Society of Professional Journalists Rio Grande Chapter
Board of Directors Meeting
July 15, starting at 6:30 p.m.
In attendance were board members Gwyneth Doland, Peter St. Cyr, Dennis Roberts, David Brown, Rivkela Brodsky, Staci Mallack, Dan Vukelich.
Betsy Model was sick, so David chaired the meeting.
Listserve is fully launched and message have been sent out on it. Board members need to use it to keep it interactive.
Membership report: Gwen said the group welcomes two new members: Laura Paskas, from the New Mexico Independent and Stephanie Hains, publisher of ABQ Arts Magazine. She said the chapter has 64 members now. David said Betsy said the chapter is the No. 1 growing chapter and about the only one that is growing. Gwen said she hoped more programming will continue to pull in new members. David said he wanted to get more TV and radio people to join. He suggested setting a goal of getting 100 members by the end of 2011. Dan cautioned board members about getting burned out with too much programming. David said there are still three seats on board that are open. Staci mentioned a prospective board member, Rick Romancito, Entertainment Editor (Tempo Editor) at the Taos News. The board was supportive of her suggestion. His wife was also suggested as a board member.
On office space: David said Betsy signed up for office space in Uptown, which has a meeting room, free parking and will probably host the board retreat in August. It also has a kitchen, projector and could be used for events. The space is free, David said.
Treasurer’s report: Staci in for Julie Ann. She said Betsy and David were paid for expenses they submitted, leaving the chapter $937.39 with $30 of that still encumbered through Delta Sigma Chi.
On programming: He said Betsy has been in contact with Michael Corwin, an Albuquerque-based investigator who does investigations on political candidates nationally, and Jim Dines, considered a top media lawyer used by KOAT and the Albuquerque Journal. Both are interested and both have busy schedules. Nothing has been scheduled yet. Betsy, David, and Gwen decided to pass on Ron Sylvester, from Kansas City Star for programming this year. Staci said Henry is happy to do multi-media workshop. Betsy told Staci she thought a day long workshop might be too much for people and suggested having four shorter sessions. The board was still in support of a one-day event. Staci said three topics (photo tips, sound slides and video) work well together for a one day session. She also said the Santa Fe New Mexican is happy to host event. If held in Albuquerque, a big screen ins necessary, she said. David said he did not know if the new space would work for this event. Rivkela will check if the event could be held at the Albuquerque Journal. Staci said more training will be available online and she and Henry will be available on Facebook after the event. David suggested making contact with both state universities when school starts this fall. Dennis put together job duties at request of board in July meeting. Goal to have 3-4 chapter members join committee and divide duties. He also suggested having a member on the committee from the south.
On retreat: Venue is Uptown office space. Retreat should be productive, brainstorming session where members can meet face to face. The session will be at least 3 to 4 hours on Aug. 28. An exact start time has not been set yet. Dennis said bylaws require members to meet face to face at least once a quarter and said board may have to revisit that bylaw. Staci asked if Skype counts as face to face. Dennis said he thought it did. Staci asked how the board elects new board members and if those elections will be held at the retreat. David said he is not sure and that Betsy is the one in charge of that. David said the members suggested would be invited to meet the board and if they are liked, the board can elect. Dennis said the bylaws say the president of the chapter can appoint members. Staci suggested reaching out to graphic designers and information technology people to be members because newspapers are behind the curve with new technology. She suggested talking about it at the retreat.
The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m.
Rivkela Brodsky
Business Reporter
Albuquerque Journal
(505) 823-3820
rbrodsky@abqjournal.com
Society of Professional Journalists Rio Grande Chapter
MINUTES — Board of Directors Meeting
June 24, starting at 6:30 p.m.
In attendance were board members Gywneth Doland, Peter St. Cyr, Dennis Roberts, Julie Ann Grimm, Betsy Model, David Brown, Rivkela Brodsky, Staci Mallack, Dan Vukelich.
Meeting started with conversation on starting a listserve. Discussion over value to members and concerns over use of listserve. it was agreed rules and protocol should be set up to keep the listserve professional. There was also some discussion over whether the listserve should be for use by members only. David said it had been decided that the listserve should be a members benefit during the May SPJ meeting.
Treasurer’s report: Julie Ann said she has $1,428 on hand, which includes $500 set aside for educational use. Betsy said she will be sending Julie Ann a receipt for $405 for use of the Sheraton for a recent FOI event. She said the venue in El Paso was free. David said he would be sending in a receipt for a $100 charge for attending national Institute in Indianapolis. Betsy said there was a previous vote that approved FOIA expenses.
Julie Ann said as a general practice, treasurer’s of the group will need a receipt or something in writing to be submitted for reimbursement. She also said she was going to make a spreadsheet of SPJ accounts, but only deposits have been made at this point. Gwen suggested the spreadsheet be made in Google docs so it could be seen by board members online.
Julie Ann said that she is on an account at Guadalupe Credit Union and Gwen is a co-signer on the account. She also said that SPJ has a debit card that can be used for future purchases. Betsy said for a reimbursement, a physical receipt needs to be submitted to Julie Ann or Gwen and it must be specific to SPJ. Peter cautioned against using debit card for hotel reservations in case of hold on the card. Betsy said she is not sure she would use the Sheraton again.
David said that some SPJ chapters have PayPal accounts set up for using credit/debit cards. Gwen said PayPal will charge a fee and that there was no problem getting people to sign up for FOI event with check and cash option. David said PayPal would allow people to prepay for events. Gwen suggested not doing anything until there are complaints. Betsy asked that anyone interested in being a third back up on the account contact her.
Membership report: Gwen said there was not much to report. She said there was no rush on a grant the chapter was awarded to put on an ethics and journalism event. National SPJ president-elect Hagit Limor has volunteered to sit on panel or moderate. The board discussed holding the event at KNME studio with a max capacity of 50 and also the UNM Student Union building as a possibility. The event must be web cast. Gwen said the event is a program for ethics in journalism meant to reassure the public we are ethical. Betsy said that even though Gwen applied for a $1,000 single-location reimbursement grant, $2,500 was awarded. One of the requirements, Betsy said, was that it be open to the public. Gwen said its required to be webcast and live blog and tweeting at the event. The goal is 50 members in attendance. Gwen said her proposal was a panel discussion that included member of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, the New Mexico Literacy Project and more.
