HUMAN RESOURCES ASSOCIATION – GREATER CONCORD, NH PROGRAM YEAR 2003-2004 BOARD MEETING MINUTES – MARCH 3, 2004 THE CONCORD MONITOR     Board Members Present:   Maria Manus Painchaud, Peg Flint, Kim Saucier, Doug Chamberlain, Gayle Troy, Tracie Wajer, Anna-Marie Sparks, Deb Laushine and Sandra Platt.   Board Members Absent:   Paul Wilson, Jen Iacopino and Angela Finney.   Committee Members Present:   None.               The President of the Association, Tracie Wajer, called the meeting to order at 2:35 p.m.   February 10, 2004 Board Meeting Minutes               Upon motion made by Gayle and seconded by Peg, the minutes of the February 10, 2004 Board meeting were accepted as submitted.   Treasurer’s Report               Peg Flint distributed the Treasurer’s Report, including a full report for the first six months of the program year.  She noted significant expenses beginning in the month of February with respect to dues refunds to members joining the association after the close of the first half of the program year, as well as to one candidate who had proven to be ineligible for membership.  Jen Iacopino was also reimbursed for refreshments furnished to the February Board meeting.  Peg noted that as a result of the member refunds membership income was essentially a wash for February, notwithstanding several new members.  Membership income is $655 under budget on a year-to-date basis.  She also noted that the association was $4,160 under budget on program revenues, but indicated that this figure should improve as the program year continues.  Sponsorship revenue is over budget due to an increase in the monthly sponsorship fee which  took effect after the budget had been prepared.  Peg indicated that World at Work revenue should meet budget.  With respect to expenses, Peg noted that no expense was indicated for postage, the Concord Monitor having apparently absorbed that expense to date.  Peg indicated that $8,000 was available in the budget for program expenses, and that with only four meetings left in the program year the association would almost certainly be under budget for this item.               Sponsorship possibilities for the upcoming Granite State Conference were discussed, including scholarships to be distributed either to members in transition or as door prizes at upcoming meetings.  After some discussion the Board voted to sponsor a maximum of four scholarships to the Granite State Conference: two to be awarded to members in transition, and two to be awarded as door prizes at upcoming monthly meetings.               The Board discussed sponsoring an officer’s attendance at the SHRM Annual Meeting in New Orleans, to be held June 26 through 30.  Tracie indicated it was unlikely she would be able to attend.  Accordingly, and upon motion duly made and seconded, it was voted to sponsor attendance by Vice President Sandy Platt by reimbursing her for meeting registration, airfare and hotel costs up to a maximum of $1,500.   Returning to the Granite State Conference sponsorship issue, Peg noted that $750 had been budgeted for this purpose.  Finally, Peg indicated that $2,098 had been was spent on holiday gifts for members, and that a considerable number of these items remains to be distributed.  The distribution of these items at future meetings was discussed.  Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Treasurer’s report was accepted as submitted.    Membership               In the absence of Jen Iacopino, Tracie reported that three candidates had been nominated for membership: Felix Kalinsky, Jr. of Lincolnshire, as an affiliate member; John Zamagni of HR Solutions, as an affiliate member; and Theresa Steiner of New Hampshire Oncology – Hematology, as a professional member.  Upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board approved these memberships.   Program   Deb Laushine reviewed the agenda for the half-day meeting scheduled for March 18, which will include two three-hour programs presented in parallel tracks: Employment Life Cycles, intended for the less seasoned HR professional; and Strategic Management II, presented by the Painchauds and aimed at a more experienced audience.  Jeanine Poole will present the Legal Update and the program sponsor will be Anna-Marie Sparks of Manpower.  The only meal furnished will be breakfast, plus beverages and snacks during the program.  The Board considered pricing for this program and, after some discussion, it was decided that the program cost would remain $18 for members and would be $50 for non-members, with the proviso that eligible non-member attendees would receive a complementary association membership for the balance of the program year.    In April Christine Lazotte will chair a program on “Benefits and the Aging Workforce”, including four presenters.  The May meeting will feature a presentation by Keith Green, and the June meeting will feature Jim Reidy.    Sandy Platt distributed the evaluation summary for the February 19 meeting, noting that the program had in general received very high marks, and that among the respondents there was significant interest in including evening meetings in the program schedule on an occasional basis.  The Board briefly discussed the possibility of a different venue for such meetings, such as the Granite State Management and Resources conference center, including catered dining and possibly a less structured format to afford more time for networking.  Doug Chamberlain suggested a possible format involving several simultaneous round table discussions, among which the attendees would rotate.  Finally, it was noted that the Marriott should be contacted concerning available program dates for the 2004-2005 program year.    Certification               Maria Manus Painchaud indicated that there was nothing to report on this subject.   Sponsorship               In the absence of Paul Wilson and Kim York, no report was submitted on this subject.   Website               Kim Saucier reported on two items.  First, the association was double-billed for February website maintenance services.  Second, it was reported that the Monitor would be outsourcing its website capabilities to Site Surfer Publishing, with Bill Shaw as the new person involved with the website.  Under this new system the association would be required to license website management software at a cost of $99, and Kim would be trained to perform periodic updates of the website herself.  