Minutes, Board Meeting - September 12, 2021

MINUTES

ACLU of Wisconsin Chippewa Valley Chapter

Meeting of the Board of Directors

September 12, 2021

Virtual meeting via Zoom technology

Board members present: Lopa Basu, Cali Eisenhuth,Lindsey Brandrup, Kirby Harless, Mildred Larson, Ehren Lepp, Elsa Murray, David Shih, and John Wiltrout.

Board members absent, Ann Francis, Pa Thao, Selika Ducksworth-Lawton, Teresa O’Halloran, Paul Wagner

Visitors: Ann Heywood

1. The meeting was called to order at 5:05 pm.

2. The board approved the minutes from the August 8th, 2021 meeting.

3. John gave the Treasurer’s report, no changes from last month. Balances are checking: 1042.63, savings: 5.01.

4. David provided the State Board report, noting there have been discussions about the significant amount of turnover.

5. Nomination Discussion: David noted there are many open positions needing to be filled. Mildred, Paul, and John have decided not to run for reelection. The Ad-Hoc Nomination Committee--Lindsey, Teresa, Kirby and David-- is asking for recommendations. In addition to recommendations from our network, it was proposed that we host a virtual or in-person meet and greet to open up the application process. We will ultimately need to ensure that we have 9 board members, meaning that we will have three (possibly four, pending Pa’s decision) seats to fill.

6. The November program is slated for Wednesday, November 10th. The member meeting will take place at 6:00 with the program to follow at 7:00. Ideas for the program included gerrymandering and reproductive rights. Shaadi Ali will be the first speaker, and the board will need to decide upon two more speakers to fill it out, along with a 20 minute Q&A session. David agreed to reach out to Wendy Sue Johnson as a speaker on gerrymandering. The newsletter should be sent out by 10/29 to reach members in a timely manner. The question was posed about whether or not State would assist in paying for the postage again this year. Last year the cost was about $900.

7. Old Business: Mildred needs your size for t-shirts for Board members. Please give her your information ASAP!

8. Pa requested the ACLU-WI-CVC sign on to a petition by the Black and Brown Womyn’s Coalition to advocate that money from the American Rescue Plan be prioritized for marginalized groups. The board supported the idea but wanted to converse with Pa about a few specifics. David will follow up with State about signing as an organization. David also recommended contacting Dr. Briggs with the petition. Additionally, David mentioned an encounter with former board member Myron Buchholz who provided the name of someone needing support from the ACLU-WI-CVC. The board discussed the matter but did not reach consensus on next steps.

9. At 6:32, David moved to adjourn, Lindsey seconded, the meeting was adjourned.