Ethics and the Public event: The board discussed whether the event should be limited to 50 people. Betsy said the extra grant money could be used to do a bigger venue or doing an event in both states. David said the board had previously discussed printing brochure or banner. Gwen said it could be a post card with the SPJ code of ethics and promote the chapter. Staci congratulated Gwen on winning the grant and said he agreed with Dan that holding the first event in a smaller venues makes it look more popular. She also liked the idea of having the event in two states, suggesting that members in El Paso might help organize it. Gwen said the chapter has from August 2010 to May 2011 to hold the event. Betsy suggested bring on a UNM student as an intern for the project, offering them membership credit. Gwen said UNM requires on-site supervision for something like that. She also suggested scheduling the Albuquerque event in September. Staci offered to help set up an event in Santa Fe. Rivkela suggested that the event be held in a larger venue because it should be a public event. Betsy said that was a good point, but a full room web cast looks good. Gwen said the goal for the program is 50 attendees. Peter said the theater in the SUB fits a little more than 50 and that because of the election this fall there will be scrutiny of journalists. Gwen said her gut feeling was to make the event small. Peter said tech concerns are paramount. Gwen said webcast will work at KNME. Betsy suggested possibly doing another event in Santa Fe. Staci said she is available to help set that up in Santa Fe. Gwen said she asked for $1000 and it will not cost much to put on the event in KNME. Betsy said the chapter needs a banner and this grant could be a legitimate way to get one. Resolution Graphics and Kinkos were suggested as banner vendors.
Staci told the group about her participation in the Maynard Institute Multimedia Editing Program in Reno, Nev., where they try to train the leaders of journalism. She said the length of the program changes every year. This year it is four weeks long. Blogs (including Staci’s) of the program participants on website, at http://maynard.blogs.mu/. Betsy said there are two members of the board who have applied for and gotten pretty big things: Staci and Christina Durano’s, former secretary of the organization, recently received a Fulbright scholarship.
On FOIA, Betsy thanks all who helped. Albuquerque’s event was full. At the last minute the Sheraton moved the event to a larger room right next to Little Miss Cinderella tryouts. The El Paso event was smaller and a free venue that had massive participation. She said David Cullier did “a hell of a job” and she sent him a thank you note and gift. She said Cullier already told her he would be willing to come back for future events. Betsy said there were several last-minute sign ups and the chapter got a lot of new members. She gave kudos to Dennis and David for the idea of the event being free with membership sign up, saying the group gained 6-7 members this way. She said Cullier mentioned the chapter in his blog and also to national SPJ people, hearing also that the chapter had one of the largest turnouts. She also said Rivkela Brodsky, business reporter for the Albuquerque Journal has replaced Christina Durano as secretary of the board. Dennis said a vote by the board can change the number of board members for the chapter. Based on the bylaws, the chapter has one more board vacancy that needs to be filled. Betsy asked that board members contact her with suggestions.
Betsy asked the board about having a hiatus and retreat in July and/or August, asking if the board should skip a meeting in July followed by a retreat in August. Gwen said she doesn’t need to skip any months and she loves the retreat idea. Staci said she doesn’t really feel the need to take a break. Dennis said there is the issue of momentum and suggested the board skip a month on membership programs, not meetings. He loved the retreat idea. Betsy said Bill weighed in on issue by e-mail that he was up for the skipping the board meeting and likes retreat. Dan said he has jury duty and doesn’t know what July and August will entail for us. David said he was talking about a summer hiatus on programs not meetings. Betsy asked what month would be better for a retreat. Staci said July is better. Rivkela said she will be out of the country the last two months of July. David said he has a backyard and can grill. Betsy asked what Saturday in August will work for people. Rivkela said she can’t do Aug. 14, Gwen said she couldn’t do Aug. 7 or 14. David suggested Aug. 21. Gwen said that was her birthday, so it was decided that the retreat will be held Saturday, Aug. 28.
On programing: Dennis and David met on programming. Betsy asked that the board weigh in on programming. Suggested items:
• Ron Sylvester, from Kansas City Star is speaking to Colorado chapter. Betsy approached him about coming here after Colorado and the chapter would cover his the cost of his flight ticket. A one-way car rental would cost the chapter $400 so with that she decide it would be best to wait. One program he offers is 60 sites in 60 minutes or websites off the beaten path with flow charts and statistics.
• Michael Korwin, an Albuquerque-based investigator who does investigations on political candidates nationally. Betsy approached him about doing a program on top 10 tips, plus he is local so there are no travel costs. Gwen said she knows Korwin and said he’s great. Staci agreed. Betsy said Korwin partnered with Albuquerque Journal reporter Colleen Heild about a state trooper’s wife. Colleen offered to talk about the partnership. David said that program is event better. There was general support by the board for bringing in Korwin.
• Jim Dines, considered a top media lawyer used by KOAT and the Albuquerque Journal, was suggested by Betsy for a one-hour workshop on libel/slander, copyright. The board also supported this program.
• Rivkela suggested some type of program to help reporters beef up on their self-editing skills. David said the board had talked about doing a series on multi-media and video, a 6 to 8-week brown bag. Betsy said potentially it could be a series of 6 to 10 in a row, with coffee and doughnuts, of uploading video and basic editing. David suggested a certificate of graduation. Staci suggested it could be complete reporter type course or on being a mobile journalist (Mojo). Gwen said it’s hard to do a series that for short amounts of time if it will break up someone’s day. She said for something like this, it’s better to keep members there. She suggested having a whole day workshop. Staci said she thinks a one day workshop is doable and possibly she could co-teach it with Henry Lopez, the Santa Fe New Mexican’s web guru. Betsy said Staci and Henry would make a dynamic duo and asked if the Santa Fe New Mexican would let Staci free for an afternoon. David suggested holding it on a Saturday. Staci said she would check with Henry. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. was the suggested time frame for the event. Betsy asked if Staci had materials to teach what she learned at the Maynard institute. Staci said they leave with training pods that are meant to be brought back into the newsroom. Dan said the self-editing topic struck a chord with him. He’s worked with new writers or interns who struggle to translate the classroom to the beat. Also, writing for broadcast is underrated, he said. Gwen said she is taking a Poynter course on headline writing and can teach that. Betsy asked the board who might teach something on editing. Dan suggested Rob Dean or any other line editor. Staci suggested Frank Clifford, a former editor at the Los Angeles Times who now lives in Santa Fe and does freelance work. Staci gets back to New Mexico on July 10.
• Betsy suggested Hampton Sides, an author on the New York Times best seller List, who was a reporter and his current book on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. is on the best seller list. David said he liked the idea of the program because it would appeal to other writers, other than journalists. Dan suggested Roger Morris who has written biographies and was his predecessor at KNME, maybe something on how to organize information to be in a book. He also said there is a group in Albuquerque called Southwest Writers and that there would be interest in a program like this. Betsy asked Dan to reach out to Roger Morris.
