VFALS Section Steering Committee Meeting

July 14, 2011
Present:        Paul Dumm, Scott Steadman, Robin Lennon, Robert Baldree, David Isley, Arlene Ravalo-Jao (Phone), Mirtha Aguirre, Jonathan Gorman

Next meeting: conference calls on the 1st Thursday of every other month from 9:00 am -10:00 am; beginning September 2011

I.            Welcome – Paul Dumm, Vice-Chair

The welcome was given by the Vice-Chair, Paul Dumm.  Chair, Arlene Ravalo-Jao joined shortly after the meeting was convened via telephone.

II.          Getting Organized-Full Committee

The committee discussed at length how to get the full Resource Council more involved the business of the Section as determined by the Steering Committee.  The structure of the Section was review as ell as the leadership roles of the Steering Committee. 

The group would like to create a document providing Leadership descriptions so that those wanting to participate as leaders of the Section can have an understanding of what is expected of them.  Arlene Ravalo-Jao sent the Steering Committee a copy of the FICPA Leadership Guide and Section Policy Guide.  The group will use these documents to create a policy that specifically addresses the VFALS Section.

III.       Visioning-The Next Three Years

The committee met and reviewed the areas of Member Recruitment and Retention, Volunteer Strategies and Task Forces.

Arlene Ravalo-Jao will review the Web Site Task Force contact list and update the committee on any changes.

Arlene Ravalo-Jao also brought to the attention of the committee that the Florida Bar Section met in April, and though she was unable to make the meeting she will get the minutes from the meeting and share them with the committee at a future meeting.

The committee would also like to promote the Section through speaker presentations at the upcoming conference.  This is the perfect venue with a captive audience to share the benefits of belonging to the section and being active within.

The committee also discussed creating a LinkedIn account for the Section with Jonathan Gorman taking the lead.  Staff will get permission to move forward with this activity.

IV.         Review Goals and Objectives - All

The committee reviewed the goals and objectives of the Section and updated the 2011-2012 Strategic Plan.  A copy of the updated plan is attached to the minutes.

V.         Action Items

The committee requested that the following actions be taken on their behalf:

• The committee provided a list of statistics they would like to see at their next meeting
• The Steering Committee would like to receive updates from the Conference Planning Committee at each conference call
• The Steering Committee would like to receive the statistics and survey information available to the Conference Planning Committee
• The committee would like to have a question added to the conference evaluation that asks: “What other membership/designations do you have?”
• The committee would like for staff to ask the Governmental Affairs Department who determines what should be of importance during the Legislative Session (i.e. what items need to be addressed by Section committees)
• Arlene Ravalo Jao and Paul Dumm will prepare a Power Point presentation on the Section for the upcoming conference during lunch on Thursday and raffle Robin Lennon’s crystal ball for new Section members signing up
• The committee asked that Staff inquire about and seek permission for the VFALS Section to create a LinkedIn account.
• Staff will look into the cost of using WebEx or Go to Meeting as an option for our conference calls.

VI.         Next Meeting

Our next meeting is scheduled by conference call on September 8, 2011. The meeting was adjourned at 2:50.

Minutes submitted by Stephanie Thomas.