Kansas City Barbeque Society
Board of Directors’ Meeting QUICK NOTES
Tuesday, April 14, 2026. 6:00pm Central Time
Membership Requests to Address the Board – None
Call to Order – Paul Buob, Board President
Meeting was called to order at 6:07 PM
Attendees Present: Carol Bigler, David Qualls,Donna Fong, Jeanne Titus, Blake Moore, Paul Buob, Randy Todd, Thomas Gearhart, Luke Darnell, and Rod Gray (CEO).
Roll Call: A quorum was confirmed
Board Pledge: Paul Buob read the board pledge, affirming the mission of the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS).
Approval of Consent Agenda
Notice concerning Committee Reports. Some committees do not meet monthly. If a report is presented, it will be included as an attachment to the Agenda.
Minutes of previous BOD meeting
Contest Report
Sanctioning Committee
Judging Committee
Contest Representative Committee
Rules Committee
Foundation Committee
Nominating Committee
Workgroups:
Organizers Work Group
Backyard Work Group
Bylaws Work Group
Technology Workgroup
Marketing and Membership Workgroup
Discussion of any items removed from the consent agenda - none
Motion: Donna Fong moved to accept the consent agenda.
Second: Jeanne Titus.
Vote: Passed unanimously.
CEO Report
The Board may take Actions based on Topics and Discussions from this report as New Business
Old Business – None
New Business:
Resolution R-04-14-2026 - “Approving the Transition to a Unified Masters Series” (Thomas Gearheart)
The Board discussed transitioning to a unified barbecue competition series by removing
the “Master Series” designation and allowing teams to compete in 2-meat, 3-meat, or 4-
meat formats.
Motion: Thomas Gearheart moved to approve Resolution R-04-14-2026 - “Approving the Transition to a Unified Masters Series”
Second: Lucas Darnell
Vote: Yes votes - Thomas Gearheart, Randy Todd, Paul Buob, Blake Moore, Lucas Darnell, Jeanne Titus, David Qualls
No votes - Donna Fong, Carol Bigler
2026 Annual Member Meeting (Paul Buob)
The board discussed plans for the upcoming annual meeting on May 6, with Rod
confirming the Zoom setup for 300 participants and a 2-hour time slot.
Request for Limited Trial of Advance Judge Seating Procedure (Randy Todd)
The board discussed a new process for judge coordination at contests, which sparked a
discussion about potential concerns and implementation. The board agreed to table the proposal temporarily, pending further research and discussion.
Lifetime Membership sale in May - National BBQ Month (Rod Gray)
Discussion was held about a $100 discount on lifetime memberships for May during National Barbecue Month.
Motion: Donna Fong made a motion to approved the $100 discount on lifetime memberships for May during National Barbecue Month.
Second: Jeanne Titus
Vote: Passed unanimously.
Closed Session: Discussion of Legal, Financial, Personnel
Discussion of Q1 Financial Reports
Motion: Thomas Gearheart moved to enter Closed session.
Second: Jeanne Titus
Board entered Closed Session at 7:05 p.m.
Board returned to Open Session at 7:26 PM:
Adjournment
Motion: Luke Darnell moved to adjourn the meeting.
Second: Randy Todd.
Vote: Carried unanimously.
Time: The meeting adjourned at 7:28 p.m.