Betsy said the group has more than enough ideas to take the chapter into 2011 in programming. She said programs like these are what is building the chapter’s membership. Out of 301 chapters, the Rio Grande chapter is the fastest growing one and it didn’t exist nine months ago. Betsy said she will follow up with Jim Dines and Michael Korwin. Ron Sylvester is on a back burner right now. She also said she will approach Hampton Sides. Staci will talk to Frank Clifford. Gwen will be the chapter’s headline expert. Betsy asked board members to keep on suggesting contacts for programs.
David said he and Dennis recently talked about Dennis needing some help in organizing programs. A team of three people would be ideal and Dennis would chair it. Dennis said they also talked about doing events at the Journal, saying Karen Moses, managing editor of the Journal, offered use of Journal space. Dennis said he would like to phase out of his position. Betsy asked if he could guide for the next two events before stepping back. David asked if Dennis could serve as co-chair. Dennis said the chapter would be better with a new person in charge of programming.
Dennis also asked if the board would motivate El Paso to do their own programs and meetings. Betsy said she’s had members from El Paso and Alamogordo want to get more involved. She said Tim & Mia Cortez assisted her in getting El Paso venue. She said also editor at Alamogordo News asked to get involved. Dennis asked if they would develop their own ideas. Betsy said as one chapter, ideas come collectively. Dennis said he thought it would be good to get someone from that area on the board. David said he thought the board needed an El Paso representative and an education person, suggesting a vote to add seats to the board. He motioned to add two new available position to the board. Dan asked it that would increase the board to 13, which it would. Staci asked if a larger board will make it more difficult to have a quorum. Betsy said seven will be needed to create a quorum, one more than the board currently needs.
Action item: Dan moved that the New Mexico Society of Professional Journalists Rio Grande Chapter increase its board to 13. Item unanimously passed.
Betsy asked members to send suggestions her way. She said the board has one seat open after Pilar Armstrong left. David said the board could recruit people as chairs who don’t have to be board members. David asked if board members can help with programming. Staci asked what help is needed. Dennis said he would tell the board at its next meeting.
Next board meeting: July 15, 6:30 p.m.
Meeting adjourned at 8:37 p.m. (longest meeting in history of chapter)
–
Rivkela Brodsky
Business Reporter
Albuquerque Journal
(505) 823-3820
rbrodsky@abqjournal.com
MINUTES — Meeting of the Board of Directors,
Rio Grande Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists
May 27, 2010
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Betsy Model, president. In attendance were Dennis Roberts, David L. Brown, Peter St. Cyr, Christina Durano, Gwyneth Doland and Bill Diven. Not present were Julie Ann Grimm, Staci Matlock and Dan Vukelich.
Following introductions, the following subjects were considered and discussed:
COMMUNICATIONS
David L. Brown, VP-Communications, reported on the status of the website and Weekly Update email program.
Brown raised for discussion the proposal to create a listserve for the chapter, reporting that the webmaster for the chapter website can easily set up a dedicated listserve for us. He asked for comments from Gwyneth Doland, who originally made the proposal. Doland described how a listserve works, and how it creates an immediate connection between members who can ask questions, give and receive advice, and discuss subjects in a timely manner. Dennis Roberts described his experience with listserves, and the board agreed to proceed. Brown was charged with setting up the program.
Brown announced that he will represent the chapter in Indianapolis at the 2010 Ted Scripps Leadership Institute, June 4-6. This will allow him to network not only with national staff and officers, but about 50 chapter leaders, providing an excellent opportunity to share ideas and learn how others are meeting challenges. He was asked by Doland to inquire about ways to increase membership, and by Roberts about program ideas that have worked for other chapters.
DEVELOPMENT
Gwyneth Doland, VP-Development, reported that membership growth is “awesome,” reporting that four brand-new members had been added just in the past few days.
Doland described a proposal she has made for a grant from the Sigma Delta Chi Foundation to put on a Town Hall type meeting to bring together communicators and members of the public to discuss ethics and the responsibilities of journalism. She is awaiting a decision from the SDX Foundation Board, but said the chances sound good that we will be approved. Details of the event are to be determined.
TREASURER
Acting on behalf of Treasurer Julie Ann Grimm, Betsy Model reported that the chapter has set up a checking account with the Guadalupe Credit Union in Santa Fe. The institution has relationships with a number of other credit unions around the state. The first deposits included $500 given as a grant for educational purposes by the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Model announced that the chapter soon will receive $444 as our share of proceeds from the Top of the Rockies competition.
FOI WORKSHOP STATUS
Model reported on the status of the upcoming workshops with David Cuillier. The Albuquerque event, set for June 9, had 15 confirmed registrations at the time of the board meeting. Model said her goal is to reach 20-25, and believes this is within reach. The revenue from those already committed will cover the cost of room rental at the Sheraton Uptown plus snacks. The El Paso event scheduled for June 10 has 8 confirmed reservations and Model’s goal for that is 15. She was able to negotiate a free venue for the El Paso program, so it is already in the black.
BOARD VACANCIES
Model welcomed Peter St. Cyr as a new member of the board, and announced that there are two more openings including one as an officer. Christina Durano has won a Fulbright Scholarship and will spend nine months in the Philippines beginning in late June and will thus be unable to continue to serve as chapter secretary. After asking whether any present board members wished to step up to fill that position, Model announced that Rivkela Brodsky has just joined our chapter and would like to assume a responsible role. Brodsky is a columnist and business reporter for the Albuquerque Journal and until recently was secretary of New Mexico Press Women. A motion was made by Doland and seconded by Brown authorizing Model to invite Brodsky to join the board and appoint her as Secretary. The motion was unanimously approved.
MISCELLANEOUS
Model introduced the idea of inviting Ron Sylvester, a member of the staff of the Kansas City Star, to put on a presentation for our chapter during July. Sylvester will be making two presentations for SPJ groups in Colorado and will consider adding New Mexico to his itinerary. The subject of his presentation would be “60 Sites in 60 Minutes,” a review of valuable on-line reference sources for reporters. The board tasked Model to pursue the possibility.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
— Submitted by David L. Brown, VP-Communications, acting for the Secretary
MINUTES
New Mexico SPJ Board
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Presiding: Betsy Model
Participating: David Brown, Dennis Roberts, Dan Vukelich, Gweneth Doland, Bill Diven, Christina Durano
Chair Betsy Model called the meeting order at 6:35 p.m.
David Brown provided input on SPJ communication. Gweneth has been tweeting. We have 43 followers on Twitter. At 11 a.m. today we had 40 followers. After she tweeted from NM Independent to get follow NMSPJ and we gained 3 followers since then. The best way to get followers is to follow people. Betsy and David said they could think of other people to follow to help us get a more diverse group. The more we follow and tweet, the more likely we are to get followers. David has been sending the weekly emails and has good feedback. He hopes to report on this meeting and the Top of the Rockies contest.
