Jan 18 2016 board meeting minutes

Board meeting minutes

Society of Professional Journalists, Central Ohio Pro Chapter

January 18, 2016 Board of Directors Meeting

Submitted by Julanne Hohbach

Attendance:  Sarah Mills Bacha, Doug Buchanan, Mary Ann Edwards, Beth Gianforcaro, Julanne Hohbach, Karen Kasler, Joe Meyer, Kevin Smith

Call to order:  The meeting was called to order at 12:09 p.m. by President Joe Meyer with a quorum present.

Minutes:  The minutes of the December 21, 2015, meeting were approved unanimously. Motion was made by Sarah Mills Bacha with a second by Doug Buchanan.

Financial Report: Treasurer Doug Buchanan presented the financial report with current account balances.  Buchanan said he had filed the annual IRS disclosure for 2015. Kevin Smith made a motion to approve the financial report, with a second by Mary Ann Edwards. Motion was approved unanimously.

Membership: Mary Ann Edwards prepared letters to attendees from the OSU professional development event Nov. 14 to invite them to become chapter members and attend future events, as well as letters to current and former members to remind them about our chapter and our programs. These will be sent via email.

Programming: Continuing a discussion from the last meeting about Founders Day, the board decided to try the event without a speaker and structure it as a networking evening with appetizers and a cash bar.

Board members reiterated the desire to hold programs related to the changes at The Columbus Dispatch with Alan Miller as a speaker, and with NBC4 with regard to the station’s ownership change. Buchanan suggested asking Miller if the Dispatch would host the former in the paper’s new offices at 62 E. Broad St. A story in the Dispatch mentioned a performing arts space in the building. If not, we will find another location. Meyer said he will contact Alan Miller.

Julanne Hohbach updated the board on The Martys high school journalism contest. New Dispatch Media Group owners GateHouse Media Inc. will no longer fund the $1,000 in cash prizes for the winners. Would the Chapter be interested in taking over the funding of the contest? Buchanan suggested we could fund it from the Vanguard account. Meyer said he believes the contest has been around long enough and has enough momentum to try it without funding.  He does not think it will affect participation.

Mills Bacha plans to work on arranging a screening of Spotlight before the next meeting.

On the Ohio SPJ awards, Meyer said the three-chapter committee will stick with Omni as a platform at least for this year. Columbus will host the 2016 awards banquet. Meyer suggested tying it into a Columbus Clippers game.

Bacha reported that our chapter is in a judging swap with Long Island this year. As far as our contest goes, categories have been tweaked and freelance categories have been added.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

None

OLD BUSINESS

Hohbach has finished her portion of the bylaws revisions. Smith will now address the final portions and said he will have something for the board to review next month.

NEW BUSINESS

None

Next meeting:   The next board meeting is noon February 15, location TBD.

Adjournment: At 1:20 p.m., Mills Bacha made a motion to adjourn, with a second from Smith. The motion passed unanimously.