Board Meeting Minutes – 5 May 2020
Posted: 5/21/2020
Board Meeting Minutes
May 5, 2020
Roll Call:
Present: Tony Konecny ‘79 – President; Dave Goins ‘84 – Secretary/Communications Director; Jim Waddell ‘71 – Treasurer; Rob White ‘94 – Webmaster; Eric Marquardt ‘07 – Shipmate Coordinator; Todd Forney ‘86 – Board Member; Michel Plumley ‘09 – Board Member.
Absent: Ben Sandman ‘10 – Vice-President; Jim Worthington ‘60 – Board Member.
Special Board Minutes from January 9, 2020 appointing Jim Waddell as Treasurer of the Columbus Chapter of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association were discussed. The minutes were unanimously approved by all present.
Treasurer’s Report. Presented by Waddell. Moved by Goins to be acknowledged and filed for audit.
- Konecny pointed out that $150 was donated in memory of Janet Maroscher, wife of Udo Maroscher (associate member of the Chapter). $50.00 was provided by Captain Chris Peppel, former CO of NOSC Columbus. The amount donated was in light of the Maroscher’s significant contributions to the Chapter and Navy organization throughout Columbus.
- White suggested that an entry be submitted to Shipmate notifying the Chapter of Jan’s passing. – ACTION.
- Forney suggested that a standard memorial document be prepared and approved by the Board such that future actions will be pro forma. Konecny and Forney will work on a document – ACTION.
Old Business – None
New Business
Board feedback on virtual meeting – tabled until more data is available;
How do we get more people involved:
- White suggested getting support from outside businesses for some chapter activities. For providing the expenses for refreshments, an organization could present information concerning their business to the chapter. In so doing, the business could advertise for customers or employees. Alumni attending would benefit from the networking opportunity.
- Forney suggested investigating a virtual Happy Hour. Konecny asked Forney to investigate and report his findings to the Board.
- Plumely suggested that at the time before an event such as the Founders Day Dinner alumni be presented with a plan for the year and allow groups to form in a competitive manner to encourage innovation and friendly competition. – ACTION
- Eric Marquardt requested to be relieved of Shipmate contact duties after 3 years of service to the Chapter. A new Shipmate contact will need to be assigned. – ACTION
Events
- Konecny discussed the existing scheduled events – Founders Day/Annual Meeting, lunches with speakers, and pub nights. Mentioned that due to COVID-19 pandemic, it may not be possible to schedule any events for the remainder of 2020. Encouraged discussion on other possibilities from the Board;
- Forney suggested that we consider a 3 level plan for the Founders Day/Annual Meeting in light of the 175th anniversary of the founding of USNA – schedule a normal event, schedule a “social distancing” event, schedule a virtual event. Depending on the state of “shelter-in-place” in September 2020, one of the options could be implemented. Also recommended considering a virtual happy hour.
Chapter scholarship status – Konecny discussed the intent of providing a scholarship to a worthy, needs-based central Ohio candidate to attend either the STEM Program or Summer Seminar at USNA. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all activities at USNA are cancelled so no scholarship will be offered for 2020.
Communications – Konecny discussed the various means of communication available to keep Chapter members informed. He encouraged use of all means to ensure the Chapter is well informed.
Webmaster report – White discussed:
- That the Columbus chapter was instrumental in getting the Alumni Association to get proper SSL certification for the national and chapter websites (Word Press);
- Explained that using technology could improve member experience. For example, alumni that move in or move out could be automatically identified thus providing for initial contact and recognition at some type of hail and farewell event – ACTION.
Action Items:
- Pro forma memorial procedures for personal events such as hospitalizations, deaths, etc. – Forney/Konecny
- Shipmate submission IRT Janet Maroscher passing and donation to Navy League. – Konecny
- Recruit new Shipmate contact person. – Boad
- Further discuss and design a process to incorporate Plumley’s suggestion (New Business #3) as an integral part of annual event planning. – Plumley/Goins
- Work with Webmaster to design a simple process to identify new alumni to the area in USNA.com database. – White/Konecny
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