The monthly maintenance fee for the website would remain at $29.95.  This new regime is scheduled to become effective by the end of March.  The Board discussed this development at some length.  It was noted that Gayle Troy’s husband Dan could handle the website maintenance on an interim basis until the association decides how to proceed.  After further discussion, it was decided that Tracie Wajer would determine whether the Monitor could give the association more time to evaluate alternatives, ideally until the end of the current program year in June.  If this proves impossible Dan Troy will be asked to handle this work on an interim basis.  Tracie will update the Board via e-mail concerning this matter.   Recognition               In response to a question raised by Anna-Marie, the Board indicated that any non-member attendees at the March half-day program who choose to avail themselves of a complementary membership for the balance of the current program year would, if eligible, be accepted as members by the Board at its April meeting and would be recognized as such at the April program.   Student Liaison               In the absence of Lori Shackford, no report was submitted on this subject.   By-Laws               Gayle noted that Angela Finney, Maria Manus Painchaud and herself had been absent from several Board meetings during the current program year, and that the By-laws provide that if a Board member is absent from two consecutive meetings, or three meetings in total during the course of the program year, he or she is subject to removal.  The Board noted that removal in such cases is at the option of the Board, and not mandatory.  After further noting recent problems in scheduling meetings and the fact that each of the absent members had continued to contribute significantly to the work of the association in other ways, the Board determined to take no action in this regard.   Supervisor Training Program               In the absence of Laurie Methven, no report was submitted on this subject.  Tracie indicated that Laurie expected to have a finished proposal ready for discussion at the April Board meeting.   Brochure               In the absence of Kim York, no report was submitted on this subject.   Leadership Development Task Force Presentation               Maria distributed a detailed report prepared by the Task Force, including proposed job descriptions and a recommendation that a permanent Leadership Development Committee be established.  After some discussion, and upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted to establish a Leadership Development Committee and to appoint Sandy Platt, Jen Iacopino, Sandy Wescott, Sheila Soule, Chris Bellerose, Cathy Greenwood, and Maria Manus Painchaud to the Committee, with Maria to serve as Chair.  Maria indicated that an additional component of the report, concerning Board orientation and training, would be submitted by Jen Iacopino at a later date.  Finally, Maria presented the Task Force’s recommendations concerning committees: that each committee create an annual action plan for Board review and approval and that the Board consider establishing two new standing committees: Marketing/Public Relations and Finance.  The Task Force also recommended that letters he sent to the employers of association leaders on an annual basis, commending them and their employees for their service to and support of the association and its programs.                         Maria asked the Board to review the job descriptions and furnish comments to Maria concerning the same prior to the next Board meeting.  As part of the strategic planning process, Maria will meet with Tracie and Sandy to discuss transition issues, as Sandy prepares to assume the presidency of the association.  Gayle questioned whether it was practical to require, as the report recommends, that all officers first have served as committee members, noting that this might prove impractical with respect to filling certain officer positions, such as Treasurer.  Gayle also noted that a similar requirement that the President always have served a prior term as Vice President might likewise prove impractical, suggesting that extenuating circumstances might from time to time exist.  Doug noted that these recommendations would only serve as non-binding suggestions unless and until they were incorporated into the By-laws as mandatory provisions.    Finally, Maria indicated that much of the early history of the organization seems to be undocumented or that the documentation has been lost, and that it is important to record and preserve this historical information for the future.  It was suggested that a portion of each annual meeting be devoted to this topic, both in terms of recapturing the history of the association to date and of recognizing and recording significant developments on an ongoing basis.   Audit Proposal               Peg Flint presented a report indicating that the normal cost of a full audit of the association would be $2,700, based on the auditor’s normal hourly rate of $90.  She indicated that Christine Flanders was willing to perform a full audit of the association’s books for $1,200.  Peg reviewed the differences between a full audit, compilation, and report, noting that only a full audit is designed to uncover dishonesty and similar issues.  Ms. Flanders recommends that a full audit be performed at least once during the term of each Treasurer, or every three years if sooner.  After further discussion, and upon motion duly made and seconded, the Board voted to engage Christine Flanders to perform a full audit of the association’s books at the close of the 2003-2004 program year, at a cost not to exceed $1,200.    Finally, Peg indicated that she had received an inquiry from a member in transition concerning a possible discount on the monthly meeting fee.  After some discussion this topic was tabled without further action.               There be no further business to come before the Board, upon motion duly made and seconded, the meeting was adjourned at 4:05 p.m.               THE NEXT BOARD MEETING WILL BE HELD ON A DATE AND TIME TO BE DETERMINED AND ANNOUNCED TO BOARD MEMBERS VIA E-MAIL.   Respectfully submitted,   Douglas R. Chamberlain, Secretary   DRC/sy