ARBA New Board Meeting 6-30-2018
Board Minutes: Saturday, June 30, 2018
President Chris Posbergh called the meeting of the ARBA board to order at 10:16 a.m. PDT on June 30, 2018. The meeting was held at the home of Bessie and Sue Kalina, Oregon Romney breeders. Bessie provided a comfortable meeting room and treated board members with fresh fruit, muffins and beverages. Members in attendance included Posbergh, Randy Thompson, Scott Culver, Don Burgess, Charlene Carlisle, Anne McIntyre Lahner, Emma Rogers, Betsy McPherson, Carol Pasheilich, Nicole Murray and JoAnn Mast.
The secretary provided copies of the minutes from the June 29 Board Meeting and addressed any questions regarding the board meeting and annual meeting held the evening of June 29. Edits indicated will be made prior to distribution of all minutes for approval.
Chris then moved to the overview of the annual meeting. He felt the meeting, silent auction and information provided by Jake Valentine all went well. Money from the silent auction will be split between Oregon and the five other districts, dedicated to the activities for juniors in each district. Half retained by Oregon, other half divided for other districts.
Anne McIntyre Lahner then started the explanation and process of working through a strategic planning session for board members. She set the ground rules by inviting comments from participants. The planning will utilize information gathered during the board and annual meetings and focus on the basic question of “Where are we as an organization?” What is the purpose of ARBA?
Role is to maintain and continue the Romney sheep breed
Promote the Romney breed
Reach an agreement on a common goal for ARBA
Increase the community of sheep lovers
Raise shepherds by sharing management practices
Discussion facilitated by Anne continued with members sharing their introduction to the breed, strengths of the breed, identification of primary and secondary customers, methods of mentoring, genetic diversity, history of the breed, advertising and other topics generated as conversations moved in various directions.
A big question was the one related to how is ARBA doing. Are we meeting the needs of the membership? Is communication adequate? How are districts doing? What improvements can be made to make Romneys the breed of choice?
As work progressed, a work plan was developed. Initial work will begin and a follow up will be planned as part of the next board meeting. Identifying mentors, modifying the Ramblings, upgrading the website and investigating the use of a Gaggle group all made the list.
Due to the length of the planning, committee reports and district reports were not included during this meeting. JoAnn will research the costs associated with changes to the Ramblings and forward to board members. Emma and Nicole will establish an Instagram account and share with the board.
The next meeting of the board will be Saturday, August 11 at 1:00 p.m. EDT.
A motion by Anne and second by Scott provided an opportunity for the board to approve the adjourning of the meeting at 2:16 p.m. PDT.
Following the meeting, Sue provided a tour of the facilities and sheep managed by Kalina Romneys.
Submitted by JoAnn Mast, ARBA secretary