Meeting Minutes

San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina, San Diego, CA
February 15, 2001

Members present: Christine Cendagorta (chair); Susan Andres, Ginger Banks, Chris Blake, Cheryl Bruce, Brad Carr, Jay Curtis, Elizabeth Derrico, Tamra Drees, Becky Gravely, Joy Hamilton, Joyce Hastings, Tracy Hickman, Marla Hockfeld, Bill Litant, Carol Manning, Marian Miller, Matt Silverman, Duane Stanley, Jack Sweeney, Jack Wax, Michelle Wilson and Emil Zullo. Invited guest: Jennifer Davis. Chris Cendagorta called the meeting to order at 1:10 p.m. Each member present introduced him or herself.

Minutes of September 9, 2000 Meeting A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the September 9, 2000 section meeting. The motion was approved unanimously.

Treasurer's Report Susan Andres presented the treasurer's report. She said the section is doing slightly better than expected with the workshops. There is a balance in the fund. The report was accepted.

Committee Reports

Program: Susan Andres reported that Stuart Forsyth gave a very useful presentation on CLE programming and future trends in regard to delivery of CLE on-line and through other methods. She said the committee is working on a seminar for the Annual Meeting in Chicago this summer. The topic is raising money for new bar buildings. Chris Cendagorta said Bill Litant proposed the possibility of a program for the Mid-year NABE meeting on the benefits and pitfalls of partnerships with outside groups. The committee will further pursue this idea. Chris and Bill will take over as co-chairs of the Program Committee after the Chicago meeting. Congratulations and thank you to Susan Andres and Wendy Jones for two years of hard work and great programs on behalf of the Section.

Marketing: Chris Blake reported that the subcommittee's main focus is to update the marketing handbook and convert it to electronic format so it can be placed on the NABE web site. He asked for volunteers for the subcommittee and several people present said they would be willing to work as part of this group. He said he hoped to have the update of the handbook completed by the end of this year.

Luminary Awards: Chris Cendagorta gave the report on behalf of Susan Ferrer, committee chair. She announced that Paul Nickell would serve as co-chair. The notice and call for entries will go out soon. The deadline for submissions is June 1. She urged all members to consider entering the contest.

Membership: Carol Manning gave a report on the procedure the committee uses to recruit new members. Carol receives a list of first time attendees to the NABE Annual and Midyear meetings. She calls the communications-related people on the list and asks if they would be interesting in learning about the section. When they join, she mails them a welcome letter and there is usually a follow-up call from a section member. The committee also sponsors a mentor program and a get acquainted activity at the annual workshop.

Electronic Services: Chris Cendagorta gave the report on behalf of Roger Parris. The primary focus of this committee is the NABEComm listserve. Chris encouraged new members to register for the listserve, as it is one of the best benefits of the section.

Leadership Development: Chris gave a report on behalf of Gary Toohey. This committee is in a state of limbo while a similar NABE special committee on the same subject is organizing itself. The intention was to piggyback on the work of the NABE special committee. Follow up conversation led to the merging of the leadership development needs into the existing Nominating Committee, which is chaired by the outgoing chair.

Richter Award/Anne Charles Award: Elizabeth Derrico reported that the Executive Council has approved the Anne Charles Award, which will be presented to a member volunteer for exemplary service to the section and its committees. This year's committee will consist of Gary Toohey, Janet Eveleth and Joyce Hastings. The first Anne Charles Award will be presented at the workshop this October on Daufuskie Island, S.C. Barbara Kitrell will chair the Richter Award committee this year. Award materials will be mailed out in the May/June time frame.

2001 Workshop: Wendy Jones is chairing the 2001 Workshop, which will be held from October 3-6, 2001, on Daufuskie Island, S.C. She has a program committee. If members have ideas for programs, they should contact Wendy.

2002 Workshop: Cynthia Kuhn is chairing the 2002 Workshop, which will be held in Alexandria, VA.

Communications Review/Publications Audit: Chris reported on behalf of Trudy Levindofske. The section offers these services to members. Experienced communications or publications specialists will travel to your bar association to review your communications program and/or publications and make recommendations for improvements. The only expense is that the bar requesting the service must pick up any travel costs for those who conduct the audits. Chris encouraged members to take advantage of this service.

Volunteer Recognition: Kimberly Smith (Kentucky Kimberly) is working on a volunteer recognition committee. The purpose is to recognize volunteers who give of their time and talents on behalf of the section.