Betsy and John Ensslin have been emailing about Top of the Rockies. They have not tallied all the winners, but so far NM as four winners. John has notified Betsy of the winners names. So far, all of them are from the Albuquerque Journal. Betsy has already sent congratulations letters to two of the winners, copying Karen Moses, and will congratulate the others tonight. At least one of the winners will try to go to Denver to receive the award. The Journal will try to pay for her to go; we hope this will provide an impetus for the winners to join NMSPJ. None of the broadcasters who entered won.
Dennis Roberts has stepped up to become programs chair. David Kurliey is a leading expert on FOIA and willing to do two two-hour workshops, one on a Wednesday and another on a Thursday. Model suggested the second day be in Las Cruces to encourage both attendance and new membership in the southern area of the state. However, since we now have far west Texas (El Paso), we could host the second workshop there. El Paso has a larger media presence than Las Cruces (all four networks have affiliates, larger paper). Also, El Paso has two new members and Las Cruces only has one. Diven said we have had regional conferences there and it is a bigger city than Las Cruces. Durano said she supported it because it would be a welcoming gesture. Diven said people in Las Cruces think nothing of going to El Paso because it is so close. Doland also said she would support having the workshop in El Paso. El Paso also recently posted is first job on the NMSPJ website; the general manager at the station said he used to be a member and would be willing to join again if NMSPJ would be an active chapter.
SPJ and Sigma Delta Chi are funding the event, but our chapter must provide refreshments. They are encouraging this chapter to use the event as a fundraiser. Model said a smaller member fee like $5 and larger non-member fee like $10 may encourage non-members to join. The board said there should be more of a discrepancy between members and non-members. The board agreed on a member fee of $10, non-member fee of $25, and a student fee of $5. Doland suggesting allowing people who join that day to attend for free.
Model suggested a name change from NMSPJ Pro Chapter to Rio Grande Chapter since we now include west Texas. Diven said this would be more inclusive and allow us to expand. Doland said now that we have a website, logo, twitter, etc. it may be too much trouble to change. Brown said to survey the members. He found other chapters that weren’t named after states, so the Rio Grande Chapter wouldn’t be unprecedented. The former chapter was named Rio Abajo. Diven also thought about Rio Bravo del Norte. Vukelich said this would reach out to the new Texas region and it would allow us to gain new members. Three members solidly supported the name change. Doland said she wasn’t in support of it because it doesn’t have a “ring,” but she doesn’t oppose the name change. A name change would involve registering the change with nationals, changing the URL, changing the logo, and changing the bank account. Vukelich motioned to change the name to SPJ Rio Grande Chapter and Model seconded the motion. The board unanimously supported the name change.
Model said the John Jay school of Criminal Justice is bringing an event to Albuquerque at the end of June. It will be a two-day event at UNM and will focus on covering crime in Indian country. The coordinator for the event is Joe Kolb. The school asked if we wanted to sponsor a reception for the event for $500. As a sponsor, our name would be on the materials. This is a significant difference from partnering and receiving proceeds, as was originally suggested. The board unanimously decided to not sponsor the reception because of the cost and because of the other event we will be hosting in June.
Model said she had reached out to the Journalism Center for Families and Children. They are interested in bringing a two-day workshop here and partnering with us if we do some of the marketing and logistics. We can earn fellowship seats for our members and cash by partnering this. They are thinking late summer/early fall for the event. It will probably be late summer or early fall. The Center has enough money to do the event for 60 attendees. They do have significant funding but could use a bit more. The event would not cost us anything and may even raise money for us.
Brown said the $500 gift is now in our SDX account. The survey, refreshments for the FOIA event, and any other expenses for the FOIA event could come out of this. Julie Ann Grimm told Model she thought we should not spend it all on one event.
Doland said we are going to do a separate outreach to El Paso. She will draft an introductory letter to the El Paso members and journalists and alert them to the fact that a survey will be coming. Model said she hoped to send the email over the weekend and get the survey out by Wednesday. Vukelich said that because this will be coming from the SPJ address, we must be careful to clearly spell out the way to access the survey (links etc.). Brown set up email accounts for Model and Doland for NMSPJ. They will use these accounts to send out the survey. Anyone on the board who would like an @rgspj.org email address should let Brown know and he can set it up. Brown asked if we should keep the @nmspj account or change it to @rgspj. Model said we should change it, but Brown said we would have to set up a new wordpress account if we want the url at the top to say nmspj.org. Doland said it would probably be better to change the url. The board voted to change the url to www.RioGrandeSPJ.org. Even though shorter is usually better for URLs, the board said RioGrandeSPJ seemed like better branding. Vukelich suggested buying www.RGSPJ.org and www.RioGrandeSPJ.org and linking them both. Model also agreed. Brown said he would contact national SPJ to change the name.
Roberts said UNM Communications department is having its 60th anniversary on April 17th and wondered if it would be a good chance for us to get our name out there. Model said we should find out how big this event would be and if there would be a place for us to set up a table there. Vukelich will contact the sponsor since he already knows him. Model will send the information to Vukelich.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:47 p.m. MST.
Respectfully submitted,
Christina Durano
MINUTES
New Mexico SPJ Board
Thursday, February 25, 2010, 2010
Presiding: Betsy Model
Participating: Dennis Roberts, David Brown, Christina Durano, Dan Vukelich, Pilar Armstrong, Gweneth Doland, Bill Diven, Staci Matlock
Guest: John Ensslin (Region 9 Director)
Chair Betsy Model called the meeting of the New Mexico Society of Professional Journalists board to order at 6:35 p.m. MST.
David Brown said he launched a NMSPJ weekly update. Gweneth Doland created a Twitter (microblogging) account for NMSPJ. On Twitter, people can create status updates in 144 characters and “follow” people and retweet (forward) useful information. It is available on different platforms, as well as the website in general. She said it is a great way to learn about anything going. Doland said she envisioned Twitter as a way to communicate with members regarding interesting news, job postings, helpful links, etc. Doland said multiple people can access the account, and she and Brown will discuss ways to use it.
Model mentioned using the website as a way to gain revenue. She asked what members asked about trading ad space with other media outlets. Dan Vukelich said he thought it would be a good idea because connecting with the industry would only be helpful. Doland agreed and said the New Mexico Independent would be willing to trade ad space. Other members concurred. Bill Diven said to be careful who to accept money from and set up rules regarding who can contribute. Model said it should be a symbiotic relationship. Durano agreed with the proposal. Ensslin said he is not aware of any other chapters in region 9 that sold ad space, but it thought it was a good idea. Vukelich said to consider the other competing organizations to NMSPJ and said by doing this, we could become a “hub” rather than a spoke. Model said she would pass this idea to Doland and Brown. Model asked people who had suggestions or layouts for this should contact Brown. New Mexican would be willing to participate. Ensslin thanked Brown for the weekly updates and said they made his job easier.
