American Council of the Blind
Board of Directors Conference Call
March 30, 2006
President Gray convened the conference call board meeting by asking the secretary to call the roll. All members were present except Mr. Edwards. Ms. Brunson and Mr. Gardner were present.
Item 1: Ms. Brunson reported there will be a number of changes to the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). Beginning in 2007 ACB will have a new number.
Item 2: President Gray stated Mr. Dave Williams, ACB Radio Director, has submitted his resignation and will be leaving his post as of April 5, 2006. A team will work together to keep ACB Radio going for the foreseeable future. The team members will be Traico, Geoff Shang, Matt Campbell and Crissie Cochrane.
Item 3: Next President Gray reported that the direct mailing campaign didn’t send a mailing as it seemed too close to the tax deadline.
Motion 1: Mr. Pomerantz moved to accept President Gray’s report. On a voice vote, the motion carried.
Item 4: Office Review Committee Report. President Gray reviewed the project the committee has been working on. A job description for a staff member in the National Office has been completed and sent to the Board for review.
Item 5: Occupancy of the Washington, DC and Minneapolis offices was discussed. The Office Review Committee recommends that the lease on the Washington, DC office be renewed at the higher rate for a two-year period to allow both leases to come due at the same time.
Motion 2: Mr. Charlson moved that the budget which had been adopted be amended during the 2006 mid-year meeting to provide for the increased cost of the Washington, DC office lease for the fourth quarter of 2006 with an estimated cost of $4,250. The motion carried on a voice vote with two dissenting votes.
Motion 3: Mr. Charlson moved that the Board support the Committee’s recommendation to extend the existing lease on the Washington, DC Office two years for purposes of bringing the two leases (Minneapolis Office) expiration dates in close proximity for future strategic planning. The motion carried on a roll call with one dissenting vote. Ms. Ruschival asked for a roll call. The motion carried on a roll call vote with ten in favor, four opposed and one absent. Those voting in the affirmative were: Mr. Beatty, Dr. Bradley, Mr. Charlson, Ms. Ewing, Mr. Godino, Ms. Keith, Mr. Miller, Mr. Pomerantz, Mr. Sheehan and Ms. Soule. Those opposed were: Ms. Ruschival, Ms. Schmitt, Ms. Seliger and Mr. Trott.
Item 6: MMS update. There is no information at this time. Mr. Miller has planned to give to each member of his local chapter an application form and envelope addressed to the Minneapolis Office.
An invitation to join the Monthly Monetary Support Program will appear at the bottom of each acb-l and acb leadership e-mail message. It will also appear in the Braille Forum each month.
President Gray offered to share with the Board information he and Ms. Brunson received concerning properties around the country for future reference.
Item 7: Ms. Soule expressed her concern about the emphasis vendors at C-SUN were placing on their relationship with the National Federation of the Blind.
Several members of the Board asked for copies of an updated Committee List. Ms. Seliger agreed to send the list to the Board and Ms. Brunson.
Motion 4: Dr. Bradley moved to adjourn. The motion carried and the meeting ended at 9:40pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Donna Seliger, Secretary