Afdaa Business Meeting Minutes

AFDAA BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES

January 31, 2008

The semi-annual business meeting for the Association of Forensic DNA Analysts and Administrators was called to order in the conference room of Building E of DPS Headquarters at 1:50 PM by Chair Bill Watson. Pamela Mikulcik took notes for Secretary Brandi Mohler.

Officer Reports

Chairperson - Bill Watson

Plaques were presented to former Chairperson Joe Warren and former Secretary Aliece Watts in gratitude for their service to AFDAA. Aliece was not present to receive her plaque. *

Bill thanked Brandi Mohler for her prominent role in putting the meeting together.

Treasurer - Melba Ketchum

She said that the treasury currently has $2,841.00 in it. * She thanked Bill and Brandi for their fundraising efforts. * She recognized George for his hard work tracking membership fees. * She requested that any vendors present at the meeting should consider contributing financially to the summer meeting. * She mentioned that AFDAA is undergoing an audit of the account for the past 2 years. * She stated that she is working on the form for AFDAA to keep its non-profit status. * At the end of her report, Bill thanked Melba for her work.

Secretary - Brandi Mohler

She announced that the past meeting minutes have been posted for over a month on the web site for inspection, and that copies of the past are present for viewing. * The summer meeting will be held at the Stephen F. Austin hotel in downtown Austin. Bill and Joe approved of the venue after their visit on 1/30/08. Brandi announced that she will present a more in depth talk about the upcoming meeting after Gary Molina's CODIS update. *

Bill Watson entertained a motion to accept the previous meeting's minutes. John Planz made the motion and Joe Warren seconded it. The minutes were approved by the body.

Vice Chair - Bill Watson for George Duncan

Bill stated that George is the primary individual working on the membership list and that it will be posted on the web site so that members can view their status. He said that if anyone has questions about their membership status, they can contact George. His information is on the web site. Bill commended Brady for his work on the membership list in the past, but said that it is a difficult job that can be hard to manage in a transitory period. Bill also noted that in recent communications with George he learned that some members are concerned about the membership list and how the dues are being tracked. He said that errors are a consequence of an evolving process; sometimes invoices get lost. He reaffirmed that if anyone has questions about their invoices and/or membership that they should contact the officers. He said that if there are missteps, they as officers are concerned and that they will take care of the problems. He said that in the next email to the membership with the minutes he will send an announcement to this effect. *

Joe Warren interjected with a statement about classifying the members into the expanded member categories. He suggested that members go to the web site, click on the membership section, and review the updated guidelines. Bill affirmed that the guidelines will be in place for the next meeting. *

Bill stated that if anyone is not on the current membership list, that they should update their contact info before they leave. *

Bill announced that AFDAA has approximately 266 members. *

Bill mentioned that several applications are pending and that these individuals just need to attend a meeting.

Old Business *

Bill Watson asked if there was any former old business that needed to be addressed. *

Dennis Grigassy from Qiagen thanked AFDAA for allowing them to be a vendor at the summer meeting, but requested that at this year's summer meeting that they be positioned near the refreshments. Bill assured that his concern would be addressed. *

Bill Watson entertained a motion close Old Business. Joe Warren made the motion and Bulbin Reeder seconded it. The body passed the motion.

New Business

New Membership Voting

Bill Watson asked the new applicants to stand and introduce themselves. He said that some of them who were not on the current applicant list due to clerical reasons would still be voted-in and their status would be confirmed afterwards. The applicants who were present at the meeting and introduced themselves were: o Karen Gincoo, HPD o Dennis Grigassy, Qiagen o Philip Czar, Applied Biosystems o Valerie Huebner, DPS Houston o ennifer Miller, DPS Houston o Heather Hurston, DPS Austin o Michelle Bonnette, DPS Austin o Nicole Hahn, DPS McAllen. *

The applicants who were not present, but were listed by Bill Watson at the meeting were: o Bradley Dafoe o Katherine Haskins o Daniel Lindley* o Mary Reed* o Mai Nguyen.

