Respectfully Submitted by AJ French
Ron Melka called the Development Committee meeting to order on October 19, 2017 at 11:06am and chaired the discussion. The following individuals participated.
- IMHPAC Council Co-Chairs: Andrea Cooke & John Shustitzky
- IMHAPC Development Committee Members: Ron Melka, AJ French, Nanette Larson, Cara Emrich & Ray Conner
- IMHPAC Member: Fred Friedman
Ron Melka asked if there were any guests and members of the public which would like to announce their presence. Fred Friedman joined as a guest of the Development Committee. No other persons stated they were on the line.
During opening remarks, Nanette Larson conveyed the Division of Mental Health's appreciation that the Council has recently resumed business and enthusiasm about the Development Committees efforts to
move forward.
Ron Melka called for a motion to approve the agenda. Andrea Cooke motioned to approve. Cara Emrich seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously without objection or abstention.
Ron Melka called for a motion to approve the March 2016 Development Committee Report. Cara motioned to approve the minutes. Ray seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously without objection or abstention.
Regarding Outreach to Current Council Members, there was discussion about reaching out to people instead of automatically removing names. John Shustitzky said he would provide Ron Melka with a list of persons who have notified Council Co-Chairs of their service intent and persons who no longer have state positions. Ron Melka will then update the IMHPAC Roster with highlights to indicate the following.
- Yes, a Council Member is confirming their willingness to continue serving.
- No, a Council Member is confirming they no longer wish to serve.
- Eventually and if necessary, strike out Council Members who do not respond to inquiry and have not participated in past Council meetings.
There was further discussion about bylaws indicating a Council Member could be removed if they did not participate in three meetings per calendar year. Though generally it is not a good practice to consider absentee Council Members, the Development Committee bears some responsibility for outreach to Council Members. It was suggested that Development Committee Members solicit a verbal affirmation of intent to participate in meetings from Council Members who wish to be re-elected.
A question of clarification was asked regarding Fred Friedman's participation. He expressed an interest in serving this Committee and AJ French announced that she previously had informed Council and Committee Co-Chairs of her resignation as Development Committee Co-Chair effective at the end of her December 2017 term. She offered to make it effective immediately if the process allows for Fred Friedman to be appointed to the position. The resignation was accepted and Fred Friedman was appointed to the Development Committee. AJ stayed on the call to continue taking notes.
Committee Members then signed up to do the following outreach to current Council Members.
- Region 1 - Ron Melka
- Region 2 - Ray Conner
- Regions 3 & 4 - Fred Friedman
- Region 5 - Cara Emrich
- State Department Representatives - Nanette Larson
Ron will provide an updated Roster and Andrea said that Lynn O'Shea can provide an updated email list.
Regarding Identifying Potential Council Members, Ron reviewed the procedure of asking candidates to submit a letter of interest or resume which reflect why they would be an asset to the Council. The Committee then makes a recommendation regarding nominations to the Council during the November meeting. Joanne Furnas was recommended by Lynn O'Shea and Matt Perry was recommended by Fred Friedman. It was asked and unknown as to whether each individual has actually submitted a letter of interest or resume. Ron will check previous emails regarding Joanne Furnas and it was suggested that Fred Friedman follow up with Matt Perry.
The Committee acknowledged an email received from Ms. Judy King, a member of the general public who had expressed opposition to the nomination of Matt Perry. Though it was not raised in the context of an Open Meeting, and without reflecting on Matt Perry's qualifications, the issue at hand is diverse representation. This includes age, ethnicity, gender, region and representation among consumer run organizations across Illinois. Nanette Larson referenced that SAMHSA required specific demographics for a focus group held during a recent site visit. Nanette will send the demographic information so the Development Committee can consider utilizing some or all of these factors as we assess current membership. It was remarked that we are critically short of "consumers."
There was discussion about the time frames required for nominations. The Development Committee needs to insure we're doing our due diligence and also provide the Council thirty days notice. We need highly qualified people and having diverse representation insures that we will elect highly skilled and contributing members. It was noted that "qualified" does not mean white male.
Regarding meeting evaluation, two persons gave feedback.
- What worked well: a) communication of thoughts/ideas and b)good participation from all
- What can be improved: a)remember to identify self when speaking and b)earlier notification with set schedule of calendar meetings.
Regarding public comment, AJ French suggested that the Development Committee use the outreach opportunity to identify people who are willing to serve on committees…even if they are not elected.
Nanette Larson moved to adjourn meeting. Andrea Cooke seconded the motion. Meeting adjourned at 11:58am.
