MINUTES
VARP EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
January 29, 2009

CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order by the President, Gerry Wells, at 2:04 p.m. The Board meeting took place via telephonic conference.

Board Members Present: Gerry Wells, Adolfo Arsuaga, Jeannie Lehowicz, Barbara Byers, Janet Hillyer, Pat Eby, Eleanor Fukushima and Ashley Harmon

Board Members Absent: Bobby McCarty, Trish Rehpelz and Dora Morris

Special Guests/Members: None

SECRETARY'S REPORT

The General Board Minutes were not taken by Ms. Lehowicz who was absent during the last telephone conference meeting. Eleanor Fukushima and Ashley Harmon discussed the Minutes and it was agreed that they will be presented at the next Board meeting.

TREASURER'S REPORT

The Treasurer, Barbara Byers, prepared the Treasurer's report and sent a copy to each Board Member prior to this meeting. It was noted that VARP has $48,597.55 total liabilities and equity. The Profit and Loss Statement for January through December 2008 showed a net income of $7,313.89. Eleanor Fukushima made a motion to accept the report and Ashley Harmon seconded and accepted.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Legislative Update, Eleanor Fukushima

Ms. Fukushima related that she had reviewed the items on the legislative agenda and saw nothing relevant to VARP. There was no further discussion on legislative issues.

Membership, Janet Hillyer

Ms. Hillyer related that she is in need of a contact person at IARP in order to obtain a current list of members. She previously had a contact person who left and now she is unable to follow up on the members whose memberships are expiring. She related she uses these contacts for "retention". When she is at conferences and workshops, she personally works the crowd to encourage individuals to join VARP.

Conference Committee, Ashley Harmon, Chair

A Save the Date posting recently went out to Members.

Ms. Harmon reported on an IARP meeting she had attended telephonically and related that a recommendation had been made for local Chapters to review their By-Laws, to see if they need to be updated. It was noted that Barbara Byers is familiar with this process and would later be joining the group meeting, at which time this would be discussed as New Business.

REGIONAL REPORTS

Tidewater. Ms. Trish Rehpelz was not present for the meeting and no report was delivered on her behalf.

Central Virginia. Ms. Bobbie McCarty was not present for the meeting and no report was delivered on her behalf.

Northern Virginia. Mr. Adolfo Arsuaga related that he is co-sponsoring an educational meeting with CARP and NRH. This event will provide six CEUs and is free to attendees. It will be held in the Greenbelt, Maryland area and a "Save the Date" note is being sent out soon.

Southwestern Virginia. Pat Eby was present and related that she is still doing monthly breakfast meetings. She has booked most of the 2009 meetings but is still looking for a few speakers. It was noted that Ms. Eby is not the elected/official Southwestern representative for VARP. However, the President appointed Ms. Eby to the position, during this meeting, and she accepted the appointment.

OLD BUSINESS

No old business was brought to the floor for discussion.

NEW BUSINESS

The President announced that Dora Morris, the President Elect, had resigned from her position. This creates a need to find an individual whom the President can appoint, or to add the President Elect position to the Request for Nominations.

A Request for Nominations and Awards was discussed, noting that the requests need to be mailed by February 2, 2009. Ballots are to be mailed and postmarked by March 2, 2009. Positions open for the Board include Regional Representatives for Richmond and Tidewater, President Elect (unless appointment is made), President and Treasurer.

The Past President, Ashley Harmon, will handle the Call/Request for Nominations.

The President, Gerry Wells, requested a meeting date for the next Board meeting. Several dates were discussed and it was agreed that the group would meet in Richmond on March 5, 2009 between 1100 and 1300.

Ms. Harmon explained to Ms. Byers that she recently had attended an IARP telephonic meeting at which time Chapters were advised to review the status of their By-Laws. Ms. Byers related that the By-Laws needed to be reviewed but asked if this could be delayed and discussed as an agenda item at the next meeting. She also noted that a committee would need to be appointed to look at the By-Laws.

Board Meeting Schedule

The next Executive Board meeting will be March 5, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Richmond, Virginia area. Eleanor Fukushima and Bobby McCarty will locate a place and arrange for lunch.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 2:58 p.m. by Mr. Wells, the President.

Respectfully Submitted,


C. Jeannie Lehowicz
VARP Secretary