*Brandi Mohler pointed out that Daniel Lindley and Mary Reed were not eligible for approval because they have not yet attended a meeting. Bill agreed and they were taken off the list. *

Bill Watson asked all of the applicants to leave the room for the discussion and voting-in of the applications. He asked the body if there was any discussion. There was none. Bill Watson entertained a motion to approve all listed members provided that all documentation meets George Duncan's approval. Melba Ketchum made the motion and John Planz seconded it. The body passed the motion. The applicants were asked to rejoin the meeting. *

Bill Watson announced that if any of the pre-approved applicants' documentation is not complete, that they will have to be officially voted-in at the next meeting. He said that either he or George would contact them and inform them of their membership status. *

John Planz requested that the body welcome the new members to the organization. Applause ensued.

Raising Meeting Fees Discussion

Bill Watson broached the issue of raising meeting fees. He reiterated how important it is for members to stay current with their dues. He said that in general, most people are good about it, but that sometimes they can forget. He asked that members check their status to determine if they are current with their dues. If they are not (and it's not a mistake), he asked that they please pay them. He said that currently, meetings are free for members in good standing who register early. He said that there is a charge for members who register late. *

Melba Ketchum mentioned that by raising meeting fees, several things could be accomplished. She did not propose an amount, but mentioned several expenses that could be supported such as prominent speakers, a poster session, and lunch at the summer meeting. She stated that the organization cannot grow like it should if the funding is not there. She told the membership that it does not hurt to give something back. *

Joe Warren, as a former officer, encouraged other people to become involved in the leadership of the organization and as a result, become classified according to the new membership guidelines. * Bill Watson said that before meeting fees are raised, he would like to consult the bylaws and get more input from the membership. He said that at the next meeting he would like to propose a fee structure change. *

Joe Warren suggested that the motion be put to the membership over email so that it could be voted-on and passed before the summer meeting, like the new membership guidelines did last year. *

Bill Watson emphasized that he's just putting the meeting fee increase proposal out there and that it's up to the members to decide. *

Angela Tanzillo-Swarts mentioned that some members might be against an increase due to the fact that many people pay out of pocket to members of AFDAA. *

Bill Watson tabled the discussion until a later date. *

John Planz suggested that an email survey be sent out to the membership to see what members might be willing to pay. *

Melba Ketchum suggested that food receipts be given out to those individuals who pay out pocket for the donated food. Bill Watson interjected by saying that he did not think it was a legal option. Angela Tanzillo-Swarts said that the DPS per diem would not cover an increased meeting fee.

Bylaws Report - Joe Warren

He said that he would like to get together former Chairs and do a complete review of the bylaws. He said that the last time they were redone was approximately 10 years ago. *

He said that the most-recently changed section of the bylaws is the membership structure. *

He said that the bylaws are posted on the web site and that members should look at them and subsequently contact him if they have any questions/comments. * He said that he will have an updated report with the new bylaws changes at the summer meeting.

Web Site Report - Brandi Mohler

She said that the membership list will be posted and that members should contact her with any anticipated changes. She said that she will continue working on it. Bill Watson emphasized that keeping track of members is difficult and that members should be proactive and check their information for accuracy. *

Bill said that Brandi will be posting PDF's of the talks at the meeting, not powerpoint slides. Brandi said that the files will be available to both members and non-members. *

She said that the fundraiser T-shirt designs will be posted on the web site for inspection and that perhaps, in the future, selling them online may be possible.

Fundraising Discussion

Brandi Mohler said that AFDAA needs money to retain better speakers at the meetings. *

Brandi Mohler displayed the T-shirts that are currently for sale and said that if members have any ideas of T-shirt sayings, pictures, or suggestions to contact her. She said that she would also like someone to submit a logo because AFDAA does not currently have one and that the one on the web site is borrowed. Angela Tanzillo- Swarts volunteered to submit a logo design to be voted-on by the membership. *

Bill Watson made a call for summer vendors/exhibitors. He said that we have more vendors than ever before but that we still need more. He said that booths are $350 and that we could use donations for giveaways and/or snacks. He stated that the $350 booth fee goes to food only and that the vendor room is thrown-in with the food purchase. He thanked the current AFDAA supporters and said that more exhibitor packets will be sent out.

Announcements *

Bill Watson stated that at the summer meeting, the Vice-Chair and Treasurer positions will be up for election. At that time he will entertain nominations and voting will occur. He suggested that members put a "bug in someone's ear" to run for office. *

Bill encouraged everyone to buy a T-shirt. He said that 24 orders for each design are needed before a full order can be placed.

Bill Watson asked if there was any more New Business. No one responded. He entertained a motion to adjourn the meeting. John Planz made the motion and Joe Warren seconded it. The body passed the motion.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:35 PM.