Committee reports (for decision)

By-law changes: A motion was made and seconded to amend the section by-laws to provide for automatic succession from the office of chair-elect to the office of chair. The motion was approved unanimously.

New Business

Executive Council: Chris Cendagorta reported that Kimberly Rowden has accepted a job in another state and has resigned from the Executive Council. Chris Blake was appointed for the remainder of her term.

Newsletter: Kim Smith (the Nevada Kim Smith) has volunteered to succeed Kim Rowden as newsletter editor. Chris said Kim is certainly well qualified. There was a discussion about whether the section should continue to print and mail its newsletter. The section could set a leadership example for other sections by converting to an online only newsletter, as the ABA has done with its Miscellaneous Memo. One of the first articles could be how to move toward an electronic publication (issues, obstacles, solutions). The idea was enthusiastically received and Chris will pass it along to Kim.

Non-member Advertising Staff Access to Listserv: The Executive Council has discussed a proposal to allow advertising staff who are not section members but who work for or with section members to have access to the NABECOMM listserv. The benefits include gaining valuable information from advertising staff and giving such staff, who are often isolated, a network of similar people with whom to communicate. The disadvantages include giving a section benefit to non-members and the fact that few of the NABECOMM listserv queries relate to advertising information. A lengthy discussion ensued. An alternative was discussed: to create a separate listserv for advertising people. Elizabeth Derrico said Jennifer Lewin of the ABA Division for Bar Services is preparing a "white paper" on bar publication advertising trends. She suggested someone from the section should contact Jennifer and offer to review the questions on the survey Jennifer is preparing as part of her research on this white paper. Chris Blake volunteered to call Jennifer and review the questions. The white paper should be ready by May.

URLs for Bar Publications: Elizabeth Derrico commended Brian Myers of the ABA for his work in compiling a list of URLs (web site addresses) for bar publications and posting them on the listserve.

Knowledge Management: Chris Cendagorta said the section should further explore the subject of knowledge management, specifically how its principles could be put to use within the section. Joyce Hastings asked if the section has the ability to archive past listserve discussions and post them. A discussion ensued which concluded with general agreement that the section should begin with modest steps toward knowledge management, such as creating knowledge networks within the section.

By-law Change: Cheryl Bruce stated that the by-law amendment adopted earlier in the meeting when she was not present is insufficient. She suggested new wording and a subsequent motion was made and seconded specifying that the title "vice chair" in the current by-laws be changed to "chair-elect" in all references. The amendment further specified that the appropriate changes be made to all relevant by-laws sections dealing with succession to the office of chair to reflect the intent to enact automatic succession. The motion was adopted unanimously.

Recognition of Past Chair: Chris Cendagorta said the section traditionally recognizes the past chair at the NABE Annual Meeting. However, this meeting does not draw a large number of section members. Chris said it would be better to recognize the past chair at the workshop, which draws a greater number of section members. All members present agreed that this should be done. Chris recognized and thanked Jennifer Davis, who left bar work recently, for all of her wonderful contributions to the section.

ABA Division for Bar Services Report: Elizabeth Derrico reported that the division has published two new membership publications. One focuses on membership development and the second is the state and local bar membership dues and fees survey for 2000. A revised list of ABA awards and grants is also available. Miscellaneous Memo has been converted to an exclusively electronic publication. The next issue will come out in March. The Bar Leadership Institute will take place next month with the emphasis on leadership. Consultant Douglas Eadie will speak about extraordinary board leadership. Shelley Joksimovic is the new NABE staff director for the Division for Bar Services, replacing Libby Bullock, who left the ABA. Mabel McKinney Browning was unable to attend the meeting, but Elizabeth encouraged section members to read the Law Day materials on the ABA web site. Cheryl Bruce further encouraged members to challenge themselves and come up with creative new ways to promote Law Day, such as partnering with outside organizations.

Section Brochure: Chris Cendagorta complimented Kimberly Smith (Kentucky Kim) for doing a great job on the new section brochure, which features a "hat" theme to depict the many hats bar communicators wear. The brochure will go out with section dues notices. Carol and Chris will discuss further ways to disseminate the brochure.

Announcements: Jack Sweeney of the ABA announced that the annual survey on justice system initiatives would be going out shortly. He urged executive directors or bar communicators to fill it out and return it to the ABA.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Christopher G. Blake, temporary secretary