Normally I would be reporting on a full slate of officers nominated for next year’s Board; however this year the Nominating Committee has been unable to find someone to take on the position of President.  The Committee spoke to nearly 50 members looking for volunteers to fill four open, elected Board positions – President, Quilt Show Chair, Membership, and Education.  We were successful in finding someone for only three of those four offices.

This has caused great concern for me.  Volunteerism is an important factor in our guild’s operation.  It is what makes our annual quilt show so successful and is vital in carrying out our ongoing activities.  It is unfair to expect the same people to step forward to serve on the Board; it should be spread among as many members as possible.

I have had people say to me, “why don’t you just stay on another year?”  While flattered to be asked, it is not something I should be doing.  First of all, our By-laws have specific restrictions as to how many consecutive years a person can hold a position on the Board; this prohibits me from serving a third year as President.  Additionally, I have served on the Board the past 5 years; one as Membership, two as Quilt Show and two as President, and  I will still have another year or two to serve as Ex-Officio President.  While I did not find the jobs to overly time consuming, they did impact my life.  For the past four years in particular, I have had to juggle personal activities around Guild Board and Membership meetings, as well as other events.  I am looking forward to getting that flexibility back in my life.

To address the apprehensions that a job may be too much for a single person, we have used co-chairs for several positions – Quilt Show and Hospitality for example.  While it has not been done with the President’s position, having co-Presidents is something the Board would consider.  Since we need to have a President, at our April Board meeting we will discuss our options for filling the position, even if it is on a temporary basis.

I am once again asking all members to consider becoming President.  You can do this as an individual or you could team up with another member and create a co-Presidency.  You don’t need to have Board experience.  The Guild has detailed policies and job descriptions to guide you.  Additionally, I will be on the Board as Ex-Officio President to help and you also appoint an Assistant to the President to help with tasks.

Please seriously consider helping us in filling the slate of offices for the 2018-2019 year.
Susan Fasnacht, President@northernstarquilters.com

 

Annual Meeting – Election of Board Members and By-Laws Amendment

The Annual Meeting for the Northern Star Quilters’ Guild will be held at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 at Kennedy Catholic High School.  At this meeting we will be voting on Officers for 2018-2019 and an amendment to our by-laws.  The specifics of the proposed by-laws’ amendment were sent to all members via the US Postal Service, as well as by email.  The proposed slate of officers follows.

The Nominating Committee is pleased to announce the Slate of Officers for 2018-2019. The nominees will be introduced at the April Guild Meeting and voting will take place at the May Annual Meeting.

NSQG 2018-2019 Ballot
President – To Be Determined
VP Quilt Show – Daisy Dodge and Debby Warren (co-VPs)
VP Membership – Rosemary DePaola
VP Education – Linda Finegan

Returning for a 2nd year in their current positions:
Treasurer – Annette Nash-Govan
Secretary – Anne Chehebar
VP Communications – Julie Long
VP Programs – Helen May

Thank you to the nominating committee, Dee Ploufee, Julie Long, Anne Chehebar and Susan Fasnacht, for their work on putting together the slate of candidates.  I also thank the candidates for agreeing to share their talents with the Guild.