Senior Director of Bridge

[blackshoe]

I wonder... who is the "ACBL Senior Director of Bridge" and how do his duties and responsibilities compare with the old position "Chief Tournament Director"? If they're the same, as I suspect they are, why the title change?

[gordontd]

I wonder... who is the "ACBL Senior Director of Bridge" and how do his duties and responsibilities compare with the old position "Chief Tournament Director"? If they're the same, as I suspect they are, why the title change?

The first title sounds to me as though it has a broader remit than the second.

[blackshoe]

I found a "Senior Director of Bridge Operations", but it's not clear whether that's what was meant (I first found the "senior director" thing in the latest General Conditions of Contest).

[barmar]

Where did you see this referenced?

[ArtK78]

Under "News" on the ACBL website:

 

ACBL's Senior Director of Bridge Operations, Jeff Johnston, died Monday, Dec. 29. He was at home with his wife, Janice, when he passed away unexpectedly. He would have been 60 on Jan. 27.

 

A beloved member of the ACBL family for more than 20 years, Johnston was Mr. NABC — calmly overseeing every detail of the thrice-yearly national tournaments. As an integral part of ACBL senior management, he oversaw a number of key projects and departments, including Club and Membership Services, Meeting Services, Bridge Administration and the tournament directing staff.

The position "Senior Director of Bridge Operations" is clearly not equivalent to Chief Tournament Director or Head National Director or Chief National Director, or whatever title one might give to the highest ranking Tornament Director, or to the person in charge of all Tournament Directors, assuming that such positions exist.

[blackshoe]

I guess the follow on questions are "who is the most senior tournament director in the ACBL?" and "What is his title?"

 

The reference to "Senior Director of Bridge" in the CoC does not look to me, on reflection, like a reference to the "Senior Director of Bridge Operations".

[mike777]

TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS GENERAL

Duties, Responsibilities and Remuneration of Tournament Directors (722-56)

Management is charged with the ultimate responsibility for determining the rating and quantity of directors assigned to a tournament,

 

http://web2.acbl.org/codification/CHAPTER%2013%20-%20Section%20g.pdf

 

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At a tournament there is a position called Director in Charge. Their boss is called management.

 

In other words the boss of the Director in Charge need not be any kind of tournament Director or "senior" director with the ACBL.

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Perhaps you are asking who is the oldest tournament director in the ACBL or who has directed the most tournaments but the boss of the DIC need not be a director or a senior.

[blackshoe]

TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS GENERAL

Duties, Responsibilities and Remuneration of Tournament Directors (722-56)

Management is charged with the ultimate responsibility for determining the rating and quantity of directors assigned to a tournament,

 

http://web2.acbl.org/codification/CHAPTER%2013%20-%20Section%20g.pdf

 

----------------

 

 

At a tournament there is a position called Director in Charge. Their boss is called management.

 

In other words the boss of the Director in Charge need not be any kind of tournament Director or "senior" director with the ACBL.

------------

 

Perhaps you are asking who is the oldest tournament director in the ACBL or who has directed the most tournaments but the boss of the DIC need not be a director or a senior.

No, I'm not asking that. I'm asking what I asked.

 

The document you linked refers to "Chief Tournament Director" and to "the chief tournament director of the tournament". The latter is, I believe, synonymous with "Director in Charge" (of the tournament or possibly an event). The former is a job title — it was the title of the most senior director in the ACBL, the guy in charge of all the TDs and who had the final word (except for the Laws Commission) on the meaning of the laws in the ACBL. But my understanding is that the position no longer exists under that title. I'm trying to find out what the current situation is.

[barmar]

Tht title sounds like it's using "Director" in more traditional sense as a management position, not as a kind of tournament director.

[blackshoe]

Tht title sounds like it's using "Director" in more traditional sense as a management position, not as a kind of tournament director.

If by "that title" you mean "Senior Director of Bridge" you may well be right.

 

It may be that the top level of tournament directors is now just "National Director" or some such, and they're all considered equal (though perhaps in the Orwellian sense). There may be no single TD at the top of the heap any more. If so, I suppose the "Senior Director of Bridge" referred to in the CoC is the "Senior Director of Bridge Operations", the incumbent of which position passed away late last month.

 

Apparently no one who posts here knows the current situation. I suppose I'll have to ask Horn Lake. Not "rulings", though — I don't want to use my allotted one question per year to "rulings" on this, and it's not a ruling question anyway.

[barmar]

If by "that title" you mean "Senior Director of Bridge" you may well be right.

No, I was talking about "Senior Director of Bridge Operations", which was in post #5. I thought that was the answer to my question "Where did you see this referenced?". Now I see that this "answer" was not from the same person who started the thread, so I maybe it's irrelevant to your question.

 

Where did you see "Senior Director of Bridge"? You've mentioned CoC, is that where it appears?

[aguahombre]

Where did you see "Senior Director of Bridge"? You've mentioned CoC, is that where it appears?

General Coc for all events:

 

CORRECTION AND APPEAL PERIODS

2.

For director errors, the correction period expires 24 hours after the completion of the event

or 30 minutes after completion of the last event of the tournament, whichever is earlier. The

DIC in consultation with the ACBL Senior Director of Bridge, however, may in unusual

circumstances elect to make a correction of a director error at a later time.

 

My guess was that it was a typo :rolleyes:

 

Edit: maybe not technically a typo, but it seems the writer got carried away and should have delete two words (as shown)

Edited January 13, 2015 by aguahombre

[Siegmund]

From the discussion so far, I am assuming "Senior Director of Bridge Operations" is something like being Tournament Chairman for all NABCs, in the sense of shepherding the various subchairmen and local committee members into place (and, perhaps, overseeing the individuals designated as chairmen for individual NABCs.)

 

I thought we did have a position called Chief Tournament Director too -- whatever it was Gary Blaiss was before he was ousted, a while back -- and I seem to remember some subtle change to the position title and job description when his replacement arrived, but I can't remember the details. Maybe that person is now Senior Director of Bridge?

[barmar]

From the discussion so far, I am assuming "Senior Director of Bridge Operations" is something like being Tournament Chairman for all NABCs, in the sense of shepherding the various subchairmen and local committee members into place (and, perhaps, overseeing the individuals designated as chairmen for individual NABCs.)

From the description of Johnston's duties, it seems like even more than that, since he also oversaw Club and Membership Services, Meeting Services. It sounds like it's a level below the Chief Operating Officer (if there is such a position -- maybe this is actually equivalent to it).

 

I tried finding an ACBL organization chart, showing the hierarchy of administrative positions, on their web site. I was unsuccessful. When I searched for "Senior Director of Bridge Operations", the only mentions I could find were mentions of Jeff Johnston (the death announcement, and old Daily Bulletins where he was presenting a trophy) and one document about Accounts Payable procedures that says that invoices over $5,000 have to be approved by either the CEO, Director of Finance, or SD of BO.

[blackshoe]

Where did you see "Senior Director of Bridge"? You've mentioned CoC, is that where it appears?

Yes. I haven't found it anywhere else, either.