Minutes of NWSSA BOD Meeting 04-09-2025

NorthWest Stone Sculptors Association
Established 05/27/1988
Board Meeting Minutes

ORGANIZATION NAME: NWSSA 

Date: 04/09/2025
Time: 6:30 P.M. PST
Location: Virtual via Zoom

ATTENDANCE

Board Members Present: Tamara Buchanan, Markos Weiss, Karen Roe, Michael Yeaman, Oliver Harwood, Ellie Hochman
Absent Board Members: Aerin Sizelove
Quorum: Yes
Guests: Cyra Jane, Rachell Jarvis
Staff Present: Renee Roberts

CALL TO ORDER
A meeting of the Board of Directors of NWSSA was duly called to order on 4/09/2025 at 6:31 P.M. PST. Tamara Buchanan (President) called the meeting to order.

Consent Agenda/ Minutes Approval
3/12/2025 BOD meeting minutes and consent agenda were approved unanimously.
The Grant Manager contract for Cyra was  approved unanimously. Cyra is now officially hired in this position.

Reports:

Best of the Northwest – Renee. 50+ sculptures will be on display. Pat and Ed are handling the pedestals.Stipend has not yet been determined. There are 9 Youth signed up for the stone carving classes with walk-ins anticipated. Action Item: Aerin and Markos will consult with Pat, then create a proposal for a specific amount (flat fee or hourly) for the stipend and report back to the BOD on their decision.

State of Work Study Update SL – Rachell. Planning is ongoing. Rachell would like to have  a Zoom meeting with the work studies to be held the week before camp to outline expectations and job responsibilities. There are 3 work study individuals scheduled with hopes of adding at least one additional person.

Women’s Retreat – Ellie. The BOD members have reviewed the 4 documents previously submitted online by Ellie. Action Item: Ellie will discuss WR event accounting structure with Cathy to ensure consistency with reporting of accounts. Once Ellie has her support team developed she will inform the BOD.
Motion: A motion was made (Markos) for the BOD to approve Ellie’s plan to hold  the Women’s Retreat at Pilgrim Firs. The motion was seconded (Karen) and approved unanimously.

Tool Time/Education: Ellie/Oliver. Oliver outlined the idea to have a sustainable monthly online forum which will be a space for members to participate in as another level of outreach. The format will be interactive and will include guest speakers; have short topics such as technical skills review, virtual studio tours, etc. The probable timeline for startup will be in the fall of 2025. 

Old Business:

Website Report – Aerin’s report is tabled to the May meeting. Pilgrim Firs registration is up and running smoothly on the website.

New Business: 

Discuss, review and approve the operating budget: Michael. The BOD reviewed documents submitted by Michael who reported the Statement of Activity will be the sole method by which we account for all NWSSA activities. Michael proposed that 1) Going forward, the BOD accepts the previous year’s Statement of Activity as our preliminary operating budget for the following year. 2) The BOD, as an organization, will decide on a reporting format for the annual operating budget, i.e. monthly, quarterly etc.

As the new grant writer, Cyra stated she will need a form that outlines an operating budget projection to be used for grants proposals for each upcoming year. This information is typically requested by the  granting agencies by October of each year. 

Motion: A motion was made (Ellie) for the BOD to approve 2 documents. Document #1: The 2024 Statement of Activity. Document #2: A form created for budget projection rather than the actual, for the purpose of writing and securing grants, created in part by the Treasurer and in part by the Grant Writer. The grant writer will have the ability to condense categories and adjust numbers for the grant proposals. Motion is seconded (Karen) and approved unanimously.

Journal Editor: Arliss would like to retire from this position. Tamara has talked with Bruce Richardson who is considering the position. Ben Mefford is another possibility.

Lifetime Achievement Award: To be presented at Pilgrim Firs.
Action Item: Markos and Ellie will work on the presentation together and follow up with the BOD in May.

Tabled Items: to be revisited in the future:
Aerin: Website Report, Discussion on organization of Google Drive 
Cyra, Rachell, Ellie: – Discussion re: symposiums Procedure/ Protocol documentation. Backup persons. What procedures/documentation/protocols are currently in place for putting on 1. PF, 2. SL, 3. WHCR (Women’s Hand-Carving Retreat)? 
Knowledge Manager – Define roles and responsibilities. Is this a Tech Liaison? Who? 
Michael – Progress on finding Auditor 

Next Board Meeting has been scheduled for May 14, 2025, 6:30 – 8:00 pm.
Meeting Adjourned at 7:55 P.M.                                                                              

Minutes respecfully submitted by Secretary Karen Roe