Scenario: The Head Invention Coach is Incapacitated
In 2024, the President is Robert L. Read, who is also the Founder and Head Invention Coach, and the only Public Inventor working full time (although he is unpaid). If he were incapacitated, it would seriously harm the viability of Public Invention.
However, the board would still have several assets:
- The goodwill of a number of volunteers.
- The continued assistance of several part-time, paid staff
- A significant amount of cash on hand.
- A strong, vibrant and diverse board of directors.
In this scenario, the board should:
- Elect a President from its members.
- Attempt to hire an interim part-time executive director, possibly for current volunteers, such as the Invention Coaches. Sufficient funds are available for this, although this situation is fluid and our bookkeeper should be consulted.
- Decide whether to wind-down operations or attempt to continue operating.
- If the decision to wind-down is made, the board should attempt to give control of each of our many projects to the engineering leads of those projects.
- If the decision to continue is made, the board should Immediately apply for a grant to obtain a salary for an interim full-time executive director.
In particular, in 2025 we are heavily involved in a project for NASA and KidsOR to make digital electronic control systems for ceramic medical oxygen generators. The engineers on this project should attempt to complete our obligations.
Key personnel to consult are:
- Mary Christine Reed (partner to Robert L. Read),
- Christina Cole (bookkeeper),
- Megan Cadena (outreach coordinator),
- Miriam Castillo (volunteer coordinator).