Model said the NMSPJ Board was lacking a VP of Development to coordinate membership development as of yesterday, but Doland offered to step into this position. Roberts said he would take over programs. Model said this was a win-win situation and everyone should support them in their new roles.
President Model then appointed Doland as VP of Development with unanimous approval of the board and Roberts as VP of programming with unanimous approval.
Model said NMSPJ had new members who had gotten shout outs on the website and weekly update. She said NMSPJ has adopted El Paso members who do not have a chapter there, with national approval. We gained our first El Paso member recently.
Model gave a finance update from Julie Ann Grimm. Our $500 had been transferred to our account for educational and programming purposes only. The funds can be used to fund scholarships, fly in speakers, and other educational purposes.
Model said Vukelich had done extensive research to gather unbiased research about the relevance of SPJ and how it could be more relevant. He then produced a concise report. He and Model are working to construct a survey for the members. Vukelich said SPJ was originally founded as a journalist’s “fraternity” of sorts. Members indicated they wanted networking, peer relationships, knowledge about new platforms, and a bridge between journalism academia and professional work. He talked to about 20 journalists and said they wanted ways to continue their education and add to their skillset. This could be recorded and webcast. Methods to do this include a brown bag lunch. Other organizations don’t seem to be providing these services either, and by doing this, NMSPJ can better serve its members. Pilar Armstrong she completely agreed with the survey results and really did agree that NMSPJ should offer more continuing education, perhaps even on Twitter or how to read annual reports. Model said members should send her any recommendations within the next 72 hours. She will send the survey to board members and try to have it out by March 15. Vukelich said apparently the NMSPJ chapter is not active but professors would love to see it rekindled.
Model said one of the members Patricia Dobson said she would be willing to take on the role of campus adviser. She would not only help start a student chapter but help them thrive. Two UNM students are currently in NMSPJ. Model said she would love to see that grow, but in order for that to happen, we would have to get professor support first. Model asked if any members would be willing to speak to campus chapters and explain why we are here to further journalism in New Mexico. Vukelich said that is what several of the people he talked to requested and suggested Diven talk to students at ENMU. Diven said he would be willing to do this.
Model asked members to help Roberts develop programs and suggest ideas. Ensslin suggested putting on a program for press photographers. Model mentioned possibly doing a joint program. Matlock said the New Mexican is running successful internal brown bag lunches on a variety of topics including interviewing scientists, working with Spanish editors, etc. Model said a member of the Journal had also offered space. Matlock suggested moving events across major New Mexico cities. She said they could be videotaped and posted on the website or streamed to other locations. Matlock asked if the meetings would be in the middle of the week. Vukelich said this type of information could be in the survey.
Ensslin said plans are coming together well for the regional conference in Denver on April 9 and 10. It provides journalism training, as well as the awards ceremony for the “Top of the Rockies” contest. It is being held at the Denver Press Club. The conference is 20 dollars for professional members and 15 dollars for student members. Ensslin said he really is hoping for a truly regional turnout. Model asked if non-SPJ members could attend the conference and he said they can. It is 52 dollars for non-member students and 92 dollars for non-member professionals and includes a year membership with SPJ. Ensslin said he is judging for the Mark of Excellence awards for region 3 and was wondering if anyone would be willing to help judge one or two categories online this weekend. He also let members know he is running for national SPJ Secretary-Treasurer. He asked for support at the national convention in Las Vegas. He will be sending an email to all members about the opening for regional director. A member in Utah is interested, and he encourages members to run.
Ensslin said the national board was very impressed with the event in January. Roberts and Brown coordinated all the logistics. Model said the national board recognized NMSPJ is quickly growing and commended it.
Model encouraged members to contact Doland about ideas for membership drives.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:46 p.m. MST.
Respectfully submitted,
Christina Durano
MINUTES
New Mexico SPJ Board
Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 2009
Presiding: Betsy Model
Participating: David Brown, Christina Durano, Gweneth Doland, Bill Diven, Staci Matlock, Julie Ann Grimm, Dan Vukelich
Guest: John Ensslin (Region 9 Director)
Chair Betsy Model called the meeting of the New Mexico Society of Professional Journalists board to order at 7:41 p.m. MST.
Brown said he posted an update to the SPJ site about Friday night’s social event and included photos. He and Model hoped to make the site more personalized for the chapter by putting the website on top and other adjustments. Brown also suggested creating a LinkedIn group for the New Mexico Society of Professional Journalists. Doland said she thinks LinkedIn is more professional, but there are so many social networking sites and more people seem to use Facebook so we should use that instead. Model suggested using a moderated site rather like a SPJ bulletin board rather than an additional social networking site. Doland said that since people tend to be on Facebook every day, it might be used more. Model said her only concern about Facebook is making it a members only site and Julie Ann suggested only accepting members. Doland said an open site is more likely to attract people and it would only be beneficial to have a public presence on Facebook. Brown said LinkedIn can be a closed group to spread word to people, but he didn’t see a reason to keep things behind the curtain for the most part. Doland suggested using all networks; Facebook could be used to get our message out to people and direct them to our website and emails could be used to convey time-sensitive information to members. Brown suggested limiting groups to either Facebook or LinkedIn rather than both. Model suggested Brown set up a public Facebook page than can direct people to our website and activities. Brown said he was hesitant to send out emails because he didn’t want to overload people’s inboxes, but suggested sending a weekly scheduled email with updates. Other members approved the idea of setting up a Facebook for public communications and weekly emails for private communications.
Grimm said Robin designated $500 for the group, but NM SPJ couldn’t directly receive it because it is not a non-profit. Therefore we need a non-profit to channel the money through. NM SPJ could designate the money to Sigma Delta Chi, a 501c3 who would then keep a certain percentage. The NM Independent is a non-profit and could also hold it. Ensslin said SDX is audited every year and provides a solid paper trail. Ensslin said it takes significant time and expense to set up the chapter as a 501c3 so it may be easier to channel the money through a pre-established non-profit. Most members seemed to approve the idea of channeling the money through Sigma Delta Chi. Model said the money would go to their bank account to be doled out for very specific uses (i.e. educational forum). NM SPJ could not use the money for anything outside of education. Ensslin said this sounded like the right way to go. Model moved to have the money go to SDX with a 5% administration charge and Durano seconded the motion. The board unanimously approved the motion.
