April 11, 2005
MITRE
Tysons Corner, VA

Attendees:

Kurt Cowles, President
Maggie Chan, President-Elect
Lisa Forester, SHRM Foundation Rep & Scholarship Coordinator
Judy Perrault, Director-at-Large
Amy Lourenco, Secretary
Mary Saily, VP, Programs
Sarah Cower, Registration Coordinator
Cindy Loison, Past-President
Judy Carter, Treasurer

Via phone:
Denise Hartman, Legislative Liaison

Agenda:

- Amy Lourenco moved and Judy Perrault seconded a motion to accept the February minutes. The motion was passed unanimously.

- Lisa Forester moved and Amy Lourenco seconded a motion to accept the March minutes. The motion was passed unanimously.

Legislative Report:

- On March 4, the local chapter legislative reps had a teleconference with SHRM. They are trying to increase chapter member involvement with initiatives like HR Voice, day inside the beltway, etc. Denise Hartman will plan a “Day Inside the Beltway” for us for the fall.

Treasurer Report:

- Nancy Streeter had requested that Judy Carter provide specific information broken out monthly so we can see each meeting’s profit/loss. It appears that our monthly meetings lose money. We have not been reserving 90% of the total number of reservations; Sarah Cower will start to do this for the April meeting. We talked about fees that are charged each month by the Marriott in addition to per meal fee (room set up, A/V, podium, etc.). Sarah Cower/Lynn Padgett to let Kurt Cowles/Judy Carter know what is ordered so they know what to approve on bill.

- However, overall we are making money. This is due in part to chapter growth (83 additional members 2004 over 2003) and related increase in financial support from SHRM. We have a fair amount of money in the bank, in good part due to our participation in the State Conference. We discussed ideas for use of that money, including paid speakers, annual holiday dinner for free for all attendees, increase scholarship (# and/or $$), educational seminar, subsidizing fees for unemployed members and/or Board members, etc. Maggie Chan reminded us that it’s important to focus on what’s best for our membership. The question was posed - is it okay for us to lose money on chapter dinners? ACTION ITEM: Think about ideas for use of the money and be prepared to discuss at May Board meeting.

Certification Report:

- Michaele Vestal met with National Louis University and Eileen Taylor regarding the fall study group. The class will be held on Tuesday evenings. More info and dates to follow from Michaele Vestal.

Programs Report:

- Mary reviewed the results of the member survey. (THANKS to Mary and HumanR for this fabulous service!!) ACTION ITEM: Review the survey and think of ideas for July, October & November meetings. ACTION ITEM: Review comments, especially suggested improvements, for future discussion. Each to be discussed at May Board meeting.

Membership Report:

- Membership payments/renewals are now overdue due for those who wish to be included in the spring, 2005 Directory.

Communications Report:

- Nancy Streeter’s husband will shortly no longer to be able to provide credit cards services to the Chapter. We talked about the companies we had previously researched (Cvent, Paypal, Acteva) and what type of services we need/want. Maggie Chan will be heading up a task force that will investigate prior research, website issues (with John DuBois), registration issues (Lynn Padgett & Sarah Cower), MailerMailer details (with Nancy Streeter), and other organizations (WIT & WTPF). They will then present recommendations to the Board at the June meeting. Cindy Loison questioned why we don’t simply do PayPal now to accommodate our credit card needs and do more research later if needed. Nancy Streeter will be transitioning tasks to Denise Henderson throughout the year, until she is fully functional by September or October. The credit card services may end sooner. Given potential benefits of service beyond payment processing, agreed to take a broader look at the services above with report to Board in June.

President's Report:

- There is a State Council Meeting on April 29. Kurt Cowles, Denise Hartman, Evelyn Kaiser and Mary Walter Midkiff will be attending.

- The 2006 SHRM National Conference is being held in Washington, DC. HRA-NCA is the Lead Chapter “host” for the event. Grace Dobson is hosting a kick-off meeting on April 28 to get volunteers from local chapters. There may be an opportunity for revenue sharing with our Chapter. Kurt Cowles and Maggie Chan will represent our Chapter at the April 28 kick-off planning meeting.

- Our Chapter Financial Support Payment from National SHRM for 4Q was $3,087.50. This represents $1,012.50 quarterly payment for members designating Dulles as primary Chapter and $2,075.00 for net gain in membership for 2004 over 2003 (83 members).

Student Chapter Liaison Report:

- Andrea Evans has met with George Mason University to gauge their interesting formalizing an alignment with us. They had a good showing at the March meeting.

Discussion Group Report:

- Cindy Loison has been experiencing a significant number of no shows at these sessions, most disturbingly by Board members. She also sought suggestions to handle a participant who tends to dominate discussions. Suggestions were made on how to handle. Mary Walter Midkiff will be facilitating the May 5 discussion on Outsourcing, hosted by Denise Henderson in Reston.

Questions or Comments? Contact the President

Previous Board Minutes