July 2008 Board Bulletin

My First Year as Vice President

I must confess that I was reluctant to accept the nomination for vice president. Renée and I had concerns about the amount of time required, as well as the length of the term. When you sign on to be vice president, you are also committing to be the presidentelect. This means you are willing to be actively involved with church governance for four full years. A year has now passed and I think that this is a good time to reflect on what I have learned and done this past year and to discuss my current perspective as VP. I have focused on the following four areas: supporting the church president, participating as a board trustee, facilitating communication between committee chairs and orienting new chairpersons and trustees.

This first year has been spent trying to come up to speed in all of these areas. In providing support to our president, I have tried my best to assist Meg as much as possible. However, I suspect that I have been getting more help from her than she has gotten from me. As VP, I meet with her the week before board meetings to go over the agenda. Also present at these meetings are Frank Satterwhite (treasurer), Rev. Katie and during this past year, Carol Bodeau (intern minister). The agenda meeting gives Meg a chance to get agenda feedback and suggestions for the following week’s board meeting. It also gives all of us a chance to discuss other issues that are on our minds (both church and personal in nature). As a trustee, I attend board meetings. Although it has not been necessary this past year, if Meg is unable to attend, it is my job to chair the meeting in her absence.

This past year I have also served on two board subcommittees. The first is the Unitarian House Subcommittee, which is tasked with gathering information that the board needs in order to make decisions regarding the replacement of our old church office. The second subcommittee is the new Personnel Subcommittee, whose function is to make sure that the board has all the information it needs to perform its employment duties as directed by the church by-laws.

I convened four Committee Council meetings this past year. At these meetings, committee chairpersons are invited to come and discuss issues of concern and find areas where they can assist one another. We also make sure that our various committee meetings do not conflict with each other and with important church events. Finally, this also is an opportunity for chairs to get briefed on current Board of Trustees issues. Lastly, whenever new committee chairpersons, or new trustees are brought on board, it is the VP’s job to meet with them and provide orientation materials.

Luckily, I have had a lot of assistance this past year. Meg has been terrific bringing me up to speed and forgiving my faults. In addition, Karen Cook has been training and mentoring me in the various responsibilities. She has attended all the committee council meetings, helped me be better organized, and helped me orient several new chairpersons. This past year I have had a chance to become more comfortable in my duties as vice president. I have enjoyed working with Meg, Karen and the other board members. Over the next year I hope to create a more detailed job description and job manual for the next VP. I also will be paying a lot of attention to what I need to know when I follow in Meg’s footsteps!

Daryl Ray