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NACCS Board Meeting Minutes from July 2019-June 2020

November 12, 2020 10:53 AM ,

by Lilia Soto, Secretary

NACCS Board Meeting Minutes from July 2019-June 2020

by Lilia Soto

Reports:  

The following are selected highlights of Board member reports from past approved Board minutes. Board meeting were monthly from July 2019-June 2020.  This includes items from our mid-year meeting hosted in Seattle, October 2019. 

  1. Executive Director: Julia Curry Rodríguez
    1. From July through September 2019, Julia continued to work on closing the 2019 ABQ annual meeting, 2019 elections (at large rep and chair elect), bylaws, and the 2020 annual meeting.  From October 2019, the midyear meeting, through March of 2020, Julia’s main focus became the annual meeting (registration, times/schedules, food/beverages, vendors, AV, exhibitors).  Julia continued to work on bylaws and on application for charitable tax, federal/state exemption.  During Julia’s February 2020 report, she expressed concern on how Covid19 may impact the conference and maintained in close communication with the Seattle Business Bureau.  Julia also continued to work on 2020 elections. The NACCS board held two emergency meetings in March of 2020 to discuss the cancellation of the 2020 annual meeting.  By April of 2020, Julia began working closely with Ernesto Colín on hotel cancellation.  Julia continued to work on 2020 elections.  Updates for May and June 2020 included hotel refund, registration, and elections. 
  1. Associate Director: Kathy Blackmer Reyes
    1. From July through September 2019, Kathy continued to work on proceedings from the 2019 annual meeting, wrapped up lingering tasks from the annual meeting, and early deadlines for the 2020 annual meeting.  Second, Kathy began to receive books for the 2020 book award, set some deadlines for annual meeting, elections, and bylaws.  Finally, Kathy continued to work on membership and website.  October 2020, the Mid-year meeting, Kathy discussed annual meeting related issues including public transportation, awards, and poster presentations for annual meeting. From December 2019-February 2020, Kathy continued to approve membership and renewals, worked on the annual meeting program with Julia and Roberto, schedule, registration, book exhibits, and updates on website and conference information.  Annual meeting deadlines were met.  By March 2020, we had two emergency board meetings to discuss cancellation process, releasing a statement, and registration related issues. During April of 2020, Kathy paused as she was waiting on board to decide on next steps re: elections and online annual meeting.  The board agreed to let the membership decide if we should hold elections for 2020 or if we should keep the board until 2021.  For May-June 2020, Kathy reported on the newsletter, polling for elections, on how membership is growing, and receiving reimbursement requests.  Kathy also updated us on the website, posting messages on violence and BLM, and the upcoming newsletter.
  1. Chair:  Karleen Pendleton Jiménez
    1. From July through September 2019, Karleen wrote support letters, discussed chair-elect search, conference location, resolutions, bios for bylaws, and communication statements. During the October 2019 midyear meeting, Karleen reported on other statements, including the U.S. census and climate change.  From December 2019-February 2020, Karleen continued to work on annual meeting related matters (Castañeda Award, NACCS scholar), the noticias de NACCS, and setting meeting times for spring.  In March 2020, we had two meetings where we discussed cancelling the annual meeting and the follow up steps. From April-May 2020, Karleen worked on noticias de NACCS and letters to members.  By June 2021, we had a more extensive discussion for a 2021 online meeting, (purpose, date, themes and next steps), and elections for 2021.  There were two motions:  first, we had a motion to not have a physical conference for 2021.  Second, we had a motion to move that the board affirms results of the poll conducted to membership to retain current board until spring 2021.  
  1. Chair Elect: Roberto D. Hernández
    1. Roberto was elected as chair-elect in September and joined the board during the midyear meeting.  During the October 2019 midyear meeting, Roberto reported on the CFP and circulated it in English and Spanish, and on submissions and reviewers.  From December 2019 through February 2020, Roberto continued to report on reviewers and events for annual meeting, including planning, programs, plenary speakers, and program image.  We had two emergency meetings during the month of March 2020.  From April-June 2020, Roberto discussed pláticas, including themes and speakers.
  1. Past Chair: Aureliano DeSoto
    1. From July 2019-June 2020, Aureliano reported on bylaws, co-wrote statements (George Floyd), and suggested themes for newsletters, including Covid19, and Chicana/o/x Studies.
  1. Treasurer: Ernesto Colín
