WBC-Business Meeting-April 24, 2008

WASHINGTON BALTIMORE CENTER
FOR THE STUDY OF GROUP RELATIONS
Business Meeting
April 24, 2008

Dear Associates, Welcome to our first Internet-based Business Meeting. This reflects the state of the Center and the changing nature of organizations period. Many of our members reside in different geographical areas nationally and internationally. We cannot resist this change; we have to move with it and seize the opportunities it presents. We cannot be remised of the challenge it brings with it: there are too few persons locally to do on the ground work.

This meeting marks the end of the first nine months of this Executive Committee. Our work has been patient, engaging, frustrating, and at times, exciting. The Executive Committee members and Chairs of Program, Education, and Research & Evaluation Committees conducted a retreat on January 26. We walked away with a vision for going forward and a commitment to work in a more strategic way. The path forward might look a different from the way things were; we have to work with a greater sense of purpose.

We lost our treasurer, Dr. Spedden Hause, who resigned in April 1; he serves as bookkeeper to ensure a seamless transition. We are looking for someone who can take that role in a strategic way. We have been unable to field Chairs for the Elections and Bylaws Committees and hope you will step up to those tasks.

As President, I’m still trying to understand what it requires to take on this role and to lead a sentient organization. This leadership requires patience that challenges the urgency which I bring. It requires a healthy distancing from one’s ego while trying to maintain a sense of self amidst micro and not so micro aggressive attacks. And the work and relationships go on as I and the other members of the Executive Committee grapple with the questions of what, who and how are we leading.

Agenda
I have assembled a few agenda items which are offered in a narrative form:

1. Check in
2. Membership

• What is the role of a member?
• Who should be a member of the Center?

(We have a recommendation from the Membership Committee, chaired by Peter Shapiro, to have conference members as members of the center. They will enter our training program to become associates)

3. Why a Quorum?

• You will be voting shortly on a motion to revise the bylaws dealing with criteria for a quorum. Our decision making is hampered because we cannot raise a quorum with the local members. This change will allow us to have the annual business meeting in June. The process will be conducted through slow mail.

4. Conferences

• Diversity conference

Now in its second year, we are expecting your recruiting efforts to give us at least 50 members. (Sarah Rosenbaum is the Director for a second year.)

• Residential Conference

Efforts to restore the conference this year did not succeed. Within a short time-frame we offered restricted invitations to Zachary Green and Carl Mack. Both were booked. We are looking to have all conferences address the issue of training & development of the directors’ pool and to making the conference more international in its membership. We will be putting out the call in May to interview and hire a director for this conference.

5. Committee Reports

• Educational Committee

Chaired by Michael Speer. The Educational Committee is working to develop a curriculum for EC approval in September; some topics that can be used for about 5 programs in 2008-2009. A reading and discussion group will be launched this year.

• Program Committee

Chaired by Ron Becker. Previous programs have been: the Holiday Open Forum & social in December; The Political Scene from a Group Relations Perspective, led by Georgia Sorenson and Karen Bradley in February; & Basic Assumption Me-ness and a Review of Basic Assumptions in General led by John Johnson, in March. For the remainder of this season-thru June---the Programs consist of the Rioch Lecture in May by John Johnson, and the Annual Business Meeting in June.

• Bylaws Committee

Chaired by David Luna. Resigned.

• Research and Evaluation

Chaired by Diane Forbes. Working on criteria for the evaluation of conferences.

• Finance

Chaired by Spedden Hause. Resigned.

6. Center for Nonprofit Advancement

• The Executive Committee is considering membership in this organization, an umbrella for nonprofits based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Center for Nonprofit Advancement has a wide membership that could benefit from our conferences and it offers liability insurance now offered from AKRI and required by conference sites.

7. Other business
8. Closing – Check in


DIRECTIONS FOR CONTRIBUTING TO THIS MEETING
If you would like to contribute to the discussion, please click below - comments.

Ron said...April 25, 2008 7:55 AM

Checking-in-----I look forward to this meeting, hoping the technology works well, and that lots of members participate. I am somewhat distracted by events in my family, so I may need to interrupt my participation. Omowale's message and update was sobering, and I am hoping we can take the steps necessary to keep WBC going---and viable.---Ron Becker

John L. Johnson said...April 27, 2008 6:39 PM

Under the membership agenda item, myproposal from last yeat to create a policy on Associates in good standing was omitted. It remains to be addressed.

John L. Johnson

georgia sorenson said...April 27, 2008 8:50 PM

I love the idea of on-line meetings. I hope people will more time to get a google account, etc.

I like the idea of a membership category for interested people.

I wish we had a wonderful building or meeting place--I feel we are somewhat rootless.

What is the interpretation for all male? exec. committee?

What are the resignations about?

Agree about quorum.

What is John L.'s proposal?

I am so sorry to miss John L.'s "Me-ness" lecture. By the time my meeting was finished in Burtonsville, I couldn't make it in time, given traffic.

Thanks for all you do.

laura dorsey-elson said...May 4, 2008 8:06 AM

laura dorsey-elson said...
Hello everyone. I'm checking in...FINALLY...and I really appreciate this online format. I'd like to support the amendment to the quorum idea...so that we can move business forward more quickly given the large number of "out of towners" that are among us.

More later...

Laura