Members present: President Hagit Limor, secretary Joshua Rinaldi, Amanda Van Venschoten, Jon Hughes, Emil Dansker, Aiesha Little, Taelonda Sewell, Suzanne Murray, Scott Aiken, Stephanie Creech

1) President Hagit Limor called the meeting to order at 11:33 a.m.

2) Approval of minutes from last meeting
- Moved by stephanie, seconded by josh. Motion Passes

3) Old Business -
     I.  Final Report on regional's requested financial documents - Alex/Hagit report on meeting with Kevin Smith
 - Discussed the issues regarding finances. Hagit said she believe the issue is handled because Smith chose not to even copy receipts. She doesn’t expect him to address it further, but he can. Issue is done at a chapter level

1. Amanda suggested the board insitute better policies for managing its finances. Hagit explained that the board is already in the process of doing so.
2. Hagit: trying to get prior approval.  To make record keeping easier in the future.

      II. Update on contest - Jeannine
     - 320 entries. The Knoxville Chapter said the bulk of them will be judged by july 28th.

1. Jeanine needs help on how to get certificates printed to the winners. Looking at about 75-100 certificates at least.

III. Update on Banquet - Amanda  
- The board decided that the theme for the banquet will be our 40th anniversary.

1. Amanda said Verizon and the Enquirer are waiting for their invoices for their sponsorship. Hagit will handle this.
2. We have gotten checks from Frost Bronw Todd. Scripps will be invoiced soon.
3. Planning with a 10k budget. Going with that, we’re working with half of what we need.
4. Price should be about $40.
5. Felix’s company has offered to do a pre-banquet happy hour. They’re in the building attached to the Phoenix. The Tentative plan is a cocktail hour at Cincy business from 6:30 to 7:30.  Hoping to keep it to 1.5 hours, not counting cocktail hours.
6. Winners will be announced verbally, by Hagit if necessary, likely during dessert.
7. Phoenix needs $750 downpayment as soon as possible.
8. Emil asked if we recognizing charter members? If Bob Webb is here, we should let him speak for a couple minutes.            
9. We need ideas for an Emcee? Clyde Gray? Carol Williams? Curtis Fuller?  Nick Clooney? Hoping to lock this up in the next two weeks.
10. Dinner will be sit down not buffet.
11. Working on soliciting gifts for auciton. Can updated by end of July.  15-20 items?  Hagit asks everyone on the board to come up with one item. Restaurant gift certificates. Significant donors will be listed as sponsors.
12. Amanda wants to get invitations out 5 weeks before the event.  Attendees will have to RSVP and send in money. She will be sure to include menu options on invitations.

4) New Business -   
      I. Treasurer's Report - Alex (By email on Tuesday) 
- as of this week we've got $7139.70 in the main bank account.
- happy to report during june and early part of july there were two expenses totalling $78 ($28 for the Web site and $50 reimburse hegit for national spj trip); and $3720 in deposits ($3070 for contest entries, $150 in membership dues and $500 for frost brown's sponsorship).
- Alex was also asked to determine where our previous balance of more than $3,000 came from. Those are due to $1,500 (from the Enquirer: $1,000 for the upcoming banquet sponsorship; $500 for a full-page ad); $1,500 from Federated Department stores(this is the check that languished in our box all winter); and $250 Bob Morford at Channel 9 for tickets to the awards banquet.
     II.  Secretary's Report - Josh
           a. updated website
-Josh is currently working on www.spj.opg/queencity site. He is also meeting with Joe wessels to see about updating www.cincyspj.org. He will go with most functional option that can be easily updateable.   
           b. myspace site
-Aiesha suggested looking into a Yahoo group? Would work for job listings, etc. Josh will look into.
           c. Josh is working on a template and hopes to have the e-newsletter going again by September.
           d. Listservs – We currently operate four. One for all of Region IV, one for anyone in the region, one for our dues paying members and one just for the executive board. If anyone has something to distribute to one of these lists should contact Josh.

