Minutes of the Board of Director’s Meeting Tucson Community Meditation Center
March 4, 2008 5:30 pm
Board Members Present: Blake Ashley, Blake Barton, Linda Bacon, Chuong Tran, Debra Raeber
Members present: Wanda Poindexter
The Minutes from the last meeting, February 12th, were approved.
There was no new Financial Report.
Call to the Audience: Wanda is wondering if we have a budget for gifts for Della, Terry, and Lhasha who are leaving the board. Wanda offered to make flower arrangements and get cards for them to present to them at the annual meeting. Blake A. says we should take a collection from those members who would like to contribute for gifts for all of them. Blake B. can format an email to send out that would not go to Della, Terry, and Lhasha. Debra will write the email with bios of Della, Terry,, and Lhasha and ask members to mail her any amount they would like to donate for the gifts, payable to TCMC. Linda offered to bake a cake for the meeting.
Wanda also mentioned that she thinks Ying may not be getting enough support from the members in everything it takes to maintain the center. She is wondering if we should hire some help occasionally, especially with keeping the weeds under control in the garden. A motion was passed that we ask Ying if he would like us to hire a company to come and clean up the garden twice a year.
Special Meeting on the Conflict of Interest Question: A special meeting was held on Sunday, February 24, 2008. The minutes from that meeting are attached. The board approved those minutes.
Nominating Committee Recommendations: The Nominating Committee came up with the following recommendations.
Below are 3 items for your consideration:
1. The motion establishing a nominations committee and the relevant By-laws.
2. The recommendations that resulted from questions presented to the nominations committee.
3. The "Call for Nominations" for Board approval.
1. Motion passed at the Feb Board meeting: "The Board approved the creation of a Nominating Committee that would develop and recommend a nomination process to the Board for us to approve."
The TCMC By-laws as relates to Board Members and voting membership:
Qualifications of Directors. Directors shall have the following qualifications:
1.Be a voting Member of the Corporation
2.Have attended one full retreat sponsored by the TCMC at any time in the previous five years.
3.Have participated as a member of a TCMC committee within the last 12 months.
The board amended the bylaws of Article V Board of Directors, Section 2c) Qualifications of Directors as follows:
Directors shall have the following qualifications:
1. Be a voting Member of TCMC. Member as defined in Article IV. 2. Have attended one 2-day residential or non-residential retreat sponsored by the TCMC at any time in the previous five years. 3. Have assisted a TCMC committee or served on the Board of Directors within the last 12 months.
4. Professional teachers of religious doctrine may not be nominated to serve on the board.
ARTICLE 1V
Members
Section 1. Qualifications of Members a) Voting Membership: Members entitled to vote shall have the following qualifications: must attend the annual meeting and have participated in at least one TCMC sponsored activity, where they signed in, during the past year. A voting member is entitled to all privileges of membership in the Organization and one vote.
The Board amended and approved the suggestions made by the nominating committee as follows:
1. Current Board members will be asked by the nominations committee if they are willing to run for another term, and if the answer is “Yes,” they will be placed on the ballot by the nominations committee.
2. Any TCMC member, as defined in the by-laws, who meets the criteria in the by-laws to serve on the Board of Directors may nominate themselves to be placed on the ballot.
3. We recommend that a member can make up to 2 nominations per annual nominating cycle. (We also considered 1 nomination per member.)
4. According to the TCMC by-laws, annual election of the Board of Directors occurs in person by members during the annual meeting. The nominations committee will handle voting at the meeting. We recommend that the voting take place at the end of the annual meeting, however if a member needs to leave before the conclusion of the meeting then a ballot will be provided to them and their vote accepted as they leave. The Nominations Committee will tally and announce the results after the voting has concluded.
5. The nominations committee is charged to collect and present the nominees from the members to the Board for their information, but the Board will not “approve” the roster. After the slate of nominees is presented to the Board, it will be emailed to the membership, along with the nominees’ biographical statements, and posted at the Center. The slate of nominees shall be presented to the members not less than 30 days before the annual meeting. The nominations committee will certify that the nominees meet the criteria stated in the bylaws.
6. The Call for Nominations shall be sent out 75 days prior to the annual meeting. Nominations will be sent to the nominations committee no later than 45 days prior to the annual meeting. A complete nomination will include a biographical statement of no more than 5 sentences, written by the nominee, including their qualifications and experience. No nominations will be accepted at the annual meeting.
7. Opportunities to serve on the TCMC nominations committee will be open to any members. Nomination committee members cannot be nominated for the Board, nor can they submit nominations. TCMC Board members who plan to run for re-election can advise the nominations committee, but they cannot actually serve on the committee.
3. The board approved the following announcement to be sent out to members by email:
A Call for Nominations for TCMC Board Members
The Tucson Community Meditation Center (TCMC) is operated entirely by volunteers who have benefited from the programs and serve on the Board to give something back to the center and to our community.
This year the annual Members Meeting will take place on Saturday, April 26th at 1:00 p.m. At the meeting, 9 Directors will be elected to serve a one-year term. The TCMC nominations committee will submit a slate of nominees to the Board before the annual meeting. Two current Directors do not plan to run for another term.
The TCMC By-Laws state that Directors shall have the following qualifications: 1. Be a voting Member of TCMC. 2. Have attended one 2-day residential or non-residential retreat sponsored by the TCMC at any time in the previous five years. 3. Have assisted a TCMC committee or served on the Board of Directors within the last 12 months.
4. Professional teachers of religious doctrine may not be nominated to serve on the board.
Nominees should have the time necessary to perform the duties of serving on the Board. Current Board members will answer any questions about the Board.
Individuals interested in nominating a TCMC member for the Board or in running for the Board themselves, should send a nomination email to Wanda Poindexter () before 5 PM , March 26, 2008 . [or Attention Nominating Committee, TCMC, PO Box 40007 Tucson , AZ 85717]
A complete nomination should include contact information for the person making the nomination and for the nominee, and a brief bio statement (no more than 5 sentences) written by the nominee, which includes TCMC service and committees, their abilities, and what they feel is the best reason for them to serve on the Board.
Debra will include the above announcement in the March Enewsletter.
