by Mike Duke
June 22 Conference Call
President Chris Gray called the meeting to order at 9:05 p.m. Central time. All officers and directors were present except Jerry Annunzio and Alan Beatty.
The adopted agenda contained three items: a discussion of RSVA member concerns, rules of debate for the 2004 convention, and a financial update.
After discussion of a request by a member of the board of the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America for the ACB president to become directly involved in the resolution of some internal organizational questions, Paul Edwards moved that the ACB president offer his assistance in a meeting with the RSVA president and one of the board members. That meeting would occur prior to the RSVA board meeting if both sides agreed to it. The motion passed unanimously.
Gray sought suggestions for convention ground rules to govern discussion and debate. The consensus of the board was to have four to five speakers on each side with a maximum of a two-minute limit per person.
Edwards reported that ACBES has met its goal through May and profits are slightly up.
Gray reported that income projections seem to be ahead of expectations. He also reported that Jim Olsen had recommended that MMS program forms be available in the convention registration area.
Mitch Pomerantz moved to adjourn. The motion carried and the meeting ended at 10:15 p.m. Central time.
Pre-Convention Meeting, July 3, 2004
President Gray brought the meeting to order at 8:40 a.m. in the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center, Birmingham, Ala. All officers and directors were present, as well as Melanie Brunson, Sharon Lovering and Terry Pacheco. After the guests introduced themselves, the agenda was adopted.
No roll call votes were taken in this meeting. Each committee and staff report was adopted after discussion as summarized herein.
The motion to approve the minutes as submitted for the meetings of January 14, February 15-16, April 1, and April 22, 2004 carried.
In his report, Gray addressed the financial health of the organization. He thanked Laura Oftedahl for her work on acquiring a $25,000 grant.
Earlene Hughes spoke about the ACB web site. She stated there are approximately 10,000 to 15,000 visits to the web site each week, and the donations page has recently been updated.
Executive director Melanie Brunson reported that the American Association of People with Disabilities would be giving awards to disability champions during the political conventions of each party. ACB has been asked to co-sponsor the event and to give an award at each convention.
Gray reported that Nextel has manuals in braille. Nextel has agreed to be a convention sponsor and has provided phones for use by the convention committee.
ACB treasurer Ardis Bazyn reported total revenue through May 2004 of $404,501, and total expenses of $410,990. The vehicle donation program has increased substantially. The report does not reflect the $25,000 grant referred to above.
Budget committee chair Brian Charlson reported that there were no recommendations to change the current budget. The committee recommended beginning the tracking system with the 2005 budget, and requested that an investment committee be established as soon as possible.
Convention site selection coordinator Carla Ruschival began her report by asking how soon the board would be interested in returning to Las Vegas. The first year open would be 2008. The year 2010 could also be considered. Kansas City is being considered for 2011.
Edwards moved to consider returning to Las Vegas for 2010, and stated that other years would be acceptable. The motion carried.
Convention coordinator Cynthia Towers discussed the current convention. Items covered included hotel staff training sessions, the late arrival of packet inserts, maintenance of the guide dog relief area by Doodle Scoopers, field trips for the Youth Activities Center, the ACB Café, availability of refrigerators, new delegate signs, and the cost of first aid and Internet services. She also reported that there are 81 booths in the exhibit hall.
Ruschival reported that the computer from the national office, which was programmed to operate the Convention Ear, was damaged and unusable.
Ralph Sanders, chair of the public relations committee, reported on the press and television coverage, which was expected to continue throughout the week.
Mitch Pomerantz reported on the employment issues task force. In 2001 the employment issues task force held its first workshop; from that meeting came a recommendation to establish a group to work on employment issues. Now the three-year period of the task force is nearly over. His motion to form the employment issues committee was adopted.
Pomerantz also moved that a link to E-Sight be placed on the ACB web site. This motion carried, too.
Sue Ammeter reported on the activities of the membership committee. The membership seminar will be held on Thursday of convention week. The committee has held two conference calls, with 30 to 35 members on each call. A quarterly conference call will be held to discuss membership ideas. The West Virginia affiliate intends to seek a charter from ACB.
Ammeter also reported that the four corners group, consisting of members from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, will meet in Salt Lake City for a leadership seminar Sept. 10-12, 2004.
The motion to accept the request for a charter from the Mountain State Council of the Blind, along with dues for 28 members, carried.
Edwards, chair of ACBES, reported that ACBES is essentially on track this year. He anticipates ACBES will be able to remit to ACB the $450,000 allocated in the budget.
ACB executive director Melanie Brunson began her report by updating the board on the resolutions passed in 2003. All of the priority one resolutions have been acted on. She informed the board that the federal government wants documentation showing the membership gave approval for the ACB leadership to file the currency lawsuit.
Terry Pacheco reported that 21 scholarships will be presented and 12 of the recipients will be present. There will be a reception for the winners on Tuesday evening in the president's suite.
The legislative seminar and presidents meeting are scheduled for Feb. 18-22, 2005 at the Washington Terrace Hotel. The room rate will be $99 per night plus tax.
Acting “Braille Forum” editor Sharon Lovering reported that Enabling Technologies has donated three braille embossers for use in the communications center. Several other donations were also made to this busy convention work area.
Phil Strong, the newest member of the national office staff, introduced himself to the board.
The board then turned its attention to fund-raising. Gray discussed the budget, which was roughly $100,000 in deficit. Jim Olsen’s report showed that the deficit has been reduced by about half. He went on to report that the first ACB cruise (December 2002) gave ACB $5,000. There are two more cruises scheduled for members through Damar Travel with the hopes of increasing funding to the organization.
