The annual Spring NAFUSA board meeting was held in St. Pete Beach, Florida, on April 14, 2018. President Hal Hardin announced that the annual conference will be held at the Westin in Nashville on October 24-26, 2018, and will feature United States Senator Doug Jones as the keynote speaker on Friday evening. Doug is a NAFUSA member and stepped down as president-elect of NAFUSA to run for the Senate vacancy created when Jeff Sessions became the Attorney General. 

(Photo by Jeronimo Nisa/The Decatur Daily via AP)

Hardin stated that the conference planning committee is working on the program, which will begin with an opening evening reception at the offices of conference sponsor Butler Snow on Wednesday, October 24. The Thursday and Friday morning CLEs will include a panel on the opioid epidemic organized by NAFUSA member and former DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg. Other panels are being planned on the Supreme Court, international criminal investigations, and ethics. Thursday evening will feature class reunion dinners. Registration for the conference will open in July. 

Executive Director Rich Rossman reported that organization is financially sound, mainly thanks to the support of our sponsors. We would not be able to hold our annual conferences without our sponsors. The collection of dues is lagging, however. Deputy Director Lisa Rafferty stated that several members have failed to pay their dues by the February 28 deadline. Reminders have been sent.

The board discussed our ongoing tradition of requesting an American flag be flown over Main Justice in honor of a former United States Attorney who has died. The flag is then presented to the family as a token of the regard with which he or she was held by their colleagues. The board expressed its gratitude to EOUSA for its cooperation and noted the increasing cooperation of current U.S. Attorneys in reaching out to NAFUSA when they learn of the passing of one of their predecessors.

There was an extensive discussion of the mission of NAFUSA and when, if ever, it might be appropriate for NAFUSA to take public positions on issues. The mission statement (see About NAFUSA at nafusa.org) states NAFUSA was founded in 1979 “to promote, defend and further the integrity and the preservation of the litigating authority and the independence of the office of the United States Attorney.” In these complicated times, the board mused that we may be the last remaining bipartisan and nonpartisan organization still functioning in the country. The only time NAFUSA has taken a public position as an organization (at least in the memory of those present) dealt with the firing of U.S. Attorneys in the Bush ll Administration, which went to the heart of our mission statement. Since then the board established a super majority rule: the board will not approve a resolution taking a public position without a 75% vote of the voting members of the board. Requests have been made to the board regarding issues surrounding the Mueller investigation and related issues. No action was taken.

As for the newsletter and website, the consensus of the board was that an emphasis should remain with factual member news, with limits on opinion pieces. Our members, of course, are free to express their individual views. Our conferences will continue, however, to vent relevant policy topics, and we will continue to strike a balance and attempt to have all responsible viewpoints recognized.

Rich Rossman has expressed a desire for sometime in stepping down as executive director. The search committee reported that several prospects have been approached as to their interest. Unfortunately, the committee has been unable to identify a potential successor. Rich has agreed to continue for the short run while the search continues. The board expressed its appreciation by awarding both Rich and Lisa a bonus for their efforts. 

President Elect Terry Flynn announced the 2019 conference will be held in San Francisco at the Westin St. Francis. Vice President Paul Coggins announced he is leaning towards Dallas in 2020. On a final note, when we learned that President H.W. Bush’s brother had died and that Board Member Catherine Hanaway was leaving the board meeting to attend the funeral, President Hardin proposed a letter of condolence which was signed by all present and presented by Hanaway to the Bush family. Sadly, Barbara Bush died a few days later. 

As is our custom, NAFUSA board members paid their own travel and hotel expenses to St. Pete. A good time was had by all.