Model said Grimm suggested finding opportunities to raffle or auction books/services/etc. at some events to raise money. Durano said she didn’t see any drawbooks for it. Doland said to include people outside the board as well. Grimm suggested holding this idea until we have more people attending.
Model said job postings for both in-state and out-of-state employers are currently free. Doland and Brown said charging would turn people away and since job searches are a service to members, they should be free. This did not require a vote. Grimm moved to allow journalism-related jobs to be posted for free and Vukelich seconded the motion. It was approved unanimously.
Model said Dennis Roberts has agreed to come back to the board. He will fill the open board seat. NM SPJ also has a VP of Development position open that focuses on development of fellowships, gigs, etc. and chair meetings in the absence of the chair. Model said we also have some specialty positions open, including Access (FOIA, Sunshine, etc.), Programs, and a Student Chapter. Model reached out to a journalism professor at ENMU about the student chapter.
Model asked if anybody had suggestions for programs. Vukelich said we need to set goals for the chapter and make sure we are relevant. Model said we must both continue education and show how industry is changing, as well as what members are doing both collectively and individually to stay current. Ensslin said the Wyoming chapter is getting involved with the press association to stay relevant, but Grimm said it would serve us better to do our own programs. Vukelich said he surveyed people trying to figure out why people aren’t members of SPJ, but never got an answer. Model said she liked that idea and suggested we each ask three or four non-members what they wanted out of SPJ and what they could put into it if they were members. Diven said he approved of the idea and thought it could be effective in getting new members. Doland suggested posting a survey on the website and emailing it to personal contacts. Members seemed to like this idea even more. Brown said he could set up a survey online and give the results to Vukelich who could provide a summary for the next meeting. Vukelich said he could come up with questions for the survey and Brown said he could send an email about it. The survey will probably have 10-15 multiple choice questions and a section for comments. Doland suggested using Survey Monkey since Word Press doesn’t have a template for this type of survey.
Model suggested webcasting or podcasting events to the website as an archive. Grimm said she webcasts events all the time and it would be beneficial. Matlock said she saw no need to survey people about it because it is a service. Vukelich and Brown will be able to take care of this, with Doland and Durano as backups.
Model asked for suggestions about prospective meetings times. Model suggested monthly meetings since the board has so much to get done and all members seemed to agree. The board set Thursday, February 25th at 6:30 p.m. MST for the next meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. MST.
Respectfully submitted,
Christina Durano
MINUTES
New Mexico SPJ Interim Board
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Presiding: David Brown
Participating: David Brown, Christina Durano, Staci Matlock, Betsy Model, Dennis Roberts
Guest: John Ensslin (Region 9 Director)
Provisional Chair David Brown called the meeting of the New Mexico Society of Professional Journalists interim board to order at 7:34 p.m. MST. Matlock moved to approve the minutes and Durano seconded. The minutes were approved unanimously.
Model reported on membership activities. Since the last meeting, two additional members have joined. NM SPJ hopes to have 10 more by the end of the year. The Top of the Rockies contest spurred several people to join. Nationals made the decision to not change the fee set up (split pay) or special promotions, so annual fees will be the same. We hope to close out the year with 45 or 46 members. The original letters she sent out were fairly professional and direct and received few responses, but the more recent letters were more “goofy” and have received many more responses. We have one member from the Albuquerque Journal and few others from other newsrooms. We have three members in broadcast. Model said she is looking for input. Matlock said she really liked the last few more offbeat letters.
Model said national SPJ president Kevin Smith is coming in a day early for the meeting Jan 15-17 and may tour a few newsrooms. The Journal may be willing to host him but hasn’t been overly enthusiastic. Matlock said the New Mexican in Santa Fe would be happy to host him if he has time. Smith will be visiting KOAT in the afternoon and going to the Friday night social. Brown said he would be willing to ferry Smith back and forth if necessary.
Brown said he and Model and Roberts talked about plans for the National Board meeting in January yesterday. Model said both the national office in Indianapolis and NM office have tried to figure out the best way for NM members to mingle with the board. The problem is finances. The national board does not have the money to host a social event and the local chapter has little money. Model suggested opening up a limited time, probably 5:30-7, in the bar of the hotel where the Board is already meeting. Local members would have the opportunity to meet each other and the national and local boards. Brown said the three of them talked about possibly opening up the event to non-members. Model said it would be a good time to personally invite people who were great examples and would serve as great examples if they joined. She asked for Ensslin’s input on this and he said it sounded like a good idea. Ensslin liked that the location was close to the Journal offices and said he may send an email to the Journal informing them about it. Ensslin also said to leave time for the swearing in ceremony during the 90-minute time frame. Roberts said he thought it was a good idea. He said he stopped by the Courtyard Marriot earlier in the day and thought the hotel would be able to accommodate it. The Courtyard Marriot had good size meeting rooms, a restaurant, and an adequate bar. Roberts said the Courtyard Marriot would waive a room fee if we had a separate room, but would have to have a cash bar with a $500 minimum (or pay $150 if we did not meet that). Model said they may be willing to waive the $500 minimum. Ensslin said it would be nice to have the swearing in ceremony in a more private area, even in a lobby. Model asked Matlock if anyone from the New Mexican would be interested in going down for the social mixer. Matlock said she would send out emails to other newsrooms, too, inviting them to the mixer. Matlock would also email executives at local radio stations. Model said that at 7 p.m., the national board will go do dinner with the chapter board.
Model recapped that Roberts would talk to the sales person at the Courtyard Marriot and try to get a separate room, but we would not have a minimum bar charge. Ensslin would work with Journal on bringing members to the event. Matlock would work with New Mexican on hosting Kevin Smith. Roberts could escort Smith to Santa Fe. Matlock would invite members from the New Mexican, Taos News, and Chronicle, and Model would invite people from the Los Alamos Monitor. Model said it is ok to invite people at key media outlets who are not members since they will pay for their own drinks.
The board debated whether the bar would be large enough for the national board, chapter board, and other attendees. Roberts said he would work to persuade the Marriot to give NM SPJ a private room with no minimum. Ensslin also suggested setting up an RSVP contact. Model volunteered to be the RSVP contact.
Roberts suggested making a reservation at a restaurant for the national and chapter board. Brown said he could research and make reservations for the dinner and suggested the hotel restaurant. Several other restaurants are within a one-mile radius. Roberts suggested Old Town and a New Mexican-style restaurant with a southwest ambiance. Model suggested keeping it within walking distance to solve the transportation problem. Roberts said he could visit both Marriots and scout out restaurants in the area.
Ensslin said he received several entries for Top of the Rockies. New Mexico has submitted 67 entries, about 25% of the total. That will provide significant revenue for the chapter. People pay 10-15 dollars per entry, which are put into one pool. Expenses are subtracted and the rest of the money is sent to state chapters. Ensslin said this encouraged people to join and told members to encourage people to send entries. The awards ceremony will be in Denver on Sat., April 10 at the conclusion of the regional conference.
