Minutes of The Annual Meeting of the Membership Philadelphia, PA, October 26, 2013 (subject to approval at the October 2014 annual meeting)

Transcription

1 Minutes of The Annual Meeting of the Membership Philadelphia, PA, October 26, 2013 (subject to approval at the October 2014 annual meeting) Executive Committee Members Present Maria Russell, APR, Fellow PRSA - Chair Anthony D'Angelo, APR, Fellow PRSA Chair Elect Steve Seekins, APR, Fellow PRSA Vice Chair Dr. Steve Iseman, APR, Fellow PRSA Secretary/Treasurer Mary Barber, APR, Fellow PRSA Immediate Past Chair Committee Chairs Present --Michael G. Cherenson, APR, Fellow PRSA Mentoring Co- Chair --Irene Maslowski, APR, Fellow PRSA Mentoring Co-Chair --Mary Graybill APR, Fellow PRSA GoodFellows Co-Chair --Margaret Ann Hennen, APR, Fellow PRSA GoodFellows Co- Chair --Robin Schell, APR, Fellow PRSA Education Initiatives Co- Chair --Dr. Judy Van Slyke Turk, APR, Fellow PRSA Education Initiatives Co-Chair Staff Liaison Present - Jesse Gwyn PRSA Board Liaison Present Elizabeth Pecsi, APR, Fellow PRSA Call to order 2013 Chair Maria Russell called the meeting to order at 3:40 p.m. Moment of Silence for Deceased Fellows The Chair asked for a moment of silence in memory of those members All APR, Fellows PRSA, who passed away in 2013: Lawrence G. Foster, Daniel J. Edelman, John W. Jack Felton, Gabriel Werba, Donald Don Kirchoffner, and Ray Alan Crockett. (A brief tribute to them was planned during the Induction Dinner as well.)

2 Welcome to 2013 Class of Fellows Maria Russell The Chair announced the names of those selected for membership in 2013 and recognized those present at the meeting. She noted that all would be inducted later that night at the annual celebration: Kristie Aylett, APR, Fellow PRSA Vicki S. Bagwell, APR, Fellow PRSA Cmdr. Brook DeWalt, APR, Fellow PRSA Kathleen Donohue Rennie, Ph.D., APR, Fellow PRSA Mark Dvorak, APR, Fellow PRSA Mary E. Eaddy, APR, Fellow PRSA Janet C. Hart, APR, Fellow PRSA, CFEE Susan Hart, APR, Fellow PRSA Betsy A. Hays, APR, Fellow PRSA William G. Jasso, APR, Fellow PRSA Chris Lynch, APR, Fellow PRSA Chad Perry, APR, Fellow PRSA Douglas K. Spong, APR, Fellow PRSA Approval of Annual Meeting Minutes Steve Iseman Minutes of both 2011 and 2012 Annual Meetings were distributed and approved by those present. (Note: These can be found on the College s website.) Annual Meeting Minutes Mary Barber. moved approval of the September 2011 minutes. Margaret Ann Hennen seconded the motion. The motion passed. Dr. Judy Turk moved approval of the September 2012 minutes. Tony D Angelo seconded. The motion passed. Treasurer s Report Dr. Steve Iseman Dr. Iseman reported that dues income is very close to where it was at this same time last year but still off from the budget; the reason for this is that many members of the College are on an end-of-year billing cycle and our year-end financial statement will better reflect the true picture of that income. To date, all expenses all in line with the budget. Induction Dinner Income/Expenses - are not reflected in this statement (College of Fellows Financials Sept 30, 2013) since a

