Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
Executive Committee Meeting
Worcester Crowne Plaza
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
6:00 pm
Present: Tom Campbell, Jackie Carlson, Sara Coady Howe, Ed Godek, Ron Grasso, Andy Hochberg, Sean LeBlanc, Shyno Pandeya, Joel Slovin and Ron Spicer
Staff: Deb Masloski and Anna Symington
The meeting convened at 6:05 p.m.
Approval of Minutes
Jackie noted that her surname was incorrect in one section of the minutes.
Motion: by Ron Grasso, seconded by Andy Hochberg, to approve the minutes of the August 18 Executive Committee meeting as amended. The motion passed with nine ayes and one abstention.
President’s Update
Sean thanked each of the Executive Committee members who had attended Alumni Association events over the past month.
Andy has drafted a memorandum of understanding relative to the alumni and donor database. The database group will meet in the next week or two to review the memorandum and provide feedback on the document to the full Executive Committee in September.
Executive Director’s Update
Anna reported that the new secure website for board members is nearly finalized and staff are working on a few minor revisions. Staff will disseminate an announcement regarding the official launch of the website, along with instructions for accessing the site within the next week or so.
The external auditors conducted their on-site fieldwork last week; they did not identify any issues or irregularities during their visit.
Staff has implemented a new partnership with LinkShare, a business venture that provides an opportunity for the Alumni Association to generate revenues for all orders placed with various vendors through our website. In addition, we are in the process of negotiating new sponsorship proposals with various campus partners that include the provision of in-kind services to our partners rather than direct financial support. Response from these partners has been positive to date.
University Relations recently purchased a number of new Minuteman Bobbleheads to promote unity and recognition of the campus. The Alumni Association will help promote the sale of the bobbleheads through @UMASS and our website; in return, we will receive one-third of all net proceeds for allocation to the Alumni Association’s Life Member scholarship fund.
Club officers who plan to attend Homecoming festivities have been offered complimentary Tailgate Tent passes and football game tickets, as well as access to discounted hotel rooms at the Campus Center Hotel, which they may reserve at their own personal expense. Anna noted that most of the feedback received to date from club officers regarding restructure of the Club Leaders Conference has been along the same vein: volunteers have expressed their initial disappointment that the conference will not be held on campus this year, but they also understand the need to minimize expenses at this time.
Anna noted that she wished to update the Executive Committee on a matter concerning volunteer conduct.
Motion: by Joel Slovin, seconded by Ed Godek, to enter into Executive Session. The motion passed unanimously.
Motion: by Ed Godek, seconded by Ron Grasso, to move out of Executive Session. The motion passed unanimously.
Directors and Officers (D&O) Insurance
Andy provided an overview of the research conducted over the past month relative to various D&O insurance policies issued through a number of providers including AIG, Chubb, Travelers and Philadelphia Insurance. After much consideration of which options would best meet the current needs of the Alumni Association, he and staff recommend moving forward with D&O and EPL coverage from the Philadelphia Insurance Company for a combined liability amount of $5,000,000 and a retention amount of $5,000, at approximately half the cost of our current coverage. Philadelphia’s coverage also includes a specific network security endorsement that will address any concerns related to a potential security breach or misuse of personal alumni information housed within the Alumni Association’s online community or any other database owned by the organization.
Prior to the expiration of our current policy last week, staff initiated a temporary binding agreement with Philadelphia to ensure continued coverage; however, we have the option to renegotiate or cancel this agreement if the Executive Committee recommends doing so.
Motion: by Sara Coady Howe, seconded by Ron Grasso, to approve continuation of the binding agreement with Philadelphia Insurance Company for a combined liability amount of $5,000,000 and a retention amount of $5,000. The motion passed unanimously.
Committee members agreed that it would be prudent to identify a risk manager who could help the Board with an organizational risk assessment, as well as provide additional insight on our insurance coverage. Ron Grasso will try to identify an individual and Deb will reach out to Kevin White to see if he could recommend any potential risk managers.
Committee Reports
Audit
Andy reported that the audited financial statements and Form 990 would be distributed to all directors for their consideration prior to our October board meeting.
Career Connections
The Career Connections Committee will convene its first meeting of FY 2010 next week.
Clubs
None
Communications, Marketing and Membership
Ron Grasso reported that the Communications, Marketing and Membership (CMM) Committee plans to meet regularly between now and the October board meeting in an effort to develop a recommendation on a possible restructure of the membership program. Executive Committee members briefly discussed hosting another brainstorming session on membership at the October meeting, but instead suggested the possibility of conducting a survey of board members and/or life members to provide additional insight that the CMM Committee could use in developing a restructure proposal.
Finance and Investments
Joel reported that the Finance and Investments Committee plans to meet next week to review year-end investment performance reports and unaudited financial statements. In addition, the committee is working towards developing a recommendation on the future use of life membership reserves for consideration at the October board meeting.
Honors and Awards
Jackie plans to work this year with Melanie Cosgrove to reinvigorate the Honors and Awards Committee by engaging committee members in a more meaningful way.
Nominating
Both Ed and Deb have made preliminary contact will all committee members. The first committee meeting will convene in late September or early October.
Programs and Services
The Programs and Services Committee will convene its first meeting of FY 2010 on September 8. Ed has reached out to all committee members and asked them to be prepared to provide examples of past events they enjoyed, as well as any ideas they may have for new events.
Ed inquired as to what role the committee would serve relative to the review of any grant applications received this fall. Deb and Anna will speak with Janine Sicks and Norma Heim regarding this matter and get back to Ed directly.
Technology and Online Services
Shyno reported that the Technology and Online Services Committee is meeting later this week. Planned points of discussion include developing sub-groups within the Alumni Association’s LinkedIn group, as well as ways to increase activity on our Facebook page.
Volunteer Advocacy and Public Affairs
The Volunteer Advocacy and Public Affairs Committee plans to meet tomorrow to discuss a possible service trip to New Orleans, currently proposed for January 2010. In addition, the committee will work towards increasing volunteer involvement during Community Service Month next April, as well as overall volunteer recruitment
Tom noted that he recently had an opportunity to meet staff representatives from the Office of Government Relations. He hopes to collaborate with their office on advocacy initiatives more frequently in the future.
Old Business
None
New Business:
David Scott ’94, who recently co-authored a book with former men’s basketball coach John Calipari, contacted Anna regarding the possibility of hosting a book signing reception for UMass Amherst alumni in the Boston area sometime in mid-September. She plans to meet with John McCutcheon, athletic director, to discuss this possibility.
Adjournment:
Motion: by Andy Hochberg, seconded by Ed Godek, to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 7:32 p.m.