The ACB Store has increased the number of items for sale. The store is now on the web site and in the exhibit hall. Items for sale include jackets, shirts, caps and bags, which are embossed with the ACB logo. A motion that the board, in conjunction with the convention committee, create a policy with regard to the selling of items from the ACB Store during convention carried.
Edwards moved that Gray present a plan of organization and a report of all of the activities of the ACB Store to date at the September board meeting. The motion carried.
Miller moved the authorization and publicizing of a program under which after total MMS receipts go over $100,000 annually, all amounts received above $100,000 will be divided on a 75 percent and 25 percent basis between the American Council of the Blind and one affiliate designated by each pledging member with the money for the affiliates to be distributed on a once a year basis and after banking and other service charges withheld. The motion to refer this matter to the resource development committee with a report to be given at the September board meeting carried.
Other fund-raising ideas were discussed, with no action taken at this time.
Gray presented three documents to the board from the office review committee. The documents were a statement on staff participation in ACB conventions, a draft proposal for the official job description of the executive director, and a job announcement for director of advocacy and governmental affairs. These documents were accepted.
Board member Billie Jean Keith, the ACB representative on the board of the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision, reported that ACB has been asked to take part in the second year (2005) of a three-year project around the country. It will concentrate on rehabilitation teachers. ACB will be allocated $8,000 for a two-day event. A motion to participate in this Collaborative Technology Conference carried.
Gray thanked Jerry Annunzio for his contributions to the board over the past four years.
The meeting adjourned at 1:30 p.m. Central time.
Post-Convention Meeting, July 10, 2004
Gray brought the meeting to order at 2:10 p.m. Central time in the convention center. All officers and directors were present, as well as Melanie Brunson, Sharon Lovering and Terry Pacheco. Gray welcomed Naomi Soule to the board.
After the guests introduced themselves, the board reviewed the agenda, added a few items, and approved it. Each committee and staff report was moved and adopted after discussion as summarized herein.
Brunson reported on a sleep study of hormonal and reproductive risk factors for breast cancer among blind women. This study is being conducted by the Brigham and Women’s Hospital of Boston. The researchers are seeking visually impaired women to participate, and have asked ACB to endorse and promote the study. A motion was adopted that ACB, through its board, endorse and participate in the study and that a confidential way be found of communicating with a sufficient number of our members for the hospital to acquire the 8,000 women needed.
ACBES chair Paul Edwards reported that the ACBES board meeting would be deferred until the fall board meeting.
ACB Radio director Dave Williams reported on his activities during the convention. During a half-hour period on Thursday the streaming and recording system for the convention went down, which resulted in the loss of that portion of the meeting. He stated that computers operating with Windows XP would have expedited streaming of the convention, and may have prevented this unfortunate loss of coverage. The FIA Showcase and Candidates Forum were also streamed and were very popular.
Convention coordinator Cynthia Towers reported on the 2004 convention activities. She said the ACB Café, which served breakfast, lunch and dinner, was very successful. She reminded the board that Nextel Corp. donated the radios used by convention personnel. Carla Ruschival, convention site selection chair, also contributed to this report.
Gray then entertained nominations for a board representative to the newly formed Internet oversight committee. Charlson and Ruschival were nominated. On a roll call vote, Ruschival received eight votes; Charlson received seven. Those voting for Ruschival were: Beatty, Bradley, Miller, Ruschival, Schmitt, Seliger, Towers and Trott. Those voting for Charlson were: Bazyn, Charlson, Edwards, Keith, Pomerantz, Sheehan and Soule.
Naomi Soule was elected to represent the board on the board of publications.
Gray stated he would send the board a report on the road map sessions. Billie Jean Keith will acquire a report on the future place sessions.
Beatty reported that the resource development committee met on Wednesday in order to develop some guidelines. This committee is also looking into a mailing program. Former resource development committee chair Jerry Annunzio also reviewed the previous activities of this committee. Edwards moved that the committee, national office and the president be asked to prepare a list of all proposed revenue items that they plan to incorporate into fund-raising initiatives over the next year for presentation to this board at its September meeting. The motion carried.
Pomerantz moved that the fall board meeting be held the first weekend of October at the Old Dominion Council of the Blind convention. The motion carried.
Pomerantz reported that the National Telecommunicating Institute, which advertised for people with disabilities, is apparently having problems with providing accessible software from the IRS to be used by a blind person. Gray suggested drafting a letter to the company. A motion was adopted requesting that Pomerantz, Sheehan, Brunson and Pat Beattie work together on this issue with the intention of providing the board with recommendations for action at the October meeting.
Public relations committee chairman Ralph Sanders reported that there was a great deal of local and national media coverage of the convention.
Pomerantz reported on the prioritization of the 2004 resolutions. A separate article will address this report in greater detail. The motion to adopt resolutions 08, 09, and 10, the “courtesy resolutions,” carried.
Gray entertained a motion to move into executive session in order to discuss the cost of living resolution, which was adopted by the convention assembly. On a voice vote, the motion carried and the meeting recessed at 5:30 p.m. When the open meeting resumed at 6:25 p.m., Gray announced that the board passed a motion to refer that resolution to the budget committee with instructions for this committee to give the board a recommendation during the first week in August. The committee is also to confer with the executive director on this matter.
Miller inquired about the parliamentarian’s expenses for the convention. The expense to ACB will be around $1,500.
The motion to adjourn carried and the meeting ended at 6:35 p.m.