In Attendance:
Ethan Calhoun, President
Lisa Jackson, Past President
Toussant Kirk (Vice-President) (part)
Norman Pope, Treasurer
Jeanne Anne Marsh, Vice-Treasurer
Loretta Hylton
Clifford McGrady
Randy Mannino
Nayna Mistry, Secretary
Others in Attendance
Chrissy Marlowe (part)
Sharon Fenneran (part)
Unable to Attend:
Tom O’Bryant
- Call To Order
President Ethan Calhoun called the scheduled board meeting of GAZA to order at 4.18 pm.
- Approval of the Minutes of the Previous Meeting
Minutes of the previous board meeting held on October 23, 2024, at Putnam County had been emailed to the Board by Ethan Calhoun. Lisa Jackson made a motion to approve the minutes. Her motion was seconded by Jeanne Anne Marsh, which then passed unanimously 8-0.
- Financial/Treasurer’s Report
Norman Pope gave a summary of the Financial/Treasurer’s Report citing total expenditures of $12,579.60 and a current checking balance of $47,354.79. Norman Pope stated that the total funds, including the CD and Edward Jones investment account, were $67,558.67. He explained that the Sponsorship account is kept separate for private funds and the balance is $4,000.00 and 2 scholarships were paid out at $1000.00 each. Membership dues for 2025 stand at $3,080.00. The winter conference was a tremendous success and the deposit was $22,359.36. President Calhoun asked for a motion on the financial/treasurer’s report. Randy Mannino made a motion to accept the financial/treasurer’s report as presented. This motion was seconded by Lisa Jackson which then passed unanimously 8-0.
- Committee Discussion/Reports
- Scholarship Committee
Jeanne Anne Marsh remarked that scholarship applications were being accepted up to the deadline of May 31, 2025. Allison Oliver was an award recipient and had sent in a Thank You card to the committee. President Calhoun thanked Jeanne Anne Marsh and the Committee for the work they have done for the scholarship applications.
- Legislative Committee
President Calhoun reported that we are looking for a new Chair for this Committee. In the meantime, he will continue to send out email blasts and updates on the progress of legislative activities. Randy Mannino volunteered to help.
- Communications Committee
President Calhoun gave a brief update on the Facebook page which is being used to add photos of conferences, and the GAZA website was updated with past conference presentations. The former recipients for scholarships would be added and new recipients updated, as necessary. Membership forms and checks are to be mailed to Norman Pope. Toussaint Kirk volunteered to continue working with the State on the regulations regarding the online credit card payment option to get that up and running.
- Sponsorship Committee
- Lisa Jackson stated that Tele Dynamic Systems had expressed interest in sponsoring the 2025 Summer Conference and encouraged the board to solicit sponsors. She explained the Bronze, Silver and Gold options and the sponsor form was on the website. Lisa Jackson asked for a vote to buy $1000 in gift cards for the business meeting. Clifford McGrady made a motion to approve the request, and the motion was seconded by Jeanne Anne Marsh, which then passed unanimously 8-0. President Calhoun thanked Lisa Jackson for her work with sponsorships and memberships. Ethan Calhoun suggested we get gift cards for the speakers and have some Thank You cards printed. Jeanne Anne Marsh made a motion to approve the request, and the motion was seconded by Lisa Jackson, which then passed unanimously 9-0. (This included Toussant Kirk).
- Membership/Nominating Committee
Norman Pope stated that the current membership number was at 94 with 8 more applications pending. There was a concern that numbers are currently low. Discussion followed about donations for Disaster Relief in the wake of Hurricane Helene, AICP credits for future conferences and overall business expenses. Randy Mannino made a motion to raise the membership fee to $50. This was seconded by Loretta Hylton, which then passed unanimously 9-0. Norman Pope mentioned that Tom O’Bryant’s term expires February 2025 and the same applies to Nayna Mistry. Nayna Mistry will be nominated to continue as Secretary with any other nominations for the positions.
- Award Program Update
President Calhoun reported that applications are invited for the Awards Program from March 2025 until the deadline in June 2025. The winner will be chosen by the committee and announced in August 2025.
- Future Conference Locations 2025-2026
- Summer 2025
The Summer 2025 Conference will be in Rome, GA (August 13-15).
Suggestions were considered for the Summer 2026 Conference to be in Savannah or Jekyll.
- Winter 2025
The Winter 2026 Conference will be in Athens, GA (February 4-6).
- 2025 Summer Conference Agenda
- Conference Registration Giveaways
Jeanne Anne Marsh suggested giveaway ideas to the group. President Calhoun thanked Jeanne Anne Marsh for her work.
- Board Member Introduced Topics
No additional topics were discussed.
- Set Date and Time for Next BOD Meeting
The next board meeting would be held on April 16, 2025, at 11.00am at Putnam County. Lisa Jackson mentioned using the Sara Lee Boulevard address for GPS purposes.
The office address is 117 Putnam Drive Suite B, Eatonton, GA 31024. Office 706 485 2776.
- Strategic Planning Session – Board Members Only
No planning session required.
- Adjourn
With no other topics to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 5.50pm.