by Katie Frederick
President Deb Cook Lewis called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Eastern. ACB Secretary Denise Colley then called the roll, confirming the presence of board members, staff, and guests. The minutes from previous board meetings held on September 23, November 2, and December 9 and 16, 2024, were approved.
Convention Coordinator Janet Dickelman provided updates on future conventions, including signed contracts for 2026 in St. Louis, 2027 in Jacksonville, and 2028 in Atlanta. The board discussed a proposal for 2029 and 2032 conventions in Minneapolis. The proposed dates for the 2029 convention are July 13 to July 20, with a room rate of $139 per night. For the 2032 convention, the proposed dates are July 9 to July 16, with a room rate of $149 per night. The board approved the proposal. Janet also addressed questions about hotel security, mentioning the responsiveness of hotel security in the past and the cost of hiring additional security this year.
President Deb Cook Lewis then gave her report. A committee led by David Trott was appointed to work with Mitch Pomerantz to evaluate and potentially revise the prohibited conduct policy. The committee's task is to evaluate concerns and determine whether recommended changes to the policy would be appropriate and report back to the board.
Deb updated the board on the committee structure and assignments, including the creation of a new Governance Steering Committee. This new committee is essentially a conversion of the voting task force, constitution and bylaws, resolutions, credentials, and nominating committees. The aim is to streamline and better organize the committee structure to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in their operations.
Kim Charlson will chair a work group to revise the Affiliate and National Expectations document, with plans to gather input during the leadership conference.
ACB submitted comments on the proposed ACVREP certification for occupational therapists as vision services providers. The comments reflected the organization’s stance and concerns regarding the certification process, emphasizing the need for consumer input and highlighting discrepancies between the knowledge requirements and the scope of work. The comments were aligned with the resolution passed in 2023.
Deb also shared updates to the leadership email list and guidelines are underway. The list should be updated on an annual basis, but it’s been a while since that’s happened. She’s working with state and special-interest affiliates to update the list. As with other lists, list guidelines will be sent out monthly. The goal of revising list guidelines is to maintain focused communication channels supporting the organization’s objectives and keep everyone on the same page.
Scott Thornhill provided an update on various organizational activities in his executive director’s report. Highlights included the Accessibility and Training Services Program led by Kolby Garrison, staffing changes, website updates, and the search for a new administrative assistant. The Amarillo Thrift Store celebrated its 40th anniversary, and the Lubbock Thrift Store will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year. He stated that the D.C. Leadership Conference is coming up, with planned activities and a successful sponsorship push. Updates were also provided on the LabCorp and Quest legal cases. Scott shared ACB’s advocacy intern, Kyla Ventura, successfully advocated for the installation of an accessible pedestrian signal in Springfield, Ark. Staff is working on a master calendar to avoid scheduling conflicts and ensure better coordination of events in the future.
Chief Financial Officer Nancy Marks-Becker led a discussion on proposed endowment policy revisions, which aimed to reorganize the policy for better clarity. The board approved the proposed revisions. Nancy also presented the bank signature policy, requiring the ACB treasurer, executive director, and chief financial officer to be signatories on the ACB accounts with Bremer Bank. The board approved this policy as well.
Following these discussions, there was an organizational discussion covering various topics, including the leadership conference, legislative seminar, and the importance of maintaining focus on issues impacting the blind and low vision community. Board members spoke about the need for patience and careful consideration of actions in response to current political and social issues.
Peter Heide provided a brief presentation on the topic of boundaries. His presentation was insightful, emphasizing that boundaries are not just about keeping people out but about protecting what is valuable to us. The workshop he attended suggested that boundaries should be seen as a way to project and defend our treasures, both individually and as an organization. Peter explained that every person and organization has a treasure that needs protection, and for organizations like ACB, the treasure is the core values and mission that need to be communicated and defended. The workshop encouraged thinking about boundaries positively, as a means to empower and share our treasures with others. Peter also shared the “Rule of Four” from the workshop, which are guidelines for communication:
Honesty: Ensure that what you say is honest and true to your own opinion.
Truth: Make sure the information is factual and dependable.
Kindness: Communicate in a way that is understanding of others’ boundaries and lifts up the organization’s treasure.
Helpfulness: Ensure that the communication helps the organization move forward.
He suggested ACB could benefit from adopting these principles to better protect and project its core values and mission.
Following Peter’s insightful presentation, the meeting adjourned about 10:30 p.m.