Hapkido West is a nonprofit corporation organized for educational and charitable purposes. Our Board of Directors are responsible—legally, financially, and morally—for the management and operation of our organization. Day‑to‑day operations are managed by corporate officers appointed by the board. All of our directors and officers serve without compensation. Our decision‑making process is fundamentally collaborative, and our style is to be flexible, respectful, and responsive to the needs of our members and the Hapkido community. As a nonprofit corporation, we are subject to stringent reporting requirements by the State of California and the Internal Revenue Service. This oversight ensures that our business practices are honest, fair, and in compliance with our nonprofit status. By law, our assets can never be used for the private gain of any individual. We have also adopted a comprehensive Conflict of Interest Policy to ensure that our boards and officers always act in the best interests of the organization. Our board consists of five to seven directors, each serving two‑year terms. New board members are elected by existing board members. Eventually, we hope to transition to a membership‑based organization in which our directors would be elected by our members and affiliates. Our current Board of Directors are: Like many nonprofit organizations, Hapkido West selects its corporate officers from its Board of Directors. Our current officers are: In the future, we will be exploring the feasibility of forming an Advisory Board made up of prominent martial artists who share our vision. Ideally, these individuals would be recruited from the larger martial arts community, both locally and internationally. The purpose of the Advisory Board will be to: advise the Board of Directors on matters of policy, ethics, long‑range planning, content development, and educational standards; broaden public understanding of our mission; assist our efforts to build goodwill and fellowship; and assist our efforts to establish strategic partnerships with other martial arts organizations.