Official Minutes of the Summer 2017 Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting of the Mid-Atlantic District (M-AD) on Sunday, August 6, 2017

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1 Official Minutes of the Summer 2017 Board of Directors (BOD) Meeting of the Mid-Atlantic District (M-AD) on Sunday, August 6, 2017 (Revised Draft 08/25/17:KMJ) includes all BOD review edits See Appendix A for Acronyms & Abbreviations Often Used In BOD Minutes; Appendix B for Attendance at Summer 2017 Board of Directors Meeting; Appendix C for Others Mentioned in These Minutes; and Appendix D for Board Meeting Agenda. Opening Ceremonies The meeting was held electronically using the Google Hangouts app. Thanks to Board Member at Large (BMAL) Steve Skolnick for his assistance. District President (DP) Dennis Ritchey called the meeting to order at approximately 7 p.m. and dispensed with the Pledge of Allegiance, the invocation the singing of The Old Songs and Keep The Whole World Singing, due to the nature of the electronic forum. Seven of the eight current BOD members were in attendance. District Treasurer (DT) Lamar Bortner sent his regrets and announced his resignation from the BOD for personal reasons. Additional attendees were Society Board Member (SBM) and Society Treasurer-Elect John Santora, serving as our District s Society Board Representative (SBR) for 2017 and District Leadership Team Chairman Bill Colosimo, who joined the meeting in progress. SBR Report Santora reported that the international quartet automatic qualifying score will remain at 76 percent for the foreseeable future. Society Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Marty Monson and his team are studying this and may announce a change prior to the first contest of the 2018 cycle (our District Convention next month) but the qualifying score is not expected to change. The rollout of the Member Service Center has produced mixed results. Santora found that it was difficult to look up information on members and quartets. Jakovac expressed concern about registering choruses and quartets for the fall contests next month; Santora will bring these concerns forward as soon as possible. District Secretary (DS) Keith Jones added that our Chief Information Officer (CIO) Mike Kelly is one of the beta-testers of proposed modifications to the new system. Per the District Secretary s Forum, the general consensus seems to be that Society HQ seems to be trying to cut out the districts altogether. The standard response to many questions is to have the members call Customer Service in Nashville but we have heard many accounts of non-responsiveness. Santora will work with Society BOD and HQ staff Immediate Past District President (IPDP) Ig Jakovac asked about attendance at International Convention. Santora reported that about 5100 attended, slightly lower than projections. Some expenses may be mitigated due to the flooding at Planet Hollywood and from other actions. Jakovac expressed his objections to future conventions in Las Vegas. BMAL Doug Brown expressed concern about the magnitude of future calls to Customer Service about the various issues. He added that he was surprised and disappointed that so many functions that previously worked are no longer available. Santora reported that, subsequent to the initial roll-out, more information has been made available to members, chapters, and districts. 1

2 President s Report Ritchey highlighted several of the topics covered in his written report (see Summer 2017 BOD folder). Total membership in our District has declined again this year. Jakovac explained that the current numbers are relatively accurate due to the un-duplication of men who belong to two or more chapters. Recruitment continues to go well but retention continues to be a challenge. About a dozen chapters are planning to hold Ready, Set, Sing! events in the near future. Ritchey observed that a number of members are not supportive of bringing women into our organization and do not support the promotion of mixed harmony quartets and choruses. Any BOD member who does not support the Society s recently restated vision statement, please contact Ritchey privately to discuss your concerns. Brown thinks that our emphasis should be on inclusion rather than the elimination of exclusion. Several other members endorsed this approach. District Leadership Committee (DLC) Report DLC Chairman Bill Colosimo spoke to the concept of strategic planning and how our District s approach needs to relate to the Society s approach. He recounted M-AD s history of leadership in BHS, not the least of which are the recent elections of Dick Powell as Society EVP and John Santora as Society Treasurer. He urged the Board to establish a standing Strategic Planning Committee to work with its counterpart at the Society level. MOTION to establish a standing committee to be known as the Strategic Planning Committee, with members to be appointed by the District President. Offered: DS Jones Action: Brown called the question. All members voted in favor of the motion, therefore it was adopted. Colosimo reported that he does not yet have a slate of nominees for the 2018 BOD. He has candidates for every position other than the recently-vacated District Treasurer. He wants to confirm the other candidates as well but plans to finalize the list in time to be reported to the House of Delegates (HOD) at least 30 days prior to the Fall 2017 HOD Meeting. Minutes of the Spring 2017 BOD Meeting Jones asked for any corrections or changes to the minutes as posted on the District website. Hearing none, Ritchey invited a motion to approve the minutes. MOTION: to approve the Spring 2017 BOD Meeting Minutes as presented Offered: BMAL Skolnick Action: All members voted in favor of the motion; therefore it was approved. Secretary s Report. Jones expressed concern about the short transition time available for his successor as DS and frustrations with the new BHS Member Center. Ritchey added that his discussion with BHS Operations Director Chip Gallant indicated that district records and related concerns were not considered in the design of the new member center. 2

