aggressive in securing sponsorship funds. Delaying this process by forming a committee to do the job Mr. Dobrzynski was hired to accomplish is unacceptable. To date we are not aware of any new sponsorships being secured. But more alarmingly, it has been reported that a number of long time sponsors of the RRCA have been lost. Including Moving Comfort, Leslie Jordan and Running Times. In Mr. Dobrzynski’s response he stated that the RRCA has an inherent lack of value to sponsors. To quote Mr. Dobrzynski, “I have worked with existing sponsors to reassure them that we are getting our act together, but I have not sugar coated our difficulties to them. They know where we stand and what we can deliver to them for their investment in us.... for the moment that is very little.” David Dobrzynski was hired to bring in revenue for our organization. Instead of informing sponsors of what the RRCA is unable to offer, he should be the RRCA’s best salesman and secure the dollars and provide a return on our investor’s capital. We can appreciate that there needs to be a well-organized approach to soliciting sponsorship dollars, but he has been the Executive Director for almost a year and still hasn’t outlined a concrete plan to secure operating funds.

In past years outside audits have been done to allow the RRCA to apply for a number of government and foundational grants. It has come to light that Mr. Dobrzynski did not have an outside audit done this year and this will preclude the RRCA from applying for assistance. He has entirely cut off one avenue of potential revenue for an organization in dire financial trouble.

We are also aware that Mr. Dobrzynski has yet to relocate to Alexandria, VA. We see this as a disregard for his position. We realize that he has spent time at the national office, but he was hired as a full time employee of the RRCA. It is imperative that he be physically present to observe the day-to-day operations of our organization. It is nearly impossible for a director to have a hand on the pulse of this organization from a distance. Many clubs have commented on the lack of response they received when directing questions to the national office. We believe his managerial responsibilities have suffered in his absence and his failure to oversee the staff of the national office has caused productivity to fall.

Recently we have received word that the board has voted to cancel the 2003 National Convention. Many clubs use the National Convention as a networking opportunity, as well as a useful source of information. We understand the convention is costly, but it is imperative that our organization convenes once a year to ensure that a relationship of reciprocity continues between the national office and member clubs.

In short, we have seen our Executive Director fail to perform the job for which he was hired. His performance does not inspire the confidence that he has the vision or the ability to lead the RRCA to solid ground. The viability of the RRCA is in jeopardy. We urge you to examine the performance of Mr. Dobrzynski during his tenure. We think that you will find that it is in the best interest of the RRCA to begin the process of securing his resignation.

Sincerely,

David C. Purinton

Huntsville Track Club President, Huntsville, Alabama

Trish Portuese

Birmingham Track Club President, Birmingham, Alabama

Brian Tresp

Montgomery County Road Runners President, Rockville, Maryland

Dennis Steinauer

Cherry Blossom Incorporated President, Silver Spring, Maryland

Jerry Kokesh

Gateway Athletics – St. Louis President, Chesterfield, Missouri

Paul E. Verrier

Anchorage Running Club President, Anchorage, Alaska
 

Cline Taplin

Cross Country Club of Dallas, Dallas, Texas
 
David Epstein
President of the 5-Miler for Men's Cancer Research, Anchorage, Alaska
 
Olaf Questereit
President Salt Lake City Track Club, Salt Lake City, Utah
 
Mick Slonaker
President Howard Country Strider, Colombia, Maryland