Current Meeting Minutes
MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL MEETING OF
STORYTELLERS OF NEW MEXICO
SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2008
The meeting was called to order at the home of Walt Sala, 6405 Whiteman Dr., NW by President, Bob Kanegis at about 2:15 p.m.
Present: Margaret Edmundson, Walt Sala, Betty Sala, Leslie Chamberlain, Paul Middleton, and Bob Kanegis, of Albuquerque; Sarah Malone and Phyllis Bergman of Cedar Crest; Trudy Lawson of Taos; and Randi Mehling and Cynthia Dobson of Santa Fe. Everyone introduced themselves and shared something about their interest in storytelling and in STNM.
- Election Results: Phyllis Bergman gave the election results. 28 people voted by mail with notes of thanks and encouragement for our effort to continue forward with STNM. Support was unanimous for the proposed slate:
- Bob Kanegis, President
- Ann Riley, First Vice President
- Margaret Edmundson, Second Vice President
- Sarah Malone, Secretary
- Phyllis Bergman, Treasurer
- Paul Middleton – At large member
- Cynthia Dobson – At large member
- Randi Mehling – At large member
- Walt Sala – At Large Member (See No. 5 below regarding Walt’s board position)
- Minutes: Minutes of the January Board meeting were read by Sarah Malone. Walt Sala moved the minutes be accepted as read, seconded by Margaret Edmundson. The motion carried 100%.
Bob Kanegis noted that in reviewing the By-laws he read the President only votes to break a tie. Therefore, he abstained from voting.
- Treasurer’s Report: Phyllis Bergman shared that our current balance is $1,755.45. Phyllis passed the membership list around for corrections and updated information on payment of dues. She will send a copy of the membership lists to board members electronically.
- Board Member Responsibilities: Bob Kanegis presented a handout summarizing responsibilities of board members and officers of STNM (attached.) A few changes were agreed upon.
- The First Vice President (Ann Riley) has asked not to be responsible any longer for the newsletter.
- Incoming Secretary, Sarah Malone, agreed to take responsibility for the newsletter, if she can get help with proof reading, mailing, etc. Phyllis, Leslie, and Margaret all agreed to help.
- Sarah Malone indicated she did not want to be the custodian of the corporate records, as per the ByLaws. Bob Kanegis agreed to keep them.
- Phyllis Bergman will be responsible for the membership and mailing list, and for sending out e-mail notices to members. She will do so carefully, however, so as not to overload members with unwanted e-mail, focusing such missives on storytelling opportunities, educational information, etc. Randi suggested calling a monthly e-mail “Members’ Corner.”
- Margaret Edmundson reminded at-large members that the By-Laws committee, of which she was a part, had envisioned that at-large members would choose one area or more of personal interest in which to become involved.
- The Secretary will send the Minutes to Flo Trujillo to be posted on the website. www.infoway.org/STNM. Also, the by-laws and articles of incorporation are on line.
- Acceptance of a new at-large board member:
- Walt Sala had indicated an interest in serving on the board as an at-large member after the slate had been sent to members for voting. Bob Kanegis referred to Article 4.5.2 of the ByLaws which allows the Board to fill a non officer position in between election periods. Walt indicated he felt he could contribute to STNM. Sarah Malone moved, seconded by Phyllis Bergman, that Walt Sala be added to the Board as an At-large member. The motion carried unanimously.
- Dues for STNM membership:
- Discussion ensued about the time period for which dues are current (options being for the calendar year; from the time of the annual meeting; pro-rated for January – April 2008 due to our period of relative inactivity; reduce membership dues this year to attract a larger membership base.) The current dues structure is $15 regular, $5 seniors age 65 and older and full time students. Walt Sala recommended the dues be stabilized at $15 for all, regardless of age or student status, stating that STNM would need funds for marketing to increase attendance at our events, and that $15 was a reasonable amount for most anyone to pay. Sarah Malone stated she didn’t feel comfortable increasing dues after our recent struggles and inconsistent services to members. Rather, she would like to revisit the dues structure again next year.
- Sarah Malone motioned that membership be from March to March, that the dues remain at $15 regular, and $5 seniors and full time students. The motion was seconded by Leslie Chamberlain. The motion carried with one vote in opposition.
- Phyllis Bergman recommended a new brochure be completed and sent to members along with the next newsletter in order for folks to be reminded of their dues being due.
- Paul Middleton agreed to work on the brochure and complete it within 2 weeks;
- Sarah Malone agreed to develop the newsletter and mail it within 2 weeks.
- Donations can also be solicited.
- The idea of providing members with an incentive for renewing their membership was discussed, such as a link to a storytelling website, etc.
- Thanks to outgoing board members:
- Sarah Malone motioned that a note of thanks and small gift be given to outgoing board members, Leslie Chamberlain and Trudy Lawson. Phyllis seconded the motion which carried.
- Programs
- Tellabration
- Santa Fe: Randi Mehling and Cynthia Dobson will chair a committee to explore hosting a Tellabration in Santa Fe on the SATURDAY before Thanksgiving. Randi has a wide range of community connections in Santa Fe, including poets and Native American storytellers. Randi and Cynthia will explore options for a location, etc.
- Albuquerque: Tellabration committee members are Bob Kanegis, Walt Sala, Paul Middleton, Margaret Edmundson (Chair), Sarah Malone and Phyllis Bergman. The Albuquerque event will be on the SUNDAY before Thanksgiving. It might be possible to have the same program at both cities’ events.
- Each committee will bring a possible plan to the board meeting in June for board discussion and decision.
- Story Swap
- Paul Middleton recommends a swap, possibly at a small theater in Albuquerque, in collaboration with other artists. This might include storytelling, slam poetry, theater, etc. He referenced Wise Fools in Santa Fe as a model for us. The Vortex Box is open to the public on Sundays. An open microphone could be provided after the formal presentation.
- SWA P committee for Albuquerque: Margaret, Chair; Sarah, Walt and Paul.
- Margaret would like to attract diversity in our members and participants, including Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanics, homeless, etc.
- Bob calls on each Board Member to invite up to 5 people to a swap or event, drawing on our personal and professional connections.
- Newsletter
- Sarah will try to get the newsletter mailed by April 20th, along with the brochure.
- Newsletter should invite members to participate on Committees (call to action);
- National Storytelling Network Liaison: Nothing in the By-laws requires an NSO liaison. However, Phyllis Bergman volunteered to retain the liaison role.
- National Youth Storytelling Showcase:
STNM will continue to serve as judge for submittals by youth tellers and to send a monetary donation to any student(s) selected from New Mexico to help them travel to Tennessee to participate in the youth showcase (formerly Olympics).
Bob recommended we not plan a workshop at this time. Perhaps in a year from now. We can revisit this topic in the fall. He recommends we do a great job on the tasks we have set before us, and then add something more. Paul suggested he might provide a multimedia workshop, collecting stories on film as a demonstration for STNM.
- Next Meeting: The next meeting will be June 8th in Santa Fe, assuming a location can be found. The Santa Fe members will let us know as soon as possible. Otherwise, Walt Sala offered his home again.
- Bob Kanegis motioned the meeting be adjourned at about 4:30 p.m., seconded by Phyllis and agreed upon by all.
Minutes submitted by: Sarah Malone, Secretary