Brown asked for comments on the website. Matlock said she liked the site and suggested setting up a Facebook or LinkedIn page. Durano and Roberts both concurred. Model suggested Brown set up both pages as Communications chair. Ensslin said LinkedIn is used more for professional purposes (like blogging) and Facebook is used for more social things. Brown said he argued against charging for ads but the board voted to charge a fee for out-of-state advertisers at the last meeting. He also said these out-of-state ads would drive traffic to the website. Model said when the vote happened, there was no quorum. Currently, the website does not charge in-state advertisers but charges $25 per 30 days of advertising for out-of-state advertisers. Matlock said she thinks the job postings are very valuable. Model asked if we should charge everyone the same for the job postings or differently. Matlock said she does not think it is a good idea to charge right now. The postings are a service to our members. Durano also agreed that we should not charge to serve the members. Roberts said he recalled from last meeting that our first allegiance is to New Mexico, but if there is competing opportunities that don’t charge, that will hurt us. However, he did support free job postings. Ensslin said New Mexico is farther ahead of other states in the region in this regard. Matlock asked Brown if he used Google analytics to track page views and he said he did not. Brown said he would try to track more about the website to solicit ads.
Model asked if we should table this question again or take another vote. She suggested taking another vote now or sending it up for the new board in January. Model also recommended not charging for ads until at least the first quarter of 2010 to establish a firm base of posters and re-voting on the issue then. Brown said he never thought we should charge for it because it’s a member service. Matlock said since the official board will be installed soon, we should vote at the next meeting. Roberts suggested tabling the implementation of the policy voted on at the previous meeting to charge for out of state ads to the website until the first quarter of 2010 when we can have a full discussion. Brown seconded the motion. Matlock asked if an interim board could make a motion that would affect the permanent board and Ensslin said they could. The board unanimously supported the motion.
Ensslin suggested setting the next meeting date for the new board. Model asked if we should try Saturday mornings or evenings. Brown suggested Tuesday, January 19th at 7:30 p.m. The board agreed.
Model suggested yellow on black for mugs because it is the state colors. Black and royal would be the colors people would feel most comfortable putting on their desks.
Matlock said we have little money in the bank account. She said we were supposed to two checks but didn’t receive one $500 check because we are not non-profit. The treasurer called nationals to figure out how we could get the funding and found we could route it through SPJ’s non-profit arm. Ensslin said Sigma Delta Chi is non-profit and can accept money in the name of a chapter and that chapter could withdraw from it. However, that money could only be used for specific reasons. Ensslin said we would receive money from NM SPJ in May. Brown suggested selling cups to members to raise money.
Brown said to probably not make cups before the national board comes due to lack of funding. Ensslin said putting together 501C3s are very difficult but using Sigma Delta Chi is a good option.
Ensslin noted that this was the last meeting of the interim board and congratulated the group of getting the chapter revived and off to such a great start.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. MST.
Respectfully submitted,
Christina Durano
MINUTES
New Mexico SPJ Interim Board
Saturday, September 26th, 2009
Presiding: Joseph Kolb
Participating: Christina Durano, Dennis Roberts, David Brown, Betsy Model, Pilar Armstrong
Guest: John Ensslin (Region 9 Director)
Provisional Chair Joseph Kolb called the meeting of the New Mexico Society of Professional Journalists interim board to order at 11:11 a.m. MST and called roll. Betsy Model made the motion to approve the minutes and Dennis seconded. The minutes were approved.
Ensslin said Linda Hall did research on the chapter and found some signs of the chapter about 6 years ago, although it wasn’t very active. We didn’t need a vote to reactivate the chapter since there was never a vote to decommission it. However, the National Board was very happy to hear we were becoming active and decided to hold their next meeting in Albuquerque to show support. They will be in town for a long weekend meeting January 15-17. Save Friday night the 15th. Can anyone recommend 2 or 3 places for them to meet with the NM chapter? By January 15th, we will have had an election to approve officers and bylaws. Maybe we can have an opportunity for Kevin Smith to swear the new board in.
Kolb asked members if they knew of any potential places for the social. Roberts asked if we should just recommend places for the social or the meeting, and Ensslin said just for the social. Model requested members know where the National Board is staying in order to make recommendations that were close to their hotels.
Roberts outlined the bylaws that he drafted. These bylaws supersede any bylaws that formerly existed. In order to be a member of the NM SPJ, individuals also must be members of the national chapter. The National Board recommended NM SPJ have a minimum of 11 board members. Kolb approved of this recommendation, particularly since so much of our membership is spread out. He also suggested having regional NM coordinators. Roberts said we could add that to the bylaws. Model expressed the fear that 11 board members may be too many considering the chapter’s small size. Ensslin said we could create 11 seats and not fill them all immediately. Kolb said a potential collateral benefit of regional coordinators was to help with membership to connect members geographically and add a more personal approach to the members. Brown suggested that regional coordinators not necessarily sit on the board but rather serve on committees. Several members expressed support for this recommendation. Kolb suggested Model find four regional coordinators. The board would be comprised of six members on two-year terms and five on one-year terms. Kolb also suggested having at least five regular meetings a year. Board members can be present and participate in the meetings through teleconference. Kolb suggested face–to-face meetings at least once a quarter in different locations. Model recommended that face-to-face meetings with social events or workshops would allow for both events be well-attended. Brown asked if members preferred calendar-year terms or academic-year terms. Ensslin suggested the board approve it as an interim set of bylaws, as well as have all members vote on it when they voted for officers. Model moved to accept these as interim bylaws and Durano seconded. The interim bylaws were unanimously approved.
Kolb asked what members thought about chapter dues. Ensslin said activating a chapter fee would decrease membership because all members are currently members by virtue their national membership. Kolb suggested members have their first year free to let them see what we do for them. Brown asked Ensslin if the chapter could apply for grants still and he said they could. He also could add a regional grant of $100. Kolb suggested partnering with John Jay College of Criminal Justice to sponsor an event in late spring/early summer and change for non-members. Model asked if the chapter would open it up to members in other regions. Kolb replied that John Jay would advertise nationally and provides fellowship scholarships. Model said she is affiliated with the Southern Poverty Law Center and asked if they would be interested in co-presenting. Kolb said it might be better to divide into two events. Model asked if it would be too much, and Kolb recommended maybe covering poverty in New Mexico. Amstrong and Roberts both suggested not charging dues for calendar year 2010.
