ARRL Rocky Mountain Vice Director Dwayne Allen, WY7FD, has agreed to stipulations spelled out by the ARRL Board of Directors to address a conflict-of-interest situation arising from the employment of his wife, Katie Allen, WY7KRA, by CQ Communications Inc. Emphasizing that there had been no allegations of impropriety on the part of either Dwayne or Katie Allen, the ARRL Ethics & Elections Committee determined on April 24 that Katie Allen’s March 28 appointment as Sales and Marketing Manager for CQ Communications Inc created a conflict of interest for her husband that would disqualify him from continuing to serve as a Vice Director. Katie Allen is the former ARRL Membership Manager and a past volunteer member of the ARRL Public Relations Committee.

On April 25, written requests were made by more than five directors to have the board review the Ethics & Elections Committee’s decision. Informal discussion among directors and volunteer officers culminated in a May 22 meeting by teleconference of the full ARRL Board. A majority of board members concurred that a “potential conflict of interest exists under current ARRL By-Laws resulting from the familial relationship” between Dwayne and Katie Allen. With some dissent, the board approved the motion of ARRL Hudson Division Director Mike Lisenco, N2YBB, to manage the potential conflict of interest by calling upon Dwayne Allen to agree to certain stipulations. The agreement allows him to remain in office while isolating him from any ARRL matters that would conflict with his wife’s professional activities.

Under the agreement, to which Dwayne Allen must adhere as long as his wife is employed by CQ Communications, Allen “will diligently recuse himself” from portions of any Board, Committee, or other ARRL meeting — including any discussion or votes — that pertain to ARRL advertising and marketing matters as well as to the ARRL Financial Plan as it relates to advertising and marketing matters. Allen also must recuse himself from “any other discussion or vote where a conflict of interest might arise” and abide by ARRL non-disclosure requirements.

According to the resolution, the board “may revisit the issue of a conflict of interest” involving Dwayne Allen, if the Ethics & Elections Committee feels he has failed to comply with the terms of board resolution.

The Ethics & Elections Committee’s April 24 action marked the first application of a conflict of interest policy, adopted by the Board in July 2006 and contained in Bylaw 45, to a situation involving an elected ARRL official already in office.