     III. President's Report - Hagit
          
           a. Organization
 - Hagit is going to give up on getting files from Melissa Huelsman.  Will assume what she has of SPJ inventory is what it is. Will compile an inventory list now.
           b. membership drive  
- as of July 10th, we now have 75 members. Which is a 35 percent gain.
-Urges everyone to try to recruit one or two members each. Hagit has done 20 in two months. She is considering giving a prize to the top recruiter.

      i. Gen-J project - Suzanne Murray
-Suzanne asked boardmembers to please identify 20-somethings in your organizations

1. Has contacted people at Tv stations
2. Membership push is first project.
3. Suzanne wants to push SPJ as more than just a resume builder in college.
4. Hagit suggested that separate Gen J outing is possible as well.
5. Josh suggested that Suzanne look at colleges as a way to bridge the gap between campus chapters and professional chapters.
       c . board  membership  -
                   i.  Accept Melissa Huelsman's Resignation
6. -Moved by Emil, seconded by stephanie. Passes.
                   ii. Re-elect Jeannine and Stephanie
7. Josh moves. Amanda seconds. Passes.
                   iii.  Accept nominations for new board member(s)  
8. Emil moved to appoint Aiesha D. Little, of Cincinnati Magazine, to the board. Josh seconds. Passes
9. Hagit would like to add chairman ships. i.e. Suzanne.
10. - Emil moves to appoint Taelonda Sewell, a freelancer, to the board. Jon seconds. Passes

4. Hagit requested authorization to register for SPJ National Convention

- She said no president every requested authorization before, but this is in the issue of transparency.

1. She will stay in hotel.

          f. student mentoring program - Jeff Hirsh
- Jon recommends a small group of people from 4 major colleges to be available for the program.
-In the program we as SPJ members would be available as mentors, for speaking engagements, etc.
    
5) Committee reports
 
    I. Hall of Fame - Scott  Aiken  
 Nominees are Ron Fischer, a longtime cameraman for WCPO Channel 9. Wayne Perry, a reporter and editor for the Cincinnati Post before his death in 2006. Tom Hubbard,a former news photographer for the Cincinnati Enquirer and  a professor of photojournalism at Ohio State. Powell Crosley, founder of WLW.
- Rinaldi moves to accept the nominations, Jon seconds. Passes.
    II. Programming – Stephanie
Tentative schedule:
6 p.m., Thursday, August 23
New Member Wlecome
Embers on Montgomery Road in Kenwood

Friday, September 28
Awards Dinner
The Phoenix
8:00 p.m. Monday, October 1
Monday Night Football event
Downtown bar TBD

Monday, October 29
Pre-election mixer with candidates, etc.
Location TBD
  
Thursday, November 29 (Thursday after Thanksgiving)
A forum with Steve Leeper and other city leaders about Cincinnati’s revitalization.
Location TBD

Monday, December 17
Holiday Party
Banker’s Club (No denim, no sneakers)

    III. Ohio Contest - Felix (by phone)
There are two bids for who will sell advertising for the awards magazine:
- Bob Zack - He is proposing selling ads for a 20% commission, plus expenses, just like in 2006.
- Joe Wessels bid – 20 percent of existing. 30 percent of any new.
-Felix thinks Joe will be a much more ambitious salesperson. He sells sponsorships for the legal advocacy network with national.
   
- Hagit moves to hire Joe Wessels to handle handle the southern half the state and Bob Zacks handle to northen half. Emil seconds. Passes
- Motion that we will agree with Columbus should they decide to award entire state to one person.  Motion passes.
- Felix said there is $4,342  invoice, but there is more than that in the state account.
- Scott moves to pay invoice. Emil seconds. Passes.
-Hagit said Felix will send info to other chapters to let them know about the motions.
- Motion to pay felix $2,000 to assembe the ohio contest book.
- Jon seconds. Passes.
6) Adjournment at 1:01 p.m.