Proposal: That Dani Continue as President and Convener Through the Seven-Year Arc
Proposer / Champion: Danielle “Dani Bellavita” Gennety (self-nomination) Brought to: the Extraordinary Assembly as part of seating the new Board Decision sought: consent to the President’s seat for the coming term
THE DRIVER
We are reconstituting our Board to return to good standing and to carry the next phase of our work, and the President’s seat asks for someone whose central task in this season is continuity and succession: to keep us whole and lawful now, while preparing the Collective to thrive without leaning on any one person, myself included.
CONTEXT
I made a promise. Many of you have heard me say it for years: I committed to seven years of service to this Collective, to stay in the Valley at least that long; because I believe that’s what it will take to clear the major hurdles of early years. When the end of that 7 years approaches I will reassess where I stand, and here we are at five years in; it’s coming into view. This proposal is me keeping my word, and asking your consent to carry it through as President.
What this five year milestone means. Communities that strive to hold land, governance, economy, and culture together in right relationship most often come apart between their third and fifth years. That is the documented pattern across decades of intentional community, and I knew it when we began.
We are still here. We have not come apart, through a world in upheaval and all the storms that found our valley, our projects, our circles, our neighbors.
I credit this to the constancy of those who stayed: Tim tending Diamante Luz without pause next door to Forrest keeping the Luz on in the Bosque and Richie farming the food forest, Randall keeping the engine running and now carrying our bylaws forward, Arturo holding the Recycling Center, Las Tumbas and its gardens, Reinhard, Narayani, Esther, Dominik and Karina running the Coliazul project in it’s temporary space, Desiree with her abundant nursery of local wisdom, Alan and his Friday night fire, Tara with Taco 'bout it Tuesdays and Karaoke, Jose and Zander steadfast in meeting and admin roles, Cameron stepping forward to lead the Cuenca Baru watershed project, Dave and Travis each present in their own way, and many members unnamed here who come in and out the dusty road over the years alongside friends and allies in our edge land-node projects who keep weaving through the seasons.
The Eight Stages have not only been written in these years. They have been walked.
Why now. The world outside is watching us more closely than we notice. Funders have come, seen our work in the valley, and left without granting, and they are still watching. People who can help us substantially are reaching out, asking for a call. What turns watching into support is being seen to take this step together, transparently, wholeheartedly, and fully embodied. A Collective that reconstitutes its Board in the open and steps into its governance with whole hearts is one worth backing. We have to be seen in it, together, for it to work.
THE PROPOSAL
That the Assembly consent to my continuing as President and Convener for the coming term, holding the role as our bylaws define it, with two duties at its heart for this season: to mentor emerging leaders toward Board and Trustee roles, and to ensure the succession and continuity of our governance. Around those I will keep us in good standing under Ley 218, give an honest annual report, convene our assemblies and meetings on time and with proper notice, and hold our decisions to the consent process we have chosen.
TERM AND REVIEW
| Legal term | Four years, as our Constitution requires. We are not amending the Constitution in this round. |
| My personal commitment | At minimum 2 years to complete my seven-year arc, at which time I reassess in the open with you. |
| Graceful handoff | Whenever a worthy successor steps forward, I will relinquish the seat gladly and take up another role, or whatever change life holds. I trust that. |
| Review points | Each September Ordinary Assembly, and a dedicated reassessment at the close of the 2028. |
WHAT THIS TERM SETS OUT TO DO
Year Six (June 2026 to June 2027): build the floor that holds without me.
- Seat a full Board and Fiscal and return the DBC to good standing in the National Registry.
- Form a working group to design and stand up anew three governing circles, (proposed as Membership, Treasury, and Nature), alongside the Eight Stages membership path as detailed in our Bylaws proposal.
- Put on record the agreements we have carried in trust but never formalized, among Diamante Luz, the Coliazul Centro Cultural, Cuenca Baru bioregional watershed commitments, and for those who steward the commons.
- Build a financial base that rests on no single person’s sacrifice.
Year Seven (2027 to 2028): raise the roof that protects and supports our membership by preparing for graceful succession.
- Convene consistent Assemblies and Board meetings to ensure our Association reaches year seven in good standing, with clear records, reports and qualification for benefits.
- Mentor the newer stewards stepping in, so every role has someone learning to carry it.
- Establish a pathway for the Stages that is clear for all who wish to walk it, with annual initiation ceremonies of progression.
- Keep the door open and well-lit for whoever feels called to convene after me.
- Reach the close of the arc and reassess, with member feedback, where I best serve next.
WHAT THIS PROPOSAL DOES AND DOES NOT CHANGE
| It does | Request your feedback and consent to seat me again as President of the Association for the coming term. |
| It does not | Amend the Constitution, change the length of any term, name a successor, or bind any other Board role. Those remain open for the Assembly and the new Board. |
CONSENT PROCESS
This post opens the proposal for our usual rounds: first your clarifying questions, then your reactions and advice, then any objections so we can integrate them, and finally consent at the Assembly on June 9.
Please share your consent, constructive feedback, and any concerns from your perspective as comments below. And!
Alternate nominations for the President’s seat are genuinely welcome here, because preparing the next holder of this seat is the whole point of the work I am asking to do.
With gratitude and in service, Dani Bellavita Gennety President and Convener, Asociación Puente Diamante Colectiva