    1. From July-September 2019, Ernesto reported outcomes of meetings with Julia and Chalane Lechuga (past-Treasurer) for accounting work, presented updates on account balances including the Castañeda endowment, and gave a financial report for fiscal year.  Ernesto resubmitted the proposal for moving membership from calendar to fiscal year. During the October 2019 midyear meeting, Ernesto reported on the Castañeda endowment, ongoing assets and liabilities, 2019 conference accounting, NACCS debt for professional services, organizational membership status, and treasurer policy proposals such as changing membership cycles and including merchant fees into financial transactions. From December 2019-February 2020, Ernesto presented costs for website redesign, scholarship outlays, agenda for financial retreat with Julia, and account balances.  In relation to the conference, Ernesto reported on plaques, website, membership, registration, and revamping leadership meeting. In March 2020, the board had two emergency meetings to discuss the cancellation of the annual meeting. From April-June 2020, Ernesto expanded on moving membership to fiscal year, financial retreat with Julia, figuring out a mechanism to offer refunds for conference registration, and revisiting our website. His report also included bank account balance.
  1. Secretary: Lilia Soto
    1. Minutes are reports. 
  1. At-Large Reps:
  1. Maria Gonzalez: From July-September 2019, Maria met with Francisco to divide regions, book awards, and next set of proceedings.  Maria also worked on communication with Focos and Caucuses (F/Cs), proceedings from ABQ 2019 annual meeting, and volunteers for the 2020 book awards. During the October 2019 midyear meeting, Maria reported on F/Cs leadership. From December 2019-February 2020, Maria reported on book awards and the completion of proceedings.  We had two emergency meetings on March 2020 to discuss next steps.  From April-June 2020, Maria reported on the requests she received from Compas regarding a virtual conference.  This prompted discussions for pláticas.  
  1. Francisco Villegas: From July-September 2019, Francisco presented on a proposed virtual conference organized by the Midwest Foco with support from the Rocky Mountain FOCO.  Francisco also proposed moving annual meeting office hours to book exhibit area.  He also expressed that he wants to take lead on the Cervantes premio and began looking for readers.  Finally, he also asked if F/Cs can have the same rep/chair.  During the October 2019 midyear, Francisco gave updates on F/Cs leadership and the Cervantes award.  From December 2019-February 2020, Francisco reported on Cervantes prize.  We held two emergency meetings during March 2020.  From April-June 2020, Francisco met with Maria and Tereza and reorganized F/Cs.  Francisco suggested that we suspend numbers of members for F/Cs until next year’s conference.  
  1. Tereza Szeghi:  Tereza joined the board by October of 2019.  From December 2019-February 2020, Tereza reached out to Focos & Caucuses renewing connections.  She provided an update on how the Castañeda award. During two emergency meetings March of 2020.  Tereza volunteered to do surveys for elections.  From April-June 2020, Tereza reported on Focos & Caucuses and on how to make some FOCOs more interactive, especially in regions where the orientation is toward Latinx Studies.
  1. New Business/Any Other Business:  There were several items that were also discussed by the board.  Below I wrote what we discussed:
    1. July 2019:  nothing more to add
    2. August 2019: 
      1. Elections—should we run elections without Chair elect?
      2. Location for conference:  Pacific Northwest.  Julia will be looking into either Seattle or Portland.  
      3. Theme:  if there is no chair elect, Lilia, Ernesto, and Karleen will be on planning program committee.  
    3. September 2019:
      1. What is the local community involvement for conferences? The executive director reaches out to FOCOs and works with them.
    4. October 2019:  Midyear Meeting 
      1. By-laws
      2. Elections/nominations
      3. Policy proposals of changing membership to fiscal year and charging merchant fees
      4. Annual meeting, including panels, scholar nomination, registration, community involvement, events, and accessibility
      5. Questions about conflict of interest with Cervantes, book, and Castañeda Award
      6. Conference rotation
    5. December 2019:  Nothing more to add
    6. January 2020:  
      1.  Nominations—Francisco and Maria would like to run as At large reps
      2. Is it a concern to have Focos & Caucuses with lower numbers than stipulated in the by-laws?
    7. February 2020: Nothing more to add.
    8. March 2020:  We had two emergency meetings regarding cancelling the annual meeting.  
      1. March 9th:  Need to send statement to membership including practical details.  Should we have a virtual conference?
      2. March13th:  What kind of statement will be released? And, what are the next steps?  
    9. April 2020: 
      1. Virtual Conference? Here are choices: No Virtual Conference, paired down version, paired down list of speakers.  Board Members voted.  
      2. Do we carry any pieces of the conference from 2020 to 2021?
      3. Elections:  Do we carry board over?  Let the membership decide.  
    10. May 2020:
      1. Refunds, cancellation letter, 
      2. Need to consider next year’s conference.
    11. June 2020:
      1. Noticias
      2. Membership meeting
      3. Pláticas

(Please note that we did not have a meeting in November 2019)

Fall 2020, No. 46 No. 1

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