May 18 2015 board meeting minutes
Board meeting minutes
Society of Professional Journalists
Central Ohio Pro Chapter
Minutes of May 18, 2015 board meeting
ATTENDANCE
Sarah Mills Bacha, Doug Buchanan, Mary Ann Edwards, Joe Meyer, Thomas Bradley, Kevin Smith, Beth Giamforcaro
President Meyer called the meeting to order at 12:23 p.m. at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Grill.
MINUTES
No vote on April minutes because they are not yet completed. Julanne is preparing.
Treasurer’s Report
See attached financial statements of Fifth Third checking account and Vanguard account from Treasurer Doug Buchanan.
Checking account low because scholarship checks were written from the account. Doug will transfer $2,000 from the Vanguard account to the checking account. That amount, along with recent membership dues and expected Ohio SPJ Contest proceeds, will beef up the checking account.
Vote to accept Treasurer’s Report also postponed due to the lack of a quorum.
Programming
OSBA Media Law seminar: Event is set for Friday, October 16. John Long will host his annual event at the Main Street Free Press Museum Thursday, Sept. 10, in Fredericktown. The topic will be “What Happens When a Town Loses Its Newspaper,” and will discuss the folding of Fredericktown’s Knox County Citizen, which John’s father published for 35 years. Sarah will follow up and get more details this summer. Joe said he would like to sponsor a professional development program in the coming year, perhaps on print design?
OLD BUSINESS
Chapter bylaws review: Board members present revisited the topic of decreasing the number of board members, because it is difficult to assemble enough bodies for a quorum. We now have 16 members, and the board discussed reducing that number to 12. Members and their terms are:
2018
Sarah Mills Bacha
Bruce Cadwallader
Chelsea Castle
Thomas Bradley
2017
Julanne Hohbach
Karen Kasler
Joe Meyer
Mary Ann Edwards
2016
Doug Buchanan
Beth Gianforcaro
Nicole Kraft
Kevin Smith
Kevin, Sarah and Bruce agreed to meet over the summer to review and make recommendations for revisions to bylays. Kevin offered to touch base with Robert Becker, chair of the SPJ national bylaws committee, regarding bylaws’ updates at other chapters. Other issues that need to be addressed are allowing more flexibility for online or virtual meetings; board attendance; and provisions for a tie vote. Any bylaw changes would have to be presented to the full membership.
Ohio SPJ Awards Contest: Joe said he will put this topic on the agenda for August and we will discuss additional details then.
New Business:
New board members: Chelsea Castle and Bruce Cadwallader need to be sworn in as new board members as they missed the swearing-in at Founders’ Day.
Website: Thomas agreed to make updates to the website with current board members and 2015 chapter award winners.
National SPJ Conference: The directors agreed on the necessity for an online vote to allow President Joe Meyer or his designee to register to attend the SPJ National Convention in Orlando Sept. 18-20. Bruce Cadwallader, Julanne Hohbach and Beth Gianforcaro moved to conduct the online vote. Bruce made a motion that the chapter pay the expenses of the president or his designee to attend the SPJ National Convention in Orlando up to $1,400 plus expenses; second Julanne Hohbach. The motion passed, with Mary Ann Edwards, Bruce Cadwallader, Kevin Smith, Julanne Hohbach, Beth Gianforcaro, Thomas Bradley, Chelsea Castle and Sarah Mills Bacha voting in favor. Joe Meyer abstained.
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 1:18.
The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 17, Buckeye Hall of Fame Grill, 775 Yard St., Columbus.
Minutes prepared by board member Sarah Mills Bacha