LWVNM Board Minutes, 2021-07-17
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF NEW MEXICO
BOARD MEETING MINUTES
APRIL 25, 2021
VIA ZOOM
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT
Hannah Burling, President
Barbara Calef, Second Vice President and LWVLA Co-President
Dick Mason, Action Chair
Rebecca Chaiken, Secretary
Suzanne Ronneau, Treasurer
Judy Williams, Past President
Kathy Brook, Program
Meredith Machen, Education/Immigration/Special Projects
Akkana Peck, Webmaster
Karen Douglas, LWVCNM Co-President
Eileen VanWie, LWVSNM Co-President
Becky Shankland, LWVLA Co-President
Susan Haase, Director at Large
Janet Blair, Communications/La Palabra Editor
Jody Larson, Archives
Rebecca Álvarez, JEDI
Bobbi Riedel, Women's Issues
Renny Ashleman, Voting and Elections
CALL TO ORDER and INTRODUCTIONS
Hannah called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m. All members introduced themselves and explained their position with the LWVNM.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA and APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Meredith moved that the agenda be approved and Dick seconded this motion. All voted in favor.
Meredith moved that the March 6, 2021, board meeting minutes be approved and Becky seconded this motion. All voted in favor.
BOARD CALENDAR
The rough draft of the board calendar for the next year was reviewed. The meeting scheduled for July 17, 2021, is expected to be lengthy. In the past, meetings held in person went from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Zoom meetings have been held from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The board then had a discussion about whether future meetings should be held via Zoom, in person, or a combination. If the meeting will be a hybrid model, we will need to ensure that the meeting site has the appropriate audio-visual equipment. Rebecca Á. noted that had it not been for Zoom, she would not have been able to participate in the League. Following a question from Bobbi, it was learned that all board members present during this meeting, except Akkana, have been fully vaccinated against COVID. Akkana believes she will be fully vaccinated by the July meeting.
The board agreed that, ideally, board meetings should be held via the hybrid model to allow everyone to participate with ease. Bobbi said that holding a hybrid meeting should be simple as long as we have a projector and secure Internet. Meredith believes that the Santa Fe Higher Education Center has the necessary equipment to allow for hybrid meetings. She will double check in advance of our July meeting and reserve the space for 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Akkana noted that a lot of meeting spaces do not have high speed, reliable Internet and she suggested the equipment and Internet at any meeting location should be tested out in advance.
The draft board calendar for the next year is as follows:
July 17, 2021 - Santa Fe/hybrid
September 18, 2021 - to be determined
November 20, 2021 - Socorro/hybrid
January 15, 2022 - to be determined
March 5, 2022 - to be determined
The meeting space at the library in Socorro, which we have used in the past, is very good for our meetings but someone will need to inquire into what audio-visual equipment is available. Hannah noted that there is also a college in Socorro, which might be an alternative.
CONVENTION FOLLOW-UP
Everyone agreed that the Convention turned out very well. The Zoom functioned fine and we had more attendees than the last convention. Akkana noted that it would have been better had any motions been made in the chat box, which was what was originally planned.
Janet asked who was going to draft the press release. Meredith agreed to send her the list of elected officers and directors. Jody suggested we include a summary of our positions and Dick added that a summary of the new Tribal Sovereignty study should be included. Chris will be asked to provide a summary of the adopted program changes. Susan also suggested that the news release mention the large attendance from around the state.
Janet noted that our attempts at social media have not worked out well. She has the volunteers to post on Facebook and Twitter but they have not received any content from the board. Rebecca Á. noted that the lack of interest on social media is the disconnect between older and younger/prospective League members. She suggested an internship might help or something like a "junior" League. Bobbi added that it might be useful if the League spoke on college campuses. She also noted that League meetings are often held when students are working or in class.
Hannah will add a discussion on attracting and retaining younger League members to the next agenda.
APPOINTMENTS
Following the March 6 meeting, Dick wrote a proposal creating a new portfolio for Voting and Elections Director. Barbara has read the proposal and is hoping that Renny might volunteer for the position.
Barbara then moved to create a portfolio for Voting and Elections Director and this was seconded by Meredith. All voted in favor. Dick and Renny will work together on a job description to be considered at the July board meeting.
Eileen moved that we vote for the slate of appointments, which was already discussed extensively during the convention, and this was seconded by Rebecca C. All voted in favor.
Barbara then moved that we appoint the following directors:
Voting and Elections Director - Renny Ashleman
At Large - Karen Douglas
At Large - Pat Hawkins
Membership/Events - Susan Haase
Archivist - Jody Larson
This motion was seconded by Judy and all voted in favor.
ANNOUNCEMENTS, INITIATIVES, AND OTHER BUSINESS
Dick encouraged everyone to participate in the Redistricting webinar scheduled for April 29, 2021.
Barbara noted that the La Palabra deadline is July 19, 2021. She wants an article on the Tribal Sovereignty study with an invitation to members to participate.
The next board meeting is scheduled for July 17, 2021. It will hopefully be held in person in Santa Fe with an option of participation via Zoom.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:01 p.m.
Written by Rebecca Chaiken (May 3, 2021)
Edited by Barbara Calef (May 4, 2021)