Meeting Minutes

Executive Council Meeting
Tuesday, October 5, 2004
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Present:
Chair Susan Andres, Alabama State Bar
Chair-Elect Duane Stanley, Hennepin County Bar Association
Secretary Carol Manning, Oklahoma Bar Association
Treasurer Francine Walker, The Florida Bar
Immediate Past Chair Cynthia Kuhn, D.C. Bar
Rene Eichem, Kansas Bar Association
Emily Eastin, The Columbus Bar Association
Mark Mathewson, Illinois State Bar Association
Christopher Blake, Connecticut Bar Association
Jill Werner, American Bar Association

Chair Susan Andres called the meeting to order.

Minutes - Mark Mathewson moved, Rene Eichem seconded to approve the minutes from the August 3, 2004 meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. Motion passed.

Treasurer's Report -Francine Walker reviewed highlights of the financial report. She said the report included dues and workshop registration revenue in addition to some workshop expenses. She reported workshop costs are expected to be about $2,000 overbudget; however, the section has sufficient funds to cover the additional expense. As of October 4, 2004, the section has a balance of $21,546.55 in its account.

New Committees - Susan Andres reported Duane Stanley has agreed to form the Survey Evaluation Committee, and Joyce Hastings and Betty Braden will chair the Leadership Development Committee.

Sponsorship - Francine Walker reported she already has a committee working on recruiting sponsors for the 2005 workshop. Jill Werner reported NABE Sponsorship Chair Sam Clinch is pitching all NABE workshops/meetings to the national sponsors; however, the timing of the Communications Section is not good to take advantage of that solicitation. It was decided the section would continue its separate effort, in addition to having access to the national sponsors.

Section Web Site - It was noted this has been a standing committee. ABA Information Coordinator Brian Myers has been posting information but is not performing content management. Possible volunteers to do the content management were discussed. Patricia Hohman, Florida Bar webmaster, was suggested as a possible volunteer. Mark Mathewson agreed to serve on the committee. The committee will be asked to look at the section site and the NABE site as a whole. It was suggested that the group start as a task force this year with the specific charge of developing standards and that the section Web page is kept up to date.

Newsletter - Chris Blake reported Rene Eichem stepped in and saved the day when a designer was needed. She volunteered to continue to design the newsletter. Chris said he has been working on creating an editorial calendar, which is not ready yet. The next publication is planned for November, and he reviewed content ideas.

Program Committee - Emily Eastin reported NABE would like the section to sponsor a program at the NABE Midyear Meeting in Salt Lake City. Ideas were shared, and discussion followed about offering publication and Web review at the meeting. Program suggestions were requested.

Luminary Awards - Mark Mathewson said he has not made any progress on completing an archive of past Luminary Award winner. He knows exactly what he is missing. Chris Blake said he may have the information needed. A print brochure will be created. It was reported that Luminary Awards Chair Matt Silverman was delayed in arriving to this meeting because of a cancelled flight. He sent the message to council members to "Don't open the box!" of award-winning entries.

Anne Charles Award & Wally Richter Award - Cynthia Kuhn reported great recipients have been selected this year. The section needs to encourage nominations. It was recommended to list recent past recipients.

Membership Committee - Rene Eichem reported that she and Yvonne McGhee have been having e-mail problems trying to communicate. They have membership ideas, but are not ready to present them. Protocol for a procedure to welcome new members has been developed.

2004 Workshop: Minneapolis - Workshop Chair Duane Stanley reviewed the success of changes and new things offered at the workshop this year. He said 27 first-timers registered for this workshop. He said 10 local ASAE members will attend a Wednesday afternoon workshop. He said sponsorship funding is down a little from last year. He emphasized recruiting needs to start early and recommends standardization. He said a total of 87 people are registered in addition to the local ASAE members. That number is up significantly from the 2004 workshop. He recommends that a standardized report form be developed to pass from one workshop chair to another. He report the ABA Division for Bar Services has been very helpful.

2005 Workshop: Orlando - Workshop Chair Francine Walker handed out a promotion flier that will be distributed at this workshop. She reported the hotel was not damaged by the hurricanes, and strong speakers have already been lined up. She said an effort has been made to make speakers and programs multicultural. She is currently working on excursions.

Scholarships - Cynthia Kuhn reported there were eight applicants and three scholarships were awarded, which is a registration fee waiver and $500 for hotel and travel expenses. She said the section usually only gives two scholarships, but funding was available.

Special Committee to Implement Recommendations of the 2003 Member Survey - Chris Blake reported there is a need for a strategic plan to help the section plan programs and services to meet the changing needs of its members. Subcommittee members are Duane Stanley, Susan Andres, Christ Blake, Dan Cirucci and Yvonne McGhee. Another member is needed who is a new member or represents a small bar association. Jill Werner was asked for a small room at the midyear meeting on Wednesday from 4 - 6 p.m. for a subcommittee meeting. Chris said he will give a report at the section's business meeting.

NABE Consultant's Report - Susan Andres reported that she e-mailed the NABE consultant's report to council members.

2006 Workshop Location - Susan Andres reported the State Bar of New Mexico has volunteered to host the section's 2006 workshop in Albuquerque.

Protocol Handbook - Jill Werner reported Susan Andres has asked for a protocol book to be created for section officers and committee chairs so that they have guidance for their responsibilities. Susan asked everyone to review the draft and to give suggestions for revisions to either Jill or Susan. The goal is to present the book at the next meeting.

Division for Bar Services Report - Jill Werner reported DBS offices have moved to a great space and invited everyone to drop by when in Chicago. She said the ABA is experiencing budget cuts. Personnel reductions have been accomplished through attrition only at this point. She said her responsibilities have increased to include working with the bar foundations. She was glad the section is taking responsibility for the current Web site content. She said a new database will be constructed for DBS that will allow updates to crossover and be made all at once. Changes need to go to Jill. She briefed council members on new books just published by the ABA that will be available on the ABA's new Web book store.

The meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,
Carol Manning, Secretary