3 full accounting cannot be made until after the October 26 Induction Dinner. However, a record number of sponsorships and contributions has been collected to date -- $17,000 and this figure, too, will be adjusted by year s end, since additional income is anticipated. Tony D Angelo moved acceptance of the financial reports. Deb Saline seconded. The motion passed. Policy and Procedures Updates Steve Iseman The College of Fellows is governed by PRSA bylaws so two years ago the College changed its existing Bylaw document to a Policies & Procedures document. This year was a continuation of the process of going through the P&Ps and eliminating references to COF Bylaws ; approximately 11 places were not found in earlier reviews, but now the document is up-to-date and consistent throughout. Selection process The College is always open to refining its procedures in response to feedback from candidates who have gone through the process, from members of the Selection Committee and from GoodFellows. This year the College s Executive Committee incorporated changes in the appeals process to align with a recent policy passed by the PRSA Board of Directors this gives the College of Fellows Chair an opportunity to review with the PRSA Board why a candidate was not advanced. Also, there were changes made to requirements regarding notification of the entire Selection Committee of any outreach on behalf of a candidate to any individual member this brings the College in line with PRSA policy. Another Selection Committee change dealt with the addition of a requirement that Fellows candidates make note of any pending litigation at the time of the application this also reflects PRSA policy, specifically its Nominating policy. Leadership nominating process With the large number of excellent candidates for College leadership positions this year, the Nominating Committee recommended that the College modify the required materials to include information to give the

4 Committee a better sense of each candidate s prior volunteer involvement with the College. Another change involves the election process itself. Upon recommendation of the Nominating Committee, the College has tightened up the nomination timeline so that the process moves more quickly. It has also simplified the election process. While it will proceed as it always has if there are multiple candidates for an office, if there is only a single candidate for each office, the slate will be ratified by the College s Executive Committee; no longer will another ballot be sent to the full membership. Committees: GoodFellows Mary Graybill/Margaret Ann Hennen o The co-chairs thanked all who had served as GoodFellows in o They reported that 97% of this year s class worked with a GoodFellow. o Fellows 101 is an annual conference session for PRSA members interested in applying to the College and it will be conducted again in Philadelphia on Monday. o Surveys of GoodFellows and new Fellows showed overwhelmingly positive support for the program. Selection Committee Tony D Angelo o The chairman thanked all those members of this year s Selection Committee and re-enforced the notion that The Selection Committee benefits from the work of the GoodFellows since they help candidates be realistic about the criteria for membership, they clarify the process and they eliminate any confusion well before the candidates submit their applications. Induction Dinner Steve Seekins o Steve Seekins thanked his committee; he noted that they had balanced the budget for an event in a very challenging venue; and that they had they had set a new fundraising record.

5 Mentoring Program Irene Maslowski/Michael Cherenson o The Co-chairs reported that once again there would be two days of mentoring sessions at this year s conference; that 15 Fellows had signed on to be on-site mentors; and that 28 conference attendees had signed up for mentoring, with walk-ins also expected. o PRSA CFO Phil Bonaventura has done some research on other online mentoring programs and just submitted a report which will be reviewed by the College s Executive Committee for possible adaptation. Education Initiatives Robin Schell/Judy Turk o The year started with a survey of senior PRSA members to gauge their interest in teaching either as full-time faculty or as adjuncts. o Another initiative was promoting the Learning to Teach seminar at the district level the Mid-Atlantic District had offered the seminar in June; the Northeast District had already scheduled one for November; and another was under consideration by a third District for early o Philip Tate anounced that the Charlotte Chapter is hosting a District conference in April 2014 and that it might be a good venue for a program. o The fourth edition of the Learning to Teach book will be available by the end of 203. o The Co-chairs are working with the Educators Academy for input on the program and ways to partner in delivering programming to PRSA members. Nominating Committee Mary Deming Barber o The Chair thanked the members of The Nominating Committee for their hard work this year. o The new 2014 Officers all APRs, Fellows PRSA are: o Maria Russell - Immediate Past Chair o Tony D Angelo - Chair o Steve Seekins - Chair Elect o Philip Tate - Vice Chair

6 o Julie Fix - Secretary Treasurer Comments by Chair Elect Anthony D Angelo Tony D Angelo said that he was honored to be Chair of the College in 2014 as the College celebrates its 25 th year and welcomed the new leadership team. He announced that a new strategic plan for the College would be a major initiative in the new year in conjunction with PRSA s three-year planning cycle. Old Business None Comments by the Chair Maria Russell The outgoing Chair expressed her thanks to this year s Executive Committee members for their leadership and their support. She noted that many more members had been volunteers for the various College initiatives and noted that this showed the continuing commitment to advancing both PRSA s professionals and the profession. She too reflected on the 25 th anniversary of the College of Fellows as a milestone achievement and a turning point for the organization. New Business/Open Discussion None Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 4:22 pm Respectfully submitted: Dr. Steve Iseman, APR, Fellow PRSA 2013 Secretary/Treasurer