ARS Board Meets in Person after Five Years of Zoom
For the first time since Fall 2019, the
ARS Board of Directors met in person for their semi-annual meeting on March 29 and 30 in Atlanta, Georgia. The pandemic taught all of us how to meet virtually, sitting at home in front of our computers. Gathering in Atlanta was a refreshing and energizing change. Because Board members are spread out across the country from coast to coast, most had never met their ARS colleagues before. Now they actually know each other a little better.
Planned and led by ARS President Carol Mishler, the meeting fol
lowed a standard agenda. It began with a review of the ARS Strategic Plan and ongoing Board task list, followed by reports and discussion from all of the standing committees. The Board learned that ARS fundraising efforts and finances are healthy, while member retention and new memberships remain ongoing concerns. ARS works to attract new members of all ages and backgrounds. This year, the Scholarships and Grants committee has already granted many awards and continues processing applications as it aims to spend all of the funds budgeted for that purpose. Financial need is only one of many criteria considered when scholarships and grants are awarded. Changes to the ARS Policy Book and Bylaws were discussed, to ensure that the Board’s practices and its governing documents are aligned. Finally, the Board chose a recipient for the President’s Special Honor award, and ARS Board members will present that award and the Distinguished Achievement award at the Boston Early Music Festival Recorder Relay in June.
The Atlanta Recorder Society and members of Atlanta’s Lauda Musicam joined Board members for an evening playing session led by Phil Hollar and Gwyn Roberts. The Board is grateful for their southern hospitality and especially for vice president Jody Miller’s efforts to plan and organize the weekend’s events, including meals and shuttling Board members around the Atlanta metro area.