Kolb asked members about creating a logo. Brown said creating NM SPJ products with a logo could help raise funds, and asked if we should have a different name than New Mexico Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Kolb said we are currently called the New Mexico Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Several members suggested changing it to the New Mexico Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Armstrong suggested having a logo of the Navajo story teller. Kolb said he liked the idea but it may be too complex. Kolb said he would have his graphic designer work on it and Brown said he would also work on a logo.
Kolb asked if the chapter should include broadcasters and Model said absolutely. Kolb asked how the chapter would reach out to online journalists. Ensslin said the Top of the Rockies contest had several online categories, which could both raise funds and increase membership. The call for entries goes out tomorrow and the deadline is Nov. 20. The awards ceremony will be Feb. 26.
Kolb asked if the chapter should have a conference discussion now and all members agreed they should put that off until October.
Ensslin provided information about the NM SPJ bank account. Both president and treasurer would have access.
Kolb asked how members could make the website “live” and recommended members add their accomplishments and provide stories. Model asked if we should make the job openings section member sign in and Kolb recommended not. Brown said it would be fairly easy to make a member sign in section but said it would require people to jump through several hoops to find out about it. Model suggested having a separate tab for “Jobs and Gigs.” Brown said it would make sense to announce we have jobs and gigs but have that password protected and only provide details to members. Ensslin said to hold off on password protection until next year. Model asked if job posters should be charged 25 dollars to post openings and members agreed. Kolb said to set it up like a classified where it is based on words. Armstrong asked if NM SPJ should allow some sort of system to allow for more words and Model suggested just providing a link to the full job description. Brown recommended creating a communications committee. Student chapters like those at ENMSU and NMSU could help with this.
Kolb asked about raising revenue through thumbnail size ads on the website. It would be an easy passive source of revenue. Model asked if someone needed to actively market it or if members should just go to their respective publishers. Kolb suggested just going to their own papers. Brown said it would go beyond the basic word press capabilities and may cost some, but it was feasible. Kolb asked that everyone talk to their respective publishers about this and wait to actually start ads until later. Ensslin suggested posting an ad for the Top of the Rockies contest. Matlock volunteered to serve as the contest contact for New Mexico and the board unanimously approved.
Ensslin suggested Deb Hurley chair the elections. Joe moved Deb chair elections and Durano seconded the motion. The board unanimously approved the motion. Ensslin said to set the deadline for nominations as October 26 and hold elections in November.
Roberts asked what name of NM SPJ should be. Kolb said it should be the Society of Professional Journalists, New Mexico chapter. Kolb said the next meeting would be November 14 at 11 a.m. MST.
Kolb motioned to adjourn the meeting. Durano seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 12:15 MST.
MINUTES
New Mexico SPJ Interim Board
Saturday, July 25th, 2009
Presiding: Joseph Kolb
Participating: Christina Durano, David Brown, Dennis Roberts, Pilar Armstrong, Betsy Model
Guest: John Ensslin (Region 9 Director)
Provisional Chair Joseph Kolb called the meeting of the New Mexico Society of Professional Journalists interim board to order at 11:15 a.m. MST and called roll. Board members made brief introductions about their backgrounds and prior involvement with SPJ.
Kolb listed the following positions needing to be filled by the New Mexico SPJ board: membership chair, bylaws chair, elections chair, sunshine chair, program chair, and communications chair. After describing each position, Kolb opened the floor to nominations. David Brown moved to appoint Damon Scott as program chair, per his email volunteering for the position. The motion was seconded by Dennis Roberts and passed unanimously. Christina Durano made the motion to appoint Betsy Model as membership chair. Brown seconded the motion. The motion was carried unanimously. Durano moved to appoint Roberts as bylaws chair. Pilar Armstrong seconded the motion and the board voted unanimously to pass it. Kolb asked for nominations or volunteers for elections chair. After the board discussed the position and need for an election chair out in the field with access to potential members, Durano moved to table the election of the election chair to the next meeting. Brown seconded the motion. The motion was carried. Brown moved to appoint Bill Diven and Armstrong as co-sunshine chairs since both had experience with state FOIA. Durano seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Kolb moved to appoint Brown as communications chair. Armstrong seconded the motion and the board voted to pass it unanimously. Brown moved to confirm Kolb as interim chair of the board. Durano seconded the motion. The motion was carried. Kolb moved to appoint Durano as recording secretary. Model seconded the motion, which the board voted to pass unanimously.
Region 9 Director John Ensslin reported that he was happy to have an interim board for New Mexico SPJ and said the interim board would bring a formal state chapter application to the national board in August. The official charter would give NM SPJ access to resources from national SPJ. Ensslin also offered the interim board access to the regional iContact account, which allows members to send group html emails. Additional benefits of iContact include survey capabilities, multiple distribution lists, and reader tracking, Ensslin said.
Roberts asked where he could find a list of all NM SPJ members, and Ensslin said he had the information in an excel spreadsheet that he would send out. Brown inquired about national funding and Ensslin explained that once the chapter was approved, it could apply for a variety of grants in categories such as programming and ethics. Ensslin added that he would supply Scott with more specific information since he was in charge of programming. Brown asked if the chapter should require dues on top of national dues, but Ensslin recommended that since NM SPJ is a fledgling chapter, additional dues would exclude potential members with financial burdens. However, the Top of the Rockies regional journalism contest is a good potential source of revenue because state chapters receive their participants’ entry fees, Ensslin said. Kolb asked if the chapter should select a treasurer. Ensslin replied that the chapter should elect a treasurer, as well as a contest chair who solicits entries for the Top of the Rockies contest, because entry fees are such an essential part of chapter fundraising. Brown suggested deferring the selection of these positions until the next meeting, which the board unanimously supported. Brown also proposed getting the student chapters in New Mexico to interact with the state chapter. Ensslin suggested Durano serve as the student chapter liaison since she is the only college student on the interim board and said he would provide her with contacts for the student chapters.
Kolb opened the floor to suggestions for other meetings this year. The interim board discussed whether it would be best to have meetings on weekends or evenings and decided to have Saturday meetings since some members have evening deadlines. Ensslin suggested having meetings every two months and corresponding via email between meetings. Brown made the motion to set the next NM SPJ interim board meeting at 11 a.m. MST on Saturday, Sept. 26. Durano seconded the motion. The motion was carried. Brown suggested November 14 or November 7 for the third meeting of the NM SPJ interim board. Durano seconded the motion to set the third meeting for November 14 at 11 a.m. MST. The motion was carried unanimously. Brown offered his home as the location for the next two meetings of the NM SPJ interim board. The board thanked Brown for his offer and set the next two meetings at Brown’s Rio Rancho home.
The meeting adjourned at 11:53 a.m. MST.
Respectfully submitted,
Christina Durano
