Uploaded November 30, 2002 to ncac as ncac0806final.html
IEEE National Capital Area Council (NCAC) Meeting
Tuesday August 6, 2002
Location: Allie's American Grill, Bethesda Marriott.
Meeting following the Washington Section's Meeting and Dinner.
1. Call to Order, Welcome and Approval of Agenda
Call to order after the Washington Section's meeting at 8:30 PM.
Note: The Agenda items were discussed in different order than here presented. The order given here is consistent
with the Agenda and established practice for NCAC.
2. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes
Concerning the minutes of the NCAC meeting of June 4, 2002.
Motion to Approve: Jim Allen, second Doug Holly.
The minutes were approved unanimously and are now on the NCAC web site as ncac0604final.html
3. Chairman's Remarks - Saj Durrani
3a. NoVa proposed Withdrawal. Saj gave an update of the developments regarding NOVA's motion to withdraw
from the Council. He said that Marc Apter had presented the item to RAB in its June meeting, and RAB had appointed
a Committee chaired by Moshe Kam to look into the issue. Saj had provided several inputs to Moshe, noting that
the ballot results could have been different if the pros and cons had been presented to members in a timely fashion,
and that there were several flaws in the procedures for collecting and counting the ballots. He had also informed
Moshe that Mike Cardinale and he were working to find an acceptable solution of the problem. More importantly,
he had proposed an outline of a possible new structure for the Council, which could remove most of NOVA's objections.
Under the new structure, two of the four NCAC Officers would be appointed by each Section instead of being elected;
and the Council would have a small ExCom consisting of Council and Sections Officers, and a larger AdCom consisting
of the ExCom and the Chairs of a few Standing Committees. He said details of the charter can be drawn up easily
if the basic outline is accepted.
A general discussion followed, in which most of the attendees participated. Mike Cardinale stated that there was
nothing wrong with the ballot; there were only minor procedural problems and they had been taken care of. He said
he was willing to work with Saj to find a solution. Jerry Gibbon, Xianhua Yang, Doug Holly and Ron Ticker gave
their views on perceived reasons for NOVA's motion, benefits of joint activities, and possible ways of achieving
these benefits. Xianhua also said that he would communicate to Moshe the reasons for WS's support of the Council.
Haik Biglari streesed the need to find the best way to serve the membership.
Jim Allen said that bylaws were important but people were even more important; it was critical to find volunteers
who can do the work. For example, the Consultants Network holds two very successful membership meetings every month
but its Executive Committee meets very rarely - perhaps only once in several years. Jan Aminoff said it was beneficial
to have a joint activity through the Council like the Job Fairs, which gives visibility to the IEEE. Gideon Kantor
emphasized the need of working together in the present global economy, instead of splintering apart. Saj concluded
by saying that he would present the restructuring ideas to the NOVA AdCom on Aug 14, and invited suggestions from
everyone while waiting for guidance from the RAB Committee.
3b. Region 2 library. The material in this library was outdated and would be discarded shortly; thus each Section should ascertain if any items are of interest and should be retained. NOVA had asked Vince Williams to visit the library at Jackie Hunter's office and identify such items; WS may also want to do so. Saj asked Jim and Jan to do so for NCAC, if possible.
.
4. Treasurer's Report
Howard presented the report for June and July. It showed total expenses of $ 7,387.22 (all for the office and the
SCANNER's publication and mailing), and income of $ 3,055.30 ($ 485.30 from Region 2 to maintain its library, $
1,250 from ads, and $ 1,320 from NOVA). The balance was $ 3,205.47 in the checking account and $ 2,289.64 in the
credit card account.
Howard asked if the credit card acount should be closed, since there was a monthly fee but very little activity.
After discussion it was decided to maintain the account, because it was handy for advertisers and for members taking
continuing education courses.
Saj reminded the Sections that their contributions of $ 3,064(NOVA) and $3063(WS) for the third quarter were now due. NOVA had paid $ 1,320 of its share, and was to pay the balance after its AdCom meeting on 8/14. WS said it would pay its share that evening, and a check for $3063 was paid after the meeting.
5. Other Reports
No other reports were discussed.
6. Next Meetings
The next two meetings will be held after the WS AdCom meeting on September 3, and after the NOVA AdCom meeting
on October 9.
7. Adjournment
Motion to Adjourn in due course. Meeting adjourned at 9:30 PM.
Respectfully Submitted
Jan Aminoff
Secretary, NCAC
j.aminoff@computer.org
Attendance List
Saj Durrani, Chair, NCAC
Jim Allen, ViceChair, NCAC
Howard Needham, Treasurer, NCAC
Jan Aminoff, Secretary, NCAC
Jerry Gibbon, Conference Chair, NCAC
Michael Cardinale, Chair NOVA
Doug Holly, Treasurer, WS
Xianhua Yang, Chair, WS
Haik Biglari, Continuing Education Chair, NCAC
Greg Strutt, Director, WS
Ron Ticker, Secretary, WS