Regional Delegations
Effective: July 20, 2026
You may ask why delegations and not chapters?
We chose delegations because they let us build regional presence now without the legal and administrative overhead chapters require — and they give each region room to grow into whatever structure fits it best.
We're new, and chapters are a promise we can't keep yet. A chapter is a commitment from the national — support, staffing, standards, oversight. We just received our 501(c)(6) designation. Making that promise to six regions before we can staff it would set our leaders up to fail.
Chapters require legal and financial infrastructure we're building. Chapter agreements, dues-sharing formulas, separate filings, insurance questions, brand-use terms. That's months of work that would pull energy away from serving members right now.
Delegations keep our members connected to one organization. Everyone is a BAE member, full stop — not a chapter member with a secondary national relationship. One membership, one voice, six places it shows up.
Delegations let us learn what each region actually needs. Chicago, Florida, Texas, DC, New York, and Georgia are not the same market. A chapter template forces uniformity before we know what works. Delegations let each region develop its own rhythm and tell us what to formalize later.
This is a starting structure, not a ceiling. Delegations can become chapters when a region has the leadership depth, member base, and national support to sustain one. We're sequencing, not limiting.
Board of Directors