3 MOTION: to receive the Secretary s Report as presented. Offered: IPDP Jakovac Action All members voted in favor of the motion; therefore, the report was marked as received. Treasurer s Report Executive Vice-President (EVP) Bob Eckman worked with Bortner at Harmony College East (HCE) on the March 2017 accounts reconciliation; subsequent months need to be reconciled as soon as possible. Bortner continues in a limited role until replaced. Brown discussed some technical aspects of the QuickBooks software; Santora will discuss options with Eckman offline. EVP Report Eckman highlighted several topics from his written report (see Summer 2017 BOD folder online). Spring 2017 conventions were an artistic success and no surcharges or fees had to be paid to hotels. He reported that our choruses and quartets did very well in the International contests this summer. HCE was a great success with the highest attendance in recent years. Don Myers has resigned as District Vice-President (DV) for the Central Division; Rob France will take over this position, effective immediately. At the Fall Convention next month, Eckman will host a District Leadership session to talk to members about interests in programs, events, and future officers and committee members. At the District Presidents Council (DPC) meetings in Nashville, districts were asked to field senior choruses, Eckman suggested 2019, where the venue will be the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. To qualify, each chorus must score 62% or more in the prior year s district chorus contest. Jakovac recalled that the BOD was opposed to participation in this event a couple of years ago. Ritchey said that the issue will be re-evaluated in light of DPC discussions; Jakovac will provide information about the prior discussions. Eckman would like to encourage smaller choruses to participate in the fall convention. His proposal would be to invite members of non-qualifying choruses to join one of two mega-choruses (East v. West or North v. South, for example) led by a top-line director and have the two choruses compete head-tohead. Brown suggested that Chapter Advocates would be a good conduit for the promotion of such an event. Jakovac noted that the chorus qualifying score of 67 was set to limit the number of choruses in the Fall Contest to a practical number. Would this proposal require that the number of choruses be reduced by two, or would they be added to the total? Ritchey noted that only 21 choruses are automatically qualified for next month s contest. Jakovac commented that we typically invite a few more as wild cards. Jakovac thinks that McDaniel College is a good venue for HCE but that the District needs to consider renting electric carts for physically-challenged attendees. Brown asked about the CSLT function and planning for the Leadership Academy (LA) sessions, in light of Chuck Harner s passing and the position currently unoccupied. The DVP-CSLT position needs to be filled in order to start planning next year s LAs). Several other positions need to be filled as well Dean of HCE; DVP-Music & Performance; District Newsletter Editor;and others to be determined. LAs have not been planned yet; Eckman would like to involve new DVP in the details. Brown suggested that we may want to secure possible venues soon in case the LAs are scheduled similarly to prior years. 3

4 Locations for 2018 conventions are set but no contracts have been signed for Eckman wants to see how the Santander Performing Arts Center option works out. Griffith would like to determine if the HOD would support possible raising of dues to support the performing-arts model. Brown would like to offer an incentive (such as a free convention registration) along with any proposed dues increase. Ritchey recalled that the dues increase was expected to be $10-$15, as opposed to registration fee increases that would be twice as much. He will redistribute the presentations from the spring meeting. MOTION: to receive the EVP Report as presented. Offered: BMAL Doug Brown Action: All members voted in favor of the motion, so the report was marked as received. Conventions Task Force Report Chairman Doug Brown reported on his conference call with Chapter Advocates and Division VPs. He expects written reports to be turned in by August 16 and will synthesize and summarize the results at the Fall BOD meeting. Old Business No items of old business were brought forward to the BOD s attention. New Business No items of new business were brought forward to the BOD s attention, Last Call Brown encouraged all to attend next the Atlantic Harmony Brigade gathering on August 12 in Wilmington, Delaware. Da Capo quartet will be the featured headliner entertainment. Adjournment Motion: to adjourn the Summer 2017 Board of Directors Meeting. Offered: BMAL Griffith Action: All members voted in favor, so the meeting stood adjourned at 8:48 p.m. Harmoniously reported, Keith M. Jones Secretary, Mid-Atlantic District APPENDICES A: ACRONYMS & ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THESE MINUTES B: ATTENDANCE AT SUMMER 2017 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING C: OTHERS MENTIONED IN THESE MINUTES D: MEETING AGENDA 4

5 APPENDIX A: ACRONYMS & ABBREVIATIONS OFTEN USED IN BOD MINUTES ADS ADT BABS BHS BMAL BOD C&J CA CDD CDWI CEO CIO CRM CSLT CVP DEF DELASUSQUE- HUDMAC DET DOM DOT DP DS DT DVP EVP HCE HFI HI HIP HOD HOH HQ HU IPDP IRS LEEAP M-AD M&P M&PR PDP PSP SBOD SBM SLD SOP SP SPEBSQSA SAI YIH Assistant District Secretary Assistant District Treasurer British Association of Barbershop Singers Barbershop Harmony Society Board Member-at-Large Board of Directors Contest & Judging Contest Administrator Chorus Director Development Chorus Directors Workshop Intensive Chief Executive Officer Chief Information Officer Chapter Resource Management Chapter Support & Leadership Training Chapter Visitation Program District Endowment Fund District Honor Chapter, acronym based on abbreviations of four major rivers in the District (Delaware, Susquehanna, Hudson, Potomac) District Events Team District Operations Manual District Operations Team District President District Secretary District Treasurer District Vice-President Executive Vice-President Harmony College East Harmony Foundation International Harmony Incorporated Harmony Improvement Program House of Delegates Hall of Honor Headquarters (BHS offices in Nashville, Tennessee) Harmony University Immediate Past District President Internal Revenue Service Leadership Encouragement & Education Assistance Program Mid-Atlantic District Association of Chapters Music & Performance Marketing & Public Relations Past District President Past Society President Society Board of Directors Society Board Member Seneca Land District Statement of Policy Society President Society for the Preservation & Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. (dba\ Barbershop Harmony Society) Sweet Adelines International Youth in Harmony 5

6 APPENDIX B: ATTENDANCE AT SUMMER 2017 BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING Ritchey, Dennis Eckman, Bob Jakovac, Ig Jones, Keith *Bortner, Lamar Griffith, Walter Brown, Doug Skolnick, Steve District President EVP; District Operations Team Chairman Immediate Past District President District Secretary District Treasurer BMAL; DVP-Events BMAL; Past SBM BMAL; Past DVP-Marketing & Public Relations Special Guests Santora, John Colosimo, Bill Society Treasurer-Elect; SBR; Chairman, BHS Finance Committee; BHS Member, BHS-HFI Joint Audit Committee PDP; Chairman, Leadership Development Committee District Operations Team (for reference only) Boehm, Kevin (Vacant) Kelly, Mike Myers, Don Galdi,Rich Phillips, Glenn Plaag, Gary Tallant, Shawn Tarpy, Roger Schreiner, Brian Shoemaker, Cliff Wile, Alan DVP-YIH DVP-CSLT Chief Information Officer DVP-Central Division DVP-Northern Division DVP-Chorus Director Development PDP; DVP-C&J; Chairman, Top Gun Committee DVP-Membership DVP-Music & Performance DVP-M&PR DVP-Southern Division PDP; DVP-Financial Development *Did not attend meeting 6

7 APPENDIX C: OTHERS MENTIONED IN THESE MINUTES Da Capo quartet Gallant, Chip Kelly, Mike Monson, Marty Powell, Dick 2016 District Champion Quartet BHS Director of Operations District CIO BHS Executive Director/CEO BHS EVP-Elect 7

8 APPENDIX D: BOARD MEETING AGENDA Mid-Atlantic District Board of Directors Summer 2017 Meeting (Video Conference) Sunday, August 6, :00pm AGENDA Roll Call K. Jones Society Board Member Report President's Report Minutes of the Spring 2017 BOD Meeting Secretary's Report Treasurer's Report Santora Ritchey K. Jones K. Jones Eckman Leadership Development Committee (Colosimo) Colosimo EVP/Operations Team Report Eckman Convention Task Force Update Brown Old Business New Business "